Kids these days are exposed to electronic devices everywhere, and they are spending more time than ever behind screens. Computers, smartphones, and televisions are just a few of the screens kids and teenagers are constantly preoccupied with.
According to the CDC, kids spend an average of 4.5 hours a day in front of the television, not even taking into account other possible screen times.
While screen time is a wonderful distraction for kids, the blue light that is emitted from screens can have some not-so-wonderful, and even harmful consequences.
Blue Light and What You Need to Know
Blue light is high-energy visible light. People are exposed to this kind of light through sunlight and artificial lights that may come from light bulbs, televisions, smartphones, and other kinds of screens.
Blue light can pass through the lens of the eyes to reach the retina and over time can cause retinal damage. However, this is not the only negative health effect blue light can have on the body. A few examples of the health problems blue light can induce include:
- Myopia (near-sightedness)
- Macular degeneration
- Digital eye strain
- Cataracts
- Headaches
- Obesity
- Insomnia
As you can imagine, overexposure to blue light can result in some serious health problems for your child if enough time passes without any protection.
Blue Light Glasses Can Help Protect Your Child’s Eyes
Fortunately for parents everywhere, there is a way to help mitigate the negative effects blue light can have on your child’s eyes. Blue light glasses work by helping to filter out the high-energy blue wavelengths that are emitted from the screens you and your child encounter throughout the day.
As a result, these glasses help to lessen the strain put on your child’s eyes when they watch a few hours of television or spend time gaming with their friends. Blue light blocking glasses can also significantly improve their sleeping cycle since blue light can throw off the body’s natural sleep cycle.
Along with minimizing the amount of time your child spends in front of screens, blue light glasses can help reduce the risk of your child developing any of the aforementioned health problems connected to excess screen time and overexposure to those blue wavelengths.
In order to take full advantage of the benefits these glasses can offer, kids should wear blue light glasses any time there is artificial LED lighting present or they are in front of computers, televisions, tablets, smartphones, and so on.
How to Choose Blue Light Blocking Glasses for Kids
There are several types of blue light blocking glasses, mainly differentiated by the color of their lenses, which filter out different percentages of blue light and provide different advantages.
Here is everything you need to know about the various colored lenses available and how to choose the one that is best for your child:
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Clear lenses: These lenses filter out a total of 40% of blue light and are likely the best choice for your child. They are also appropriate for your child to wear to school, where technology and screens are becoming more and more incorporated within the school curriculum as the years pass.
These glasses help to filter out the blue wavelengths your children are constantly exposed to while still appearing stylish. Clear lenses are also a good choice for your child since not all blue light needs to be filtered out completely. Blue light does provide some benefits, but overexposure is what can lead to its harmful health effects.
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Yellow lenses: These lenses filter out a total of 75% of blue light, meaning they block out nearly twice as much blue light as clear lenses while still allowing enough to come through to reap its initial benefits, such as increased alertness.
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Orange lenses: These lenses filter out 98-99% of blue light, but they can also block other colors as well. While these lenses may be great for blocking out blue light, this is also its downfall. While you do not want your child exposed to too much of the high-energy wavelengths, some blue light is beneficial.
- Red lenses: These lenses filter out 100% of blue light, giving it the same downfall as orange lenses. Some blue light is necessary in order to keep your body in its natural sleep rhythm so you are not falling asleep in the middle of the day.
Protect Your Child’s Eyes with Blue Light Glasses
Electronic devices are everywhere in modern society, which means that children are exposed to harmful blue light more than ever. Fortunately, you can protect their eyes and natural sleep cycle with the help of BluEyes’ stylish and protective glasses.
Get BluEyes glasses and rest assured that your child’s eyes are protected during their screen time.