Healthy(ish) Screen Time: Blue Light Glasses for Kids
- BY Zenni Optical
- IN Eye Care
Screen time. Those two words seem to be a constant source of contention for parents and kids alike. Trust us, we get it. Limiting screen time is a daily struggle, especially now when so much social interaction happens online. Since screen time is inevitable, it’s important to make sure that your kids are protecting their eyes from the harmful blue light that’s emitted from digital screens.
Whether your kids need prescription glasses or not, blue light blocking lenses are absolutely helpful for everyone and all ages. Read on to learn more about blue light, blue light blocking glasses and how to set your kids up for healthy screen time.
What Is Blue Light
Blue light is high energy light in the visible light spectrum that is emitted from sources such as the sun, artificial lighting. and digital screens. It’s beneficial by helping us boost our mood and attention during the day, but due to its high energy properties it can lead to detrimental effects under increased exposure levels, especially during the evening hours. Children are especially vulnerable to the high energy portion of the light spectrum, which includes blue light and UV, because their young eyes have not yet developed natural defenses.
How Blue Light and Kids’ Eye Health
Extended blue light exposure from digital screens can cause eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision. and dry eye. In fact, 71% of US children ages 6-12 experience symptoms such as tired eyes and eyestrain from the use of digital devices. Research has also found that excessive blue light, especially during bedtime hours can interfere with sleep patterns and is associated with insufficient sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Protecting Kids’ Eyes from UV and Blue Light
Whether your child needs prescription or non-prescription glasses, glasses are an easy and fun way to shield young eyes from harmful UV and blue light. You can give your kids the eye protection they need outdoors and indoors with /blokz-blue-light-glasses”>Zenni’s Blokz® Trivex® blue-light-blocking lenses. In addition to shielding from harmful light, /blokz-blue-light-glasses”>Zenni’s Blokz®Trivex® lenses are ultra-durable and impact resistant making them great for active kids.
The special lenses block out 100% of UV light and nearly 100% of HEV blue light up to 415 nanometers (with some additional blue light protection beyond 415nm). For reference, traditional sunglasses with “full” UV protection only block up to 380-400nm.
Zenni /blokz-blue-light-glasses”>Blokz® vs Other Blue Light Lenses
Zenni Blokz® blue light blocking technology is a monomer powder baked into the lens material itself, while many other blue light lenses on the market use a coating. This baked-in technology provides better protection and prevents the blue light and UV blocking properties from easily wearing away.
Vision Ergonomics Tips for Kids
During the times your kids need to be on screens, here are a few easy tips to help protect their developing eyes.
- Schedule Break Time – Engage your kids in a few yoga stretches or a walk to the kitchen for a small snack. This will break up the long periods of screen viewing that can cause eyestrain and dry eye.
- Light Their Space – Make sure they have plenty of light. This helps to reduce the eyestrain that may occur when the screen is brighter than their workspace.
- Place it Right – Place a desktop monitor 25 inches, or a laptop no less than 20 inches, away from your child’s face. You can also use an arm’s length distance for comfortable viewing. Ideally, the center of their screen should be positioned 15 degrees below their eyes for an easy resting gaze.
- Block the Blue – Invest in a quality pair of impact resistant blue light blocking glasses for your make. Make it a fun activity and let them take part in picking out the frames.
/kids-glasses”>Check out Zenni’s selection of frames in unique styles and colors for kids of all ages.