Three reasons blue light safety glasses are essential on the job

Think of places you visit regularly: the doctor, the mall, the grocery store, and your workplace environment – all these places expose blue light to your eyes.

Energy-efficient light bulbs, your computer, and your phone contain light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that all contain a mix of yellow and blue light - that's how you get that intense white and brightness.

And because these artificial light sources are rising, overexposure could harm your health. The good news? Our blue light-blocking safety lenses can help. More on that later.

Here are three ways blue light-blocking safety eyewear is essential on the job.

1. Blue light hazards could damage your eyes

Not all colors of light have the same effect on individuals. According to Harvard research, blue light is the culprit of several known health issues over long periods.

But blue light isn’t necessarily bad. A huge benefit of blue wavelengths is that they’re important during daylight hours to help you boost attention, reaction times, and mood.

However, the increase in means and longevity of exposure can bring on negative effects. Over time, too much exposure to blue light during working hours via working in bright warehouses, manufacturing facilities, automotive plants, and more can cause damage to the eye.

Plus, many new overhead lighting systems in today’s facilities use LED technology and emit more blue light than ever; even the back-lit screens on your digital devices use LEDs.

Blue light’s short wavelengths penetrate the back of the eye, harming the retina cells. Long-term, this can lead to macular degeneration, when a person loses their central vision (peripheral vision is unaffected) and can no longer see fine details.

The worst part? This kind of damage can develop slowly over time... and the effects are irreversible.

2. Blue light could negatively affect your sleep

The proliferation of energy-efficient [LED] light sources and electronics with screens increases our exposure to blue wavelengths, especially at work and after sundown. The combination of blue light with nighttime seems to be when it is most disruptive.

Here’s why: the same reason that blue light is good for you during the day is why it is bad for you at night: it disrupts your biological clock (also known as your circadian rhythm). Exposure to light suppresses the secretion of melatonin (the hormone that regulates sleep), and the lower melatonin levels might explain the association with sleepless nights and daytime fatigue.

Sleepless nights lead to short-term lack of sleep or insomnia, which impairs cognitive function, thus affecting memory, attention span, and the ability to reason.

What’s worse is that if persistent, insomnia can eventually contribute to serious physical and mental health problems, with research showing that it may contribute to the causation of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

A study found a 60 percent higher incidence rate of breast cancer in nurses and attributed it to the blue component in light used in facilities during the night shift.

3. The right protection increases safety and compliance

The good news is that many eye issues listed above are preventable.

The number one safety measure you can take is to wear safety glasses that reduce harmful blue light, especially for workplaces that have workers with prolonged exposure to harsh artificial light sources (mainly LED lighting), access to digital devices for extended periods, and especially for those working the night shift.

Plus, the right safety glasses can protect against more than just blue light hazards - with many options including anti-fog, scratch-resistance, comfort, different styles, and more, workers will be more inclined to keep eyewear on their face if they like what they are wearing.

Are you or your workers at risk? HexArmor® can help

Take your safety a step further with HexArmor's safety eyewear technology. Our blue light-blocking safety lens, CBR65®, delivers an incredible blue light filter option for workers needing protection in all kinds of applications.

• Blue light exposure is reduced by up to 50%
• Ideal for tasks with high visual requirements in bright artificial light
• Better contrast with no masking of color comprehension provides clearer vision and reduced eye strain
• 65% visible light transmission prevents the eye from getting tired too fast
• Helps increase focus in particularly bright workplaces, improving productivity and reducing risk

Plus, here are some tips that you can implement right now to help mitigate the effects of blue light:

1. Build awareness with your employees on the effects of blue light
2. Take a quick break if you’re starting to feel eye strain, fatigue, or headaches
3. Shift workers to different applications to help prevent extended exposure to areas of high blue light exposure
4. Use a blue light filtering screen or turn off the blue light settings on your digital device
5. Limit the use of LED screen devices to one hour at a time
6. Build blinking exercises into your daily routine to work eye muscles and refocus your eyesight

Let us know if you need help or if you're ready to start a trial - our Solution Specialists are ready to work with you. Call 1.877.MY ARMOR or send us a message

Browse all HexArmor® eye protection

Plus, download your very own Blue Light Assessment Checklist to use in your workplace.

[Originally posted on April 5, 2019]