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Here's Why You Should Be Worried About Blue Light Exposure (and What to Do About It)

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Reduce the risks from blue light exposure: Blue light filter glasses
Wear UV-resistant sunglasses when you're outside. "Favor sunglasses that are amber-tinted, reducing blue light rather than gray, green or bluish lenses," says Grossman. He also suggests investing in glare screens for your desktop, laptop and handheld displays that reduce blue light, limiting exposure to LED/fluorescent-based light and instead look for lighting options that simulate daylight with broad spectrum color and following the 20-20-20 rule. "Every 20 minutes that you use the computer or any electronic device, look at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This gives the tiny muscles in your eye a chance to relax."

He also recommends blue light glasses like Baxter Blue or Healthy Office. "Blue light filter glasses are the best way to mitigate the harmful and uncomfortable symptoms of blue light," says Grossman. "These lenses are designed to effectively filter blue light without changing the clarity of the lens. You can also add anti-glare to the computer glasses for optimal comfort on the computer."

Baxter Blue's lenses have been specifically developed to filter out the short wave harmful blue light without changing the color perception of a digital screen. The blue light filtering component is part of the actual lens, not a coating on the outside and they also have an anti-reflective coating to reduce the glare of digital screens to enhance the viewing experience as well as offering 100 percent UV protection. Similarly, Healthy Office's versions are designed to block harsh blue light, reduce eye strain and improve sleep.

Image via @healthyoffice

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Apps that filter blue light
There's a rise of software and apps that claim to filter blue light by changing the color of the screen to a reddish-orange hue (like Apple's Night Shift). "These apps adjust the whole temperature of your screen, which has its benefits in eye comfort, but they affect your color perception," says Grossman. "Digital screens also naturally emit high-energy light, which still enters your eye regardless of blue light-curbing software. These apps do not change the actual LEDs that are producing blue light."

Image via Apple

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Blue light-blocking sunscreen
As mentioned, the sun is also a culprit. "Fortunately, many new sunscreen formulas are now incorporating blue light filters for added protection, like Colorescience, which recently came out with the Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50 that protects against blue light in an easy-to-use brush-on SPF. Or, if you prefer a different type of product, Osmotics offers the Inner Light Biodefense Primer that blocks blue light in a translucent primer," says Schlessinger.

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Distance matters
Lastly, it's important to note that distance matters. Mendelsohn breaks it down with examples.

· If an iPad is held 1 foot from a viewer's face, then there is 100 percent exposure.

· If an iPad is held 2 feet from a viewer's face, then there is 25 percent exposure.

· If an iPad is held 3 feet from a viewer's face, then there is 11 percent exposure.

"The level of exposure follows the Inverse Square Law, whereby Exposure = 1/(distance)^2. Therefore, watching a video with the iPad three feet away is far safer and enables one to view the screen for a longer duration of time."

Image via @baxterblue_

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Blue light can also be beneficial
In controlled doses, blue light can actually be helpful for your skin. "If you can't tolerate antibiotics or vitamin A products like Accutane to treat breakouts, LED therapy with blue light is a great alternative," says Schlessinger. "These blue light rays penetrate the skin to improve mild to moderate acne by killing the bacteria that causes redness, inflammation and breakouts. The Tria Positively Clear Acne Clearing Blue Light is one of the many blue light devices that uses blue light to target and treat breakouts."

BY SHARON FEIEREISEN | MAY 30, 2018 | SHARES
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