• Replies 17 replies
  • Subscribers 31 subscribers
  • Views 675 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Screens and blue light

BeaE

Does anyone have any advice to stop getting sore eyes/headaches from screens and their blue light? 

I recently had my eyes checked, and all is fine, so I think I'm just using screens too much (which is unavoidable) and am also generally not great with light.

I've been wearing blue light glasses for a couple of years, which have really helped. However, recently I have been finding it  irritating to have the glasses touching my face. So, I've been choosing not to wear them, and my eyes are not happy about it!

I don't know if there's maybe a blue light screen cover I could try instead - has anyone tried one of these? Or any other alternatives?

Parents

  • It's interesting, on the What's Up Doc podcast(sorry I keep going on about it), but at one point they had a specialist on, and they said the whole blue light thing from screens keeping people awake at night doesn't actually have scientific backing, it's more something device makers came up with so you don't blame going on the device and waking yourself, but blame it on the blue light. He said it was more the content waking you up then the light. 

    However I still do use the filters on my phone and PC, as I prefer the softer colours using it!

  • in reply to Cinnabar_wing

    The "it's not blue light, it's content" line sounds neat, but it downplays real biology. Lab stuff—like Harvard's old tests—shows blue light does suppress melatonin more than other colours, even at modest levels. A 2013 iPad study? Full brightness for two hours dropped it noticeably. And yeah, everyday phones aren't floodlights, but they're close enough—held 12 inches from your face, dim room? That's brighter than candlelight, enough to nudge your clock.

    Content wakes you up emotionally, sure—doomscrolling spikes cortisol. But light's the sneaky part: it hits receptors in your eyes that say "daytime!" even if you're watching cat videos. Studies from 2025-26 still say blue's the strongest circadian disruptor; filters help some folks fall asleep faster.

    So... both matter. Content keeps your brain buzzing, light keeps it from winding down. Blame the combo—not just one.

    shrugs Podcast guy might be right about hype, but science says don't toss the night mode yet.

    www.scientificamerican.com/.../bright-screens-could-delay-bedtime

Reply
  • in reply to Cinnabar_wing

    The "it's not blue light, it's content" line sounds neat, but it downplays real biology. Lab stuff—like Harvard's old tests—shows blue light does suppress melatonin more than other colours, even at modest levels. A 2013 iPad study? Full brightness for two hours dropped it noticeably. And yeah, everyday phones aren't floodlights, but they're close enough—held 12 inches from your face, dim room? That's brighter than candlelight, enough to nudge your clock.

    Content wakes you up emotionally, sure—doomscrolling spikes cortisol. But light's the sneaky part: it hits receptors in your eyes that say "daytime!" even if you're watching cat videos. Studies from 2025-26 still say blue's the strongest circadian disruptor; filters help some folks fall asleep faster.

    So... both matter. Content keeps your brain buzzing, light keeps it from winding down. Blame the combo—not just one.

    shrugs Podcast guy might be right about hype, but science says don't toss the night mode yet.

    www.scientificamerican.com/.../bright-screens-could-delay-bedtime

Children
No Data