Every day our eyes are exposed to different colors of light. Similar to the color spectrum, every color has a unique wavelength. When we talk about visible light, we’re actually talking about a collection of wavelengths of varying lengths, for example blue light has short wavelengths, whereas red has long wavelengths. Each color can have a different impact on our eyes and eye care.
Blue light is a particularly beneficial part of the light spectrum, helping us regulate our biological clock so we know when to sleep and when to wake up. Blue light therapy can also assist with SAD, a type of depression resulting from lack of daylight, and can even be effective as an antidepressant. The good that comes from “blue light,” however, may be diminished by our overexposure to it, largely because of the daily use of digital devices and LEDs and exposure to fluorescent bulbs.
While blue light boosts attention and mood during the day, exposure to blue light at night reduces melatonin secretion and disrupts the circadian rhythm of alertness and sleepiness, which also helps regulate memory, mood and hormonal balance. Delayed production of melatonin due to blue light exposure could be causing even more problems than insomnia, including blood pressure, diabetes and migraine headaches while generating considerable retinal stress and toxicity. A good way to reduce the amount of negative effects of blue light would be to lessen the amount of time spent using devices that produce blue light, such as computer screens, smart phones and many other devices we use on a daily basis. If your job requires that you sit in front of a computer all day, a good way to reduce the amount of blue light is to use a screen filter. Screen filters for computers are one way to reduce the impact of blue light. You can also substitute white fluorescent tubes and LED lights with warm white tubes, halogen lights or incandescent lamps. Reducing the use of cellphones, tablets and laptop computers right before bed should also help to minimize negative effects of blue light that. Be aware that “black light” tubes common in night clubs and bars can also give off potentially harmful blue light.
Other colored lights that can have an effect on your eyes are green lights and yellow lights. Green lights can help regulate the circadian rhythm. Overexposure to green light at night, as with blue light, can reset the clock, throwing off the natural rhythm. Yellow light, has been proven effective in protecting the retinas of patients exposed to excessive blue light, since it offers the best contrast. Sunglasses with yellow lenses can be very effective in filtering out not only UV but blue light too. The lens of the eye naturally takes on a yellowish ting with age, to help filter out blue light.
For assistance in finding lenses to properly filter out UV and near UV blue light, please contact us at 877-871-1684 to schedule an appointment.
Leave a reply
FAQs
Green lights can help regulate the circadian rhythm. Overexposure to green light at night, as with blue light, can reset the clock, throwing off the natural rhythm. Yellow light, has been proven effective in protecting the retinas of patients exposed to excessive blue light, since it offers the best contrast.
What is the most damaging color to the eye? ›
Constant exposure to blue light over time could damage retinal cells and cause vision problems such as age-related macular degeneration. It can also contribute to cataracts, eye cancer and growths on the clear covering over the white part of the eye.
What is the best color of light for your eyes? ›
Yellow light has been shown to be effective in protecting the retinas of patients with overexposure to blue light because it produces the best contrast. Sunglasses with yellow lenses are quite effective not only at filtering ultraviolet rays but also blue light.
What light color is best for sleep? ›
The best night light colors for sleep are red and amber, as they are warm and soothing colors that promote a good night's sleep. It's thought that colors close to red on the light spectrum stimulate melatonin production. Red light has a lower color temperature than regular sunlight, making it ideal for sleep.
What is the best color for eye comfort? ›
The consensus is that the "non-colours", white and black, and the colours yellow, green, and orange are generally most acceptable. These colours (yellow, green, orange) are in the middle of the visible spectrum (the range of colours that our eyes can detect) and are the easiest for the eye to see.
What eye color is the most sensitive to light? ›
Lighter-colored eyes have less pigment to protect against sun damage and UV radiation compared to darker-colored eyes. This means that people with green, hazel, or blue eyes are more sensitive to light and more susceptible to UV damage.
What is the healthiest eye color? ›
Brown Eyes Are Associated With Few if Any Health Risks
“In general, everyone should make sure to wear 100 percent UV-blocking sunglasses when outdoors to minimize their chances of developing cataracts and other eye diseases,” Abugo advises.
What is the most unattractive eye color? ›
Respondents perceived people with gray eyes to be intelligent, quiet, and serious. Meanwhile, blue-eyed people were perceived to be expressive, affectionate, and confident. Brown eyes may have ranked as the least attractive, but they were 1.6 times more likely than blue eyes to be described as trustworthy.
What eye color goes blind the most? ›
Your eye color is 100% linked to specific genes. And so are many of the most common eye conditions and eye diseases leading to vision loss. However, for the most part, your eye color doesn't put you at risk for vision conditions (an exception being albinism).
What is the most attractive color for the eye? ›
One thing these survey results have in common is that light-colored eyes — green, gray, blue, and hazel — are named as the most attractive eye colors in the world. In one large survey of more than 66,000 people, green was chosen as the most attractive eye color. Green is also among the rarest eye colors.
Eye color doesn't significantly affect the sharpness of your vision, but it can affect visual comfort in certain situations. It all comes down to the density of the pigment melanin within your iris, which determines what colors of light are absorbed or reflected.
What color is easiest on the eyes at night? ›
What Is The Best Color Light For Reading And Studying During The Nighttime? Amber light and red light from Blue Light Blocking Lightbulbs are the best color lights for reading and studying at nighttime because they don't affect your circadian rhythm or disrupt hormone balance.
What color light is good for anxiety? ›
Blue light therapy is the most effective for anxiety and other mood disorders. This treatment aims to correct both physiological and psychological imbalances. When the body is stressed, blue light can effectively calm it. Blue light has the most energy of any color in the electromagnetic spectrum.
What color light wakes you up in the morning? ›
In the morning, the blue light (from sunlight) wakes us up by reactivating the melanopsin to produce electrical signals. The brain responds to these signals and promotes wakefulness. In this way, blue light controls our sleep-wake patterns.
What color makes you fall asleep faster? ›
Research studies discovered red to be the best color light to help you sleep, because it increases production of melatonin as well as full darkness. On the other end of the spectrum, blue is the worst.
Are LED colored lights bad for your eyes? ›
The high-energy, short-wavelength characteristic of blue light means it can penetrate all the way to the retina, the inner lining at the back of the eye. Overexposure to blue light from LEDs and other artificial sources has been linked to digital eye strain and potential retinal damage.
How do light colors affect you? ›
For example, red and blue light increases the sense of irritation and reduces the moods relaxation and stability; red light can also reduce the moods calm and pleasure and increase the mood nervousness. To understand how colored lighting regulates mood, scholars have explained the meaning of positive and negative mood.
Which light is better for eyes, white or yellow? ›
Blue light in white lighting can reduce melatonin by 23%, delaying sleep. Prolonged exposure increases eye strain by 18%. Yellow lighting is better for sleep and comfort, reducing eye strain by 20%, making it ideal for bedrooms and living rooms.
Do people with light colored eyes have vision problems? ›
Your eye color is 100% linked to specific genes. And so are many of the most common eye conditions and eye diseases leading to vision loss. However, for the most part, your eye color doesn't put you at risk for vision conditions (an exception being albinism).
