It’s likely that your workplace has provided you with an ergonomic chair that supports your spine and helps to prevent or at least decrease back pain. Your company may also have strategically-placed fire extinguishers and a well-rehearsed exit strategy should you need to evacuate your building. However, with all of these safety measures in hand, one may have been overlooked: protecting your eyes.

Today, nearly everyone who works in an office has a computer screen in front of them. In fact, some studies show that we spend most of our waking hours in front of some type of digital device, whether that’s our trusty laptop, office computer, television, or mobile phone. This overexposure to blue light can have a negative effect on your eyesight, if proper precautions are not taken.

While the largest source of blue light comes from the sun, there’s a fair amount of it in man-made items, like those mentioned above as well as LED or fluorescent lighting, popular in many offices. However, because of the close proximity of our digital devices and how much time is spent in front of them, our eyes may become overexposed to this blue light, causing fatigue, eye strain, even retinal damage.

This overexposure can even lead to vision problems like age-related macular degeneration or cataracts. So what can be done to minimize or prevent these various eye health issues? 

A blue light filter, which is available on most digital devices can reduce eye strain. There’s even an app called Twilight for your Android device if your phone or tablet doesn’t have this feature. Additionally, special-purpose computer glasses can be helpful if you spend several hours each day on the computer. You can get these glasses without a prescription, if you don’t already wear glasses for vision correction.

Many lens manufacturers have glare-reducing anti-reflective coatings that block blue light originating from both natural sunlight and digital devices. Photochromic lenses provide seamless protection from indoor and outdoor UV and blue light.

Protecting your eyes from injury while you’re on the job can begin with a routine eye exam where you can discuss these or other options with your eye-care practitioner. Schedule your appointment today! 

Originally published on March 5, 2020  by Kristine Heslin on LinkedIn