Your eye health is important, and as you may already know, blue light can be detrimental to your eyes and even your sleep schedule if you have too much daily exposure. If you already have blue light glasses to wear while working online or are considering getting a pair, you may be wondering: Do blue light glasses help with fluorescent lights?
Blue light glasses can help protect your eyes from fluorescent lights. Fluorescent and iridescent lights do release blue light, and combined with the amount of blue light emitted from your screens, almost everyone is experiencing too much blue light exposure.
If you want to learn how blue light glasses can help keep your eyes safe, how they work with fluorescent lights, and even how often you should be wearing blue light glasses, keep reading! This article has everything you need to know.
Do Fluorescent Lights Give Off Blue Light?
Blue light gets a pretty bad reputation, but the truth is, our eyes need some blue light to function properly; the blue light that is emitted from the sun, directly and indirectly, is necessary for our eye health.
Many people worry about fluorescent lights because they emit blue light; however, of all the light released from fluorescent lights, only 20% of it is blue light. Realistically, we receive far more blue light from the sun than we ever could from fluorescent lights.
The problem is that because we are looking at more screens than ever and still use fluorescent lighting and, of course, experience sunlight, most people are simply receiving too much blue light in their daily lives, which is why blue light glasses have become so popular.
Is Fluorescent Light Harmful For Your Eyes?
Now that you know that fluorescent lights only emit a low dosage of blue light, you might still wonder if these lights can harm your eyes.
Unfortunately, the rumors are true, fluorescent light can be quite harmful for your eyes. But it’s not the blue light to blame. Fluorescent bulbs emit a small but continuous amount of UV rays.
UV rays, which are also released by the sun, can cause blurred vision, eye strain, and even cataracts.
The bad news is, blue light glasses, which do help with the blue light from fluorescent lights, as we are about to learn, do not protect your eyes against UV rays.
Do Blue Light Glasses Help With Fluorescent Lights?
Because fluorescent lights emit blue light, blue light glasses can help your eyes if you are constantly under fluorescent lighting.
For those of us who work in an office setting, between fluorescent lighting and constant screen use, we are undoubtedly being exposed to too much blue light.
Whether you have noticed that you get headaches or blurry vision under fluorescent lights or simply want to be sure you are keeping your eyes as healthy as possible, you can and should get a pair of blue light glasses to use during the work day.
Should You Wear Blue Light Glasses All Day?
It’s important to understand that while blue light can be detrimental to your eye and physical health, eyes do need some blue light, and it can actually be quite beneficial.
A moderate amount of blue light, like the small amount we get from fluorescent lighting, will help keep your sleep pattern consistent, increase alertness, and improve memory and cognitive function.
For these reasons, you should not wear blue glasses all day long. It’s important to take breaks by taking your glasses off for short periods of time, even if your office is lit by fluorescent bulbs.
However, on the other hand, some experts have reported that blue light glasses don’t actually reduce the amount of blue light as much as manufacturers say, which means that even when wearing the glasses, your eyes are still being exposed to substantial blue light.
If you forget to take your blue light glasses off throughout the day, don’t worry, they are not causing your eyes any harm. In fact, as a general rule of thumb, you should wear your blue light glasses more often than not, as we are most likely getting more than enough blue light throughout the day!
Remember that the most harmful aspect of fluorescent lighting is not actually the blue light but the UV rays they emit. In order to keep your eyes safe, you should take breaks from fluorescent bulbs throughout the day and make sure not to look directly at them, even if you are wearing blue light glasses.
Final Thoughts
Let’s recap: Do blue light glasses help with fluorescent lights? Absolutely they do!
Between fluorescent lighting and LED screens, most of us are exposed to far more blue light than our eyes need, causing eye strain, headaches, and sleep deprivation.
If you work in an office or anywhere with fluorescent lighting, you should go ahead and buy a pair of blue light glasses and wear them for most, but not all, of the day.
