Technology and gadgets are all around us. Most of us function and work on a daily basis while staring at smartphones, laptops, and tablets. I’m kind of guilty for this too, even on a vacation, I browse social media and I find myself glued on to my phone and tablet longer than I expected.
At the end of the day, do you end up with a headache, blurry vision, fatigue and sleep disturbance? This might be because of the blue light strain because of all those gadgets you use.
What is blue light?
To simplify it, sunlight or “white light” has a combination of different colored light rays that have varying energy and wavelengths. The shorter the wavelength contains more energy and the longer the wavelength contains less energy. Those on the blue side of the light spectrum have shorter wavelengths, therefore more energy.
We’re exposed to high energy blue light rays from TVs, tablet screens, computers and our phones which can be very damaging to our eyes.
Our cornea and the lens in our eyes can block other UV rays, which is almost all the visible light passes through the retina which is sensitive to light. This can cause damage that may lead to certain conditions like macular degeneration and vision loss. As a short term effect, being exposed to blue light can lead to eye fatigue, headache and difficulty sleeping.
How Food Can Protect Our Eyes
I’m sure all of you can relate that there’s no getting away from those screens and blue light. But studies have shown that certain nutrients that may help fight the effects of blue light in our body. This is good news!
Colorful fruits and vegetables are rich in three types of carotenoids that are beneficial to eye health: zeaxanthin, lutein, and astaxanthin. These compounds are unique and they can cross the blood-retinal barrier that can reach the eyes and bring protective benefits.
What Food You Should Exactly Eat
In order to protect your eyes from blue light, the best food that you can eat is green leafy vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and kale. Not only that but these nutrients also exist in yellow and orange produces like carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, squash, and oranges.
Astaxanthin is a red pigment that can be found in seafood like shrimp, salmon and certain types of algae which is also high in antioxidant. Antioxidants are also crucial in fighting free radical damage to the cells of the eyes and may help reduce the symptoms of blue light strain.
Tips To Better Incorporate It Into Your Diet
- If your problem is that greens go bad easily and you’re having a hard time keeping stocks in the fridge, you might want to opt for kale because it lasts longer. It can be used for a salad, stir-fries, omelets, soups, and stews and even as a pesto sauce.
- Frozen vegetables are a great solution, especially broccoli. It’s very convenient and can be used in soups, sautéed and even added into a smoothie. Don’t be afraid to freeze certain veggies!
- For your daily dose of orange and yellow, you can make a smoothie out of mangoes or enjoy it as it is.
- Sliced bell peppers can be great for salsa and hummus too. You can even try mixing hummus with some pumpkin or butternut squash and you already have your daily lutein intake.
- Don’t underestimate the power of doing research for recipes that contain foods rich in these nutrients. Feel free to browse Radiant Peach’s choice of recipes too!
While some of these lifestyle adjustments can only help your eyes to an extent, incorporating these foods that are rich in zeaxanthin, lutein and astaxanthin may at least help you protect your eyes in the long run. But whether we like it or not, let’s try our best to detach ourselves from electronics that emit blue light.
These are the same things that we’ve been told as kids to eat so that we can have a good eyesight. I think it’s legit information but then the amount of screen time we do is probably doing more damage than food can repair.
Sad but true, Carol. The least we can do is to really load up on these nutrients and change our lifestyle by lessening our screen time.
I wonder if this can really help with the symptoms. I do work on my computer for 8 hours daily and I do get really tired after my shift. I feel like my eyes hurt in a very odd way.
I really hope that this can help. I’m worried about my teens getting a lot of screen time on their phones.
This can only do so much, Felicia. Maybe you should do something about their screen time too!
Does this include vitamin A? You know what they say about carrots being good for the eyesight.?
Great information. It’s like everywhere we look, blue light exists and that’s our reality now. Our eyes are always glued to electronics, even as I type this.
I’m also guilty of being on my phone almost all the time. Even my resting moments are spent browsing social media.
I guess I should really be eating more and more green leafy veggies and yellow/orange ones. ?
We’re all guilty of being on our phones and computers in long hours. I wonder if those blue light blocking glasses really work? Or are they just trying to sell us expensive glasses?
I’m not sure about that either because I use one that’s like that and I don’t really see the difference.
This is why I still like paperback books than e-books. ?
I keep my brightness to the lowest so that they don’t damage my eyes. But I’ll also try to include this food into my diet.
It’s always good to have green vegetables not just for the eyes.
I always feel like my vision is blurred and my eyes are tired by the end of the day. I am also using blue light blocking glasses but it’s not working I think. I need to start having these fruits and veggies.
Why is it so hard to stay away from the thing that is damaging yourself. But thank God there are supplements that can help you reverse the effects.
I Promise myself every day that I will use my phone less the next day and I never do it. I am never gonna stop using it so let’s just start eating healthy.
I know that some fruits and vegetables are good for the eyes but I never knew that some foods are helpful in reducing the effect of blue light. Thank you for the information.
Why do we use gadgets so much that its damaging our body? We would have not needed this information if there were no smartphones. But thank you anyways.
It’s impossible to stay away for smartphone and TV so it’s better to start having good food that also helps our eyes in fighting against blue light.
I seriously think I will go blind if I wouldn’t stop my eyes form exposing to blue light. I hope the food that you have suggested would actually help.