What staring at a screen all day can do to your health

A pair of Ray-Ban glasses with digital blue light protection lenses from EyeWearThese with MacBook, iPad and iPhone

If I work out the number of hours per day I spend staring at a screen it’s shocking. Working at a laptop day & night, checking my phone for messages a few times per day, watching films or binge watching box sets at night, I’d hazard a guess at around 12 hours per day… every day of the week.

Yes, I know about taking a screen break every 20 minutes – but, if I’m perfectly honest, I only do it if I go to make a cuppa or go to the loo! I know I’m straining my eyes (they’re often dry and gravelly) and I know it’s affecting the quality of my sleep. I had my biennial eye test this month and yes, my eyesight has deteriorated… again!

A pair of Ray-Ban glasses with digital blue light protection lenses from EyeWearThese

So, when EyeWearThese offered to send me a pair of prescription glasses with digital blue light protection to review, I didn’t need convincing – it would be good for my health! I chose a pair of fashionable Ray-Ban frames; they have a large range of other brands available – including Armani, D&G, Oakley, Prada and Versace. As well as the digital blue light protection coating, the lenses have a scratch-resistant hard coat and a hydrophobic coat that makes them easier to keep clean!

When my glasses arrived I was really impressed, the coated lenses look practically identical to ‘ordinary’ versions; there’s an almost imperceptible blue tinge if you hold them up to the light. These special lenses filter out the damaging blue light that’s emitted by screens, fluorescent and LED lights. The younger you are, the more of this blue light that’s transmitted to your retina. I’m 50, and have been regularly staring at a screen for, give or take, 25 years – half my life so far. Imagine the damage that will be done to someone who’s half my age and has been staring at multiple screens since year dot!

Me wearing my new Ray-Ban prescription glasses with digital blue light protection lenses from EyeWearThese

Even if you don’t ‘need glasses’, if you’re glued to your smart-phone/computer/television/games console for any length of time, a pair of specs with non-prescription lenses with a digital blue light protection coating is highly recommended. In addition, use an app like Fl.ux on your computer and enable Night Shift on your iPhone (Settings→Display & Brightness) or install an app like Blue Light Filter on your Android device.

How long do you think you spend staring at a screen each day? Does it worry you or are you trying to cut down?

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