Author Topic: 'blue light' protection  (Read 1427 times)

'blue light' protection
« on: 14 July, 2015, 03:35:38 pm »
I need new lenses for my glasses, browsed prices and found something new; 'blue light' protection:
Quote
Blue light
This is emitted by the sun, as well as devices like computers, smart phones and LED lighting. While some blue light is essential to your health and helps regulate sleep patterns, other parts of it can be harmful to your eyes and contribute to the development of conditions like age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

New to me, not heard of this. Is it just a fad or something sensible?

Hmm looks like it is something to take seriously:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side

I have a stepson with CFS. Melatonin levels are a major factor in his problems. He spends a lot (nearly all waking hours) in front of multiple screens.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: 'blue light' protection
« Reply #1 on: 14 July, 2015, 03:49:47 pm »
You can get software to adjust the colour of your screen based on the time of day. So less blue at nighttime.
eg F.lux https://justgetflux.com/
Or for Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid.lux

Not sure whether it actually helps or not.

Re: 'blue light' protection
« Reply #2 on: 14 July, 2015, 03:52:00 pm »
thanks for that, will take a look at using f.lux. I wonder if it can override computer game video graphics?
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: 'blue light' protection
« Reply #3 on: 14 July, 2015, 04:28:29 pm »
I have it (Twilight) on Android devices and it overrides everything. Makes (most) video unwatchable- I wondered if that was how it 'worked' - by getting you to turn the things off and go to bed as you can barely watch/read it.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: 'blue light' protection
« Reply #4 on: 14 July, 2015, 04:58:49 pm »
I have it (Twilight) on Android devices and it overrides everything. Makes (most) video unwatchable- I wondered if that was how it 'worked' - by getting you to turn the things off and go to bed as you can barely watch/read it.

Depends how aggressively you set it up, shirley?  Though I do often pause it in order to watch video (the "auto-pause in specified apps" setting was good for this before Lollipop broke it).

I may also be guilty of setting up Twilight to use the sun rise/set times of a location in the middle of the Atlantic, in order to better match my circadian rhythms.  I'm in this to reduce eyestrain, rather than treat a sleep disorder.


I can also recommend redshift (NOTP) as an equivalent app for Linux.  There's a gtk version that leaves an icon in the system try for ease of pausing.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: 'blue light' protection
« Reply #5 on: 14 July, 2015, 05:26:25 pm »
Blue light protection would require yellow glass to absorb it or a dichroic coating that reflected blue light.  Either way, you'd be seeing a rather amber world.  Although blue light is more energetic than other colours and therefore can cause some damage, this sounds like marketing BS to me as there is no way to filter it and still see colours normally.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Kim

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    • Fediverse
Re: 'blue light' protection
« Reply #6 on: 14 July, 2015, 05:35:38 pm »
Blue light protection would require yellow glass to absorb it or a dichroic coating that reflected blue light.  Either way, you'd be seeing a rather amber world.  Although blue light is more energetic than other colours and therefore can cause some damage, this sounds like marketing BS to me as there is no way to filter it and still see colours normally.

But humans are really rather good at seeing colours normally, even when they actually aren't.  Using low colour-temperature displays and lighting in the evening (as we'd been doing for years before alternatives came along) is a perfectly reasonable thing to do unless you're trying to do a job that requires accurate calibration.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: 'blue light' protection
« Reply #7 on: 14 July, 2015, 05:39:35 pm »
Does anyone really have 5000K lamps in their house?  I always buy the very warm (2700K) or warm (3000K) white ones, as the others are horrid.

(does anyone else think colour temperature was dreamed up by scientists just to bamboozle laymen, since a high colour temperature means a perceived cooler colour?  And yes, I do know it is the wavelength of radiation emitted by a black body at that temperature).
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: 'blue light' protection
« Reply #8 on: 14 July, 2015, 05:52:05 pm »
Does anyone really have 5000K lamps in their house?  I always buy the very warm (2700K) or warm (3000K) white ones, as the others are horrid.

I certainly stick to the warm stuff, unless it's for something other than general room lighting.  But one manufacturer's 2700k isn't necessarily the same as another's.  Especially with cheap chinese tat.

Screens can be quite blue, of course.


Quote
(does anyone else think colour temperature was dreamed up by scientists just to bamboozle laymen, since a high colour temperature means a perceived cooler colour?  And yes, I do know it is the wavelength of radiation emitted by a black body at that temperature).

I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time.  It's not actually a problem, because as as soon as you start talking about colour temperature or Kelvins you've pretty much passed the black body clue test.  Everyone else should be fine with "Warm White" "Cool White" "Surprise Pink" or "Congo Blue" or whatever.

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: 'blue light' protection
« Reply #9 on: 14 July, 2015, 08:10:22 pm »
Quote
It also suggests that shift workers and night owls could perhaps protect themselves if they wore eyewear that blocks blue light. Inexpensive sunglasses with orange-tinted lenses block blue light, but they also block other colors, so they’re not suitable for use indoors at night. Glasses that block out only blue light can up to $80.
Cheap compared to "cycling" glasses.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.