What is Blue Light?

Blue light has two different types: beneficial and harmful. The beneficial blue light comes from the sunlight and helps balance the melatonin levels produced by our body during the day. This process reduces attention deficits and regulates our sleep pattern.

On the other hand, the blue light from the development of technology is the harmful type. When we wake up in the morning, our first instinct is to reach for our phone. We might check the time, emails, or social media. We begin our day by exposing ourselves to blue light emitted from our phones. If we are working or studying, we spend most of the day in front of tablets and computers. Later, when we get home, we watch television for long periods or continue checking our phones until we go to bed. We often do this without reducing the screen brightness and sometimes even in the dark.

What about elderly people? They spend the entire day watching television and sitting or lying on the couch without moving. While they are losing muscle mass, they are also exposed to this excessive blue light.

Due to the blue light disrupting our circadian rhythm (which you can learn more about in our "Circadian Rhythm Article"), our body cannot distinguish between day and night, making it difficult for us to feel sleepy at the right time and wake up in the morning. This results in headaches, fatigue, lethargy, and eye discomfort. Additionally, our skin, which loses collagen and elastin, may experience premature aging and sagging.

Blue light directly affects our eyes, especially if we wear contact lenses, as it significantly increases eye dryness. It contributes to our eye prescription continuously increasing and can even lead to cataracts as we age. It can also cause conditions like macular degeneration and eye cancer.

How Can We Protect Ourselves from the Effects of Blue Light?

• We should pay attention to the frequency of using electronic devices that emit blue light.

• We can install blue light blocking programs on our devices.

• If we must use these devices, we should adjust the brightness based on the time of day (reduce it at night and increase it during the day).

• We should activate the "night mode" or "sunset mode" on our electronic devices. This will change the screen's light to a warmer tone after sunset.

• We should regularly moisturize our skin.

• We should choose glasses with blue light filtering lenses. Additionally, using yellow or orange-tinted glasses can help our brain correctly perceive the day-night cycle. This way, even if we are exposed to blue light, the color and filtering of our glasses will help maintain our circadian rhythm.