Four Best Types of Blue Light Protection for Eyes and Skin

One of the biggest side effects many people have experienced over the last couple of years in the shift from working at the office to working from home is fatigue from all the hours spent staring at a computer screen, with meetings replaced with Zoom and Teams calls. Your computer screen, along with other screens including smartphones and even televisions, emit blue light that might be damaging your eyes, skin, sleep cycle and more. No doubt you’ve seen advertisements for blue light glasses and other solutions popping up on your social media feeds, claiming to help prevent blue light damage. If you’re curious about blue light protection, learn more cover the potentially harmful effects of blue light, why it is important to protect yourself from blue light, and how to do so.  

What is Blue Light?

Blue light is emitted from electronic devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets and TVs. According to UC Davis Health, blue light (or blue wavelengths) is part of the visible light spectrum. While blue light has the shortest wavelength, it has the highest energy. Our eyes don’t naturally block or filter blue light, which results in it penetrating our corneas, and reaching our retinas. 

How Harmful is Blue Light?

Hours and hours of daily exposure to blue light can damage our eyes (specifically the retinal cells) over time. It can potentially result in things like cataracts, growths and cancers. While these are long-term effects, blue light can also cause short-term problems that can affect daily life. Continuous exposure to blue light throughout the day can cause headaches, dry eyes, and strain on your eyes. It can even disrupt your sleeping patterns. If you are using your computer, tablet or phone right before going to bed, blue light can also reduce your body’s production of natural sleep-inducing melatonin. This could cause you trouble in falling asleep and staying asleep. 

As a beauty blogger, I regularly warn my readers about the effects of blue light on skin. Because blue light is so strong, daily exposure has negative effects on skin, even with short-term exposure. Blue light can damage the skin’s proteins and can contribute to wrinkles, sagging and loss of firmness. Blue light can not only speed up the aging process, but it can also potentially cause pigmentation issues. Additionally, if blue light is affecting your sleep cycle, this could result in things like undereye bags or dark circles under the eyes. 

How to Protect Yourself from Blue Light 

You can take these steps to protect yourself from the harmful effects of blue light. 

Blue Light Blocking Glasses

These past couple of years, blue light blocking glasses have become increasingly popular for those working from home on a computer. Worn like regular glasses, blue light glasses feature lenses that filter and block blue light. There isn’t substantial scientific evidence that blue light glasses protect your eyes from long-term damage. Many wearers, however, claim that the blue light filter on these glasses help with things like eye fatigue, dry eyes and headaches. 

As a blogger, I am in front of my computer screen a lot. I love wearing blue light glasses while I’m on my laptop or phone. After a day of working, my eyes feel less tired and strained. Plus, they make me feel smarter and work harder. It’s embarrassing, but it’s true. Many companies are produce super cute blue light glasses, so you can protect your eyes in style. You can also ask for blue light protection on your lenses if you have prescription eyeglasses.

Blue Light Protective Skincare

If you’re like me, your phone is just inches away from your face for a large part of the day. As a beauty blogger and skin care fanatic, I was compelled to look into ways to help protect skin from blue light coming from our screens. One of the best ways to do this is with SPF sunscreen. There’s something for every skin type and it should be worn all year long, both indoors and outside. I highly recommend a broad-spectrum SPF, formulated specifically for the skin on your face.

I also recommend looking for serums or facial oils containing zinc oxide, which will help protect your skin from blue light Many of these serums and facial oils also include SPF. You can also look for any skincare products that feature “environmental protection,” as this often means they protect against UV rays and blue light. Environmental protection facial spray is easy to apply, and it’ll protect your skin from blue light as well as other harmful environmental pollution. 

While protecting skin from the blue light of electronic devices might be a relatively new idea, don’t overlook it. We are on our screens so much these days, and it’s a very easy way to avoid speeding up the aging process. Remember, it’s an easier thing to prevent than it is to fix. Also, don’t forget your lips. Be sure to protect your lips with an SPF lip balm. 

Supplements

When it comes to beauty and skincare, health and protection often start on the inside. Supplements are a great way to get ahead of the damage that the sun and blue light can have on your body. Supplements with selenium and vitamins C and E can help maintain the skin’s ability to protect itself against sun-related effects and aging.

 If you’d rather not wear blue light glasses or products on your skin, this is the best option for you to protect yourself. Simply popping a supplement is an easy, quick way to prevent the negative effects of blue light. 

Blue Light Blocking Screen Protectors

You can now buy screen protectors that cover your phone or laptop screen and filter out blue light, protecting not only your screen, but your body as well. By limiting the blue light coming from your screens, you’re cutting out the harmful rays right at the source. 

While I haven’t tried these screen protectors personally, these seem like an extremely efficient (and affordable) way to protect yourself from blue light rays. 

From glasses to screen protectors, these products will help protect you from the harmful effects of blue light, but don’t forget to also take breaks from your screens throughout the day.