With the fall comes the return to classrooms and the increased used of screens as kids and teachers  do their work. That means that some of your kids (or you) may start noticing some signs of eye fatigue and/or dry eye.

U.C. Davis Health defines blue light as: “part of the visible light spectrum – what the human eye can see. Vibrating within the 380 to 500 nanometer range, it has the shortest wavelength and highest energy.

About one-third of all visible light is considered blue light. Sunlight is the biggest source of blue light. Artificial sources of blue light include fluorescent light, LED TVs, computer monitors, smartphones, and tablet screens.”

Blue light is unfortunately a part of our daily lives now, and can hardly be avoided. But we can do many things to help protect our vision:

• Take frequent breaks
• Wear blue-light filtering lenses
• Take measures to combat dry eye

You can make an appointment with us to see your options for blue-light filtering lenses. Let us know at your annual appointment that you’re interested in these options and we’ll work with you to find the best solution for your eyes.

You can also do many things to prevent or combat dry eye. According to Mayo Clinic Health Systems, these are steps you can take to combat dry eye issues when working for extended time with blue light sources:

• Taking frequent breaks during screen time. Try following the “20-20-20 rule.” Every 20 minutes, look at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
• Using artificial tears to refresh your eyes when they feel dry.
• Getting a vision exam to evaluate an uncorrected eyeglasses prescription or refractive error. This helps identify focusing issues and if your eyes are working well together, both of which could cause eyestrain.

We have a wide variety of eye drops and artificial tear products for your dry eyes, and are happy to work with you to find the best option for your eyes.

Call, text, or email us to set up your annual appointment and we can discuss all the options available to you, from eye drops, to blue light blocking lenses!