It Depends
Like most things in the human body, biological systems work on biorhythms and balance. During the hours of the day, while the sun shines, humans become bathed in blue wavelengths along with all the other colored wavelengths. The light humans become surrounded by has positive and negative effects depending on intensity and length of exposure. For example, standing in the sun gives a person vitamin D, but standing for too long in the sun can provide one a sunburn.
During the daytime, blue light helps bring about photochemical reactions and increases its speed. It helps us stay alert and makes our memory function well. In a twenty-four-hour period, humans have a circadian rhythm. It determines many physical, behavioral, and mental changes, such as hunger, hormone release, and sleeping. The level of blue light received affects each of those patterns and behaviors.
What Changed
Natural blue light from sunshine has not been a problem for most humans. However, blue light from devices has made it necessary for health professionals like Houston LASIK to check the level of blue light a patient might be experiencing, especially at night. People now spend many hours looking at computers, phones, tablets, and television, all emitting blue light. Too much blue light can strain the eyes, cause blurry vision, and aggravate conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Before doing any laser eye surgery, it is possible that a set of blue light filtering lenses can take care of the minor issues of strain and blurred vision. May ask a person to wear blue filtering lenses to rule out environmental factors.
Science Behind How Much Blue Light
Accelerating photochemical reactions like blue light does have a cost. It increases the possibility of retinal damage due to reactive oxygen species(ROS) substances produced by light and blue light. The body compensates for this by using antioxidant systems. Remember the idea of balance and circadian rhythm? Well, when (ROS) out runs the antioxidant system, then retinal cells begin to damage. Repair systems of the body kick in like found in the circadian rhythm, so the body seeks less light, and the easiest way to do that is by lowering the energy and taking a nap or sleeping longer to heal damage. For a time, scientists argued about using blue light filters, but measurements have been devised to test filtering lenses, and there is a numerical difference.
To Use Blue Lenses or Not
PLoS One, an academic journal, published a clinical trial where blue-light filtering lenses were tested for reducing phototoxicity(sensitivity to sunlight), scoptic sensitivity (visual symptoms while reading), and melatonin suppression (inhibits falling asleep). Phototoxicity reduced by 10.6% to 23.6%, scotopic sensitivity( reduced 2.4% to 9.6% and melatonin suppressed by 5.8% to 15%. Oddly enough, 70 % of the participants did not notice the change in the optics. Participants wore the blue filtering lenses and intraocular lenses for at least two hours for one month and took tests such as the Mars contrast sensitivity charts and a Farnsworth Munsell 100 hue test. Testing indicated the reduction. Blue light filtering serves as a preventative and becomes more significant as one ages.
If one has time, one can take a trip to Houston and talk with the laser eye surgery doctors or the staff about blue light. They can provide information for your individual needs.
Since 2005, Houston LASIK has been providing surgical vision correction technologies to patients from the Greater Houston Area and all over the world. The center specializes in multiple premium technologies including LASIK, EVO ICL (Intraocular Collamer Lens), ASA (Advanced Surface Ablation), and RLE (Refractive Lens Exchange). Houston LASIK & Eye is well known for using state-of-the-art technology and personalized care to help patients see their best. Patients receive customized surgical solutions from a team of highly experienced and award-winning ophthalmologists and optometrists. For more information, visit www.houston-lasik.com or call 281-240-0478.
Sources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9938358/#:~:text=Effects%20of%20Blue%20Light%20on%20the%20Retina&text=Because%20of%20its%20high%20energy,apoptosis%20%5B57%2C%2058%5D.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08820538.2021.1900283
- https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Journals&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&retrievalId=eae762a9-4d5a-4ddc-a381-df9aa9e90dbf&hitCount=22&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=17&docId=GALE%7CA476237340&docType=Report&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZHRC-MOD1&prodId=HWRC&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA476237340&searchId=R4&userGroupName=txshrpub100085&inPS=true
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9586758/
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231720309848
