There is growing concern among parents everywhere over the amount of time teenagers spend on their phones every single day. In fact, most of their teenage lives revolve around their use of their phones.
Thanks to the power of the internet, they can use their phones for just about everything from communicating with their family and friends to playing games.
With so much time being spent staring at the screens on their phones, they could be exposed to harmful artificial blue light, which is potentially harmful to their eyes. Unless they cut down on their screen time, the best way to protect their sight is to use blue light glasses for teens.
In this post, we’ll cover what happens to teenagers’ eyes when they have too much screen time and what you can do to protect their eyes.
How Smartphones Impact A Teenager’s Eyes
Considering the advancements made in mobile technology over the years, it’s no wonder that teenagers are spending so much time on their phones.
They can use it to entertain themselves by watching a movie or playing a game, to interact with people from all over the world, or to help them with schoolwork.
But having so many things to do on their phones come at a price, as it could lead to vision problems in the long term. Here’s what staring at screens for long stretches of time can do to your children’s eyes.
Constant Usage Causes Eye Strain
When the eyes are being used constantly, the muscles around them can get strained, just like any other muscle in the body.
However, in this case, it’s not the constant usage that’s the problem, considering that we use our eyes all the time during our waking hours.
Since the phone screen is constantly emitting light, this could lead to concentration problems as well as headaches that are centered around the temple and eyes.
Further, prolonged exposure can worsen these symptoms to the point where your teenager’s overall health and sleeping patterns are impacted.
Extended Periods Of Concentration Dries Out The Eyes
Aside from causing severe eye strain, staring at a digital screen for too long can also lead to dry eyes, which can make them very tired and lead to redness and irritation. This is because people tend to blink significantly less when they concentrate on a digital screen.
High-Energy Blue Light Accelerates Retinal Damage
The retinas in our eyes deteriorate naturally over time. But it has been shown that long-term and excessive smartphone usage can speed up this aging process, which can lead to severe damage to your teenager’s retinas.
This is mainly caused by high-energy blue light emitted from their phones. When the eyes are constantly exposed to this high-energy blue light, the photoreceptor cells in the retinas are damaged. These cells do not regenerate, making any damage to them permanent.
Too Much Screen Time is Linked With Vision Impairment
As a result of all the damage your teenager’s eyes sustain due to too much screen time, it’s highly likely that they will end up using glasses their entire lives.
Further exposure increases the risk of developing disorders like macular degeneration that potentially, leads to vision loss in worst case scenarios.
Mitigate the Damage Caused By Too Much Screen Time
Smartphone usage is more likely to increase than decrease in the years to come, especially since it is used for so many different functions.
As a parent, it can be challenging to stop your teenager’s exposure to the harmful effects of excessive smartphone usage.
But there are things that you can do to mitigate the damage, such as ensuring proper usage and using blue light blocking glasses for teens.
Minimize Screen Time
The best way to prevent any damage to the eyes of your teenager is still to minimize their screen time. Monitor the amount of time they’re spending using their phone and make sure that they’re protected by teen blue light glasses while doing so. Above all, make sure that their screen time doesn’t cut into their sleep time so they can get adequate rest.
Take Frequent Breaks
Teenagers will often get absorbed in what they’re doing with their phone that they won’t notice any symptoms of eye strain or fatigue.
So, if they’re spending too much time staring at their phone, remind them to take a break to relieve those symptoms right away.
As a general rule, doctors recommend following the 20/20/20 rule: looking away from the screen every 20 minutes and focusing on an object 20 ft away for 20 seconds.
Don’t Forget to Blink
While taking breaks, encourage your teenager to blink extra to relieve their symptoms of dry eyes. Constantly remind them not to concentrate too much on their phone screen and to hold it a safe distance away. Otherwise, a doctor will prescribe eyedrops to keep their eyes from drying out.
Balance Smartphone Usage with Other Activities
Although they’re still allowed to use their phones, encourage them to balance their usage with other activities that engage their bodies through exercise without involving their phones.
This is a great way to take their attention away from their phones and direct it into something that can stimulate the body and mind.
Wear Blue Light Glasses for Teens
Aside from spending time away from their phones, it’s also best that you provide protection to your teenager’s eyes while on their phones with blue light glasses for teens. Blue light blocking glasses for teens are worn almost exclusively while using their phones.
By wearing teen blue light glasses, your teenagers are protected from the harmful effects of blue light through a filter that blocks out blue light. This helps mitigate the effects of harmful blue light without being too restrictive on their phone usage, making it easier to implement.
Protect Your Teenager’s Vision with the Best Blue Light Glasses on the Market
The effects of blue light emitted by your teenager’s smartphone can damage their eyes and impair their vision.
When reducing their screen time is not always possible, we have the perfect alternative: protecting their eyes with blue light blocking glasses for teens courtesy of BluEyes.
View our collection of stylish and highly-effective blue light glasses for teens here and secure your teenager’s vision today.
