Now that we are in our later years we have found that our bodies and minds definitely slow down, even if our spirit never does. The rock and roll lifestyle certain takes its toll in the long run, but we still have no regrets. We spend a lot more time in the studio creating and jamming now rather than running around playing gigs on the road. Thanks to the fact that there is so much great technology available, we now spend hours working in the studio, mixing down tracks on the computer. Someone we knew recommended that we try out blue light glasses – special specs that are designed to be worn when you are using screens. We can often spend the whole day in front of the computer working away on tracks, and we knew it must be tiring for our eyes. This is the story of what we learned by wearing computer glasses for a month.
The Day We Got Blue Light Glasses
The day when the glasses came, we were booked into the studio, so it was a perfect time to whip them out and put them to the test. Two of us sat at the desk for around 6 hours in total, with a lunch break in the middle, and at the end our eyes felt pretty good, certainly not as glazed as they had been feeling previously. We both agreed that something was being done, so we left them on the desk and agreed to wear them for the next month to see if we could feel a difference in the long run. We hoped that the blue light glasses would be able to help our evening sessions in the studio.
Working Nights In The Studio
Some evenings we work nights in the studio if we have things on during the day, and since these clever specs claim to help melatonin production which is blocked by blue light, we thought we should test them out at night. I personally find it tricky to wind down at night when I come home form a big evening session in the studio, and hoped that blue light glasses would help. We had a 5pm till 10pm session one night and wore the glasses the whole time, and both went home feeling tired but not burnt out. I got into bed at around 11:30pm and fell asleep quickly, which is not uncommon for me but unusual. After a few more evening sessions, the results were pretty much the same, and I always got to sleep pretty fast which I thought was amazing. For this reason alone I now wear them any time I am in front of a screen in the evenings and have noticed a big difference.
The Facts
Since the mass adoption of technological devices is so recent, we are only just getting to grips with the effects that they can have on us. A study conducted by scientists at the University of Wisconsin published in 2020, suggests that light can really do some damage to the retinas of the human body. That is not to say that blue light rays are dangerous for the eyes, but rather the damage done could lead to problems. This is especially important if it leads to loss of eyesight, as some people have already discovered.
The Research
The researchers at the University of Wisconsin concluded that blue light can actually change the natural light pattern that we all experience. For instance, if you use a blue light filter when reading or watching TV, the light entering your eyes gets disrupted and can become distorted. The results could also vary depending on how well the person sleeps. However, even if the effects of light go beyond reading and watching TV, it has already been proven that the blue light can actually harm your eyes. In the case of blue light glasses, the problem is compounded because the lens itself may have some blue-based chemicals that will interact with the light and potentially cause damage.