The Sun, UV & Harmful Blue-light and Your Eyes
- B. Hemanth Reddy, M.Optom
- Aug 2, 2022
- 3 min read

Most of us remember to protect our skin by applying sun protection lotion or creams. It is very important to start wearing proper eye protection at an early age to shield your eyes from years of UV exposure.
"UV radiation or harmful blue light, whether from natural sunlight or indoor artificial rays, can damage the eye's surface tissues as well as the cornea and lens." Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the dangers UV light can pose. By wearing UV-blocking lenses, and sunglasses you can lower the risk for potentially blinding eye diseases. "
Effects of UV & Harmful blue light on your eyes
One day can still do damage
If your eyes are exposed to excessive amounts of UV radiation over a short period, you will likely experience sunburn of the eye, which can be painful with symptoms including red eye, a foreign body sensation or gritty feeling in the eyes, extreme sensitivity to light and excessive tearing. Fortunately, these symptoms are usually temporary and rarely cause permanent damage to the eyes
Overexposure causes damage over time
The longer the eyes are exposed to UV and harmful blue light, the greater the risk of developing cataracts, pterygium ( tissue growth of eyeball), and other degenerative eye diseases later in life. it is not clear how much exposure will cause damage. so, we recommend protecting your eyes with quality lenses, and sunglasses that offer UV and harmful blue light protection.
Blue light and Digital Eyestrain
Using digital devices up close or for long periods can lead to digital eyestrain. Research has shown that when people use computers, laptops, and other digital devices, they tend to blink less often than normal. fewer blinks can mean less moisture, which leads to dryness in the eyes.

Digital eyestrain means different things to different people but is generally related to the focusing system of the eyes. when your eyes are strained from staring at a blue light emitting screen, you might notice:
Dry eyes
Sore or irritated eyes
Tired eyes
Headaches
Facial muscles are fatigued by squinting.
Reduced or disturbed sleep
Protect your Eyes with UV and Harmful blue light Blocking lenses.
It is important to know what kind of light you need to protect your eyes from and what type of light is not necessarily harmful.
Lenses Protect from UV rays and harmful blue light
You should always buy lenses with UV blocking to avoid the effects of UV light. Long-term exposure to UV radiation (UV B and UV A) is linked to cataracts, eye growth, and other degenerative changes in the eyes as stated above. Both Plastic and glass lenses absorb some UV light, but UV absorption can be improved by adding special lens coatings that give premium protection up to 100% along with blocking harmful blue light up to 420nm.
Protect your eyes from sunlight
Lenses with Anti-reflection coatings, high impact resistance and gives 100% UV protection and Harmful blue light protection are most useful indoors.
But for outdoor, for very bright conditions choose a darker lens. The color and the degree of darkness do not tell you anything about the lens's ability to block UV light.
Photochromic lenses: These lenses automatically darken in bright light and becomes lighter in low light. Darkness happens by absorbing the UV light and gives you protection from UV light, and harmful blue light, and avoids photophobia in bright conditions.
Conclusion
Your eyes are exposed to UV and Harmful blue light all day both outdoors and indoors. According to the current scientific evidence, exposure to UV Light has both short-term and long-term effects on the eyes ranging from instant discomfort to serious eye degenerative diseases depending on the exposure.
On the other hand, everyone's life is being digitalized in this modern world, and blue light exposure affects the quality of life working with digital screens, and the effects of the same are stated above. We recommend buying and using lenses with 100% UV protection, harmful blue light protection to protect your eyes from UV light, and bright lighting conditions to have healthy eyes and premium comfort in vision.
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