Many people spend the majority of their days looking at a screen. From working on their laptops to taking breaks to scroll through their phones and relaxing at the end of the day with their favourite TV show, it’s safe to say, we are glued to our screens.
Because of our collective screen addiction, we’ve all no doubt experienced the effect of blue light, which can impact our sleeping habits and eye health. Our eyes are not very good at blocking out blue light naturally, which is where blue light screen protectors come in. Here, we’ll be explaining what blue light screen protectors are and how they can benefit your employees and your business.
What is a Blue Light Screen Protector?
Blue light is a colour in the visible light spectrum that we can all see with our own eyes. You may have heard it being referred to as high-energy visible (HEV) light too. While our primary source of blue light comes from the sun, it also originates from fluorescent and light-emitting diode (LED) lights in our smartphones, tablets and computer screens.
Blue light screen protectors and blue light glasses are made with filtering materials and coatings in order to block out or reduce blue light from our digital screens reaching our eyes as much as possible. This results in you feeling fresh and focused for longer.
Why Should You Use a Blue Light Filter for Computer Screens?
Blue light can have many detrimental effects on a person who uses a screen for hours at a time. Since blue light passes through the front of the eye to the cornea and lens before it reaches the retina, which converts light for the brain to process, consistent exposure to blue light can damage the retina cells.
Here are some of the damaging effects that blue light can contribute to:
- Poor sleeping patterns and restlessness
- Cataracts
- Eye strain which can lead to headaches, blurred vision and neck and shoulder pain
If you and your employees struggle to sleep after spending a long time in front of your phone or computer, experience frequent headaches and dry eyes, and are less productive than usual, then it’s time to invest in blue light filters for your office computer screens.
Blue Light Screen Protector Benefits
Still unsure if blue light screen protectors are worth it for your business? Here are the top 4 benefits of how these protectors will help your employees and, in turn, your company.
1. Improves Sleep
If employees are working or using their phones just before bedtime, this can have detrimental effects on their sleep quality. This is because the blue light emitted from devices can stimulate our brains and delay sleepiness. If employees have a restless night, their productivity levels and motivation during the day will drastically decrease. So, ensuring their laptops are equipped with blue light protection can help improve their sleep quality and duration, which means they’ll be much more alert and ready to go in the mornings.
2. Reduces the Risk of Eye Strain
Blue light can make it difficult for some people to focus on the screen, making their eyes strain to concentrate. So, if you have employees looking at a screen all day, their risk of getting eye strain will increase – especially as, typically, people tend to blink less while using digital devices, which will contribute to both eye strain and dryness.
A blue light screen protector can help to prevent this, as the filter will change the contrast slightly to block the blue light and make it easier for employees to focus and reduce the risk of eye strain.
3. Helps Prevent Headaches
It’s widely known that blue light can trigger headaches and even migraines, even more so if that person is already struggling with eye strain. Blocking the blue light with a screen protector or glasses will offer relief to employees who suffer from frequent headaches or migraines due to looking at screens for hours.
We’d also recommend encouraging your employees to take breaks of 5-10 minutes every hour to get away from the screen completely and refresh their eyes and mind.
4. Reduces the Risk of Eye Diseases
As blue light increases the risk of developing cataracts and damaging the retina if exposed to it for a long time, this can subsequently lead to other eye diseases and degeneration. Wearing blue light glasses or providing employees with blue light screen protectors will reduce the risk of these eye diseases from happening.
At Officeology, we want nothing but the best for you and your employees while you’re working, which is why we have a wide range of blue light protection products available.
To improve the health and well-being of your employees in the office, take a look at our workplace wellbeing solutions and contact our team to discuss your needs and how to create a happy and healthy working environment.