The Hazards of Blue Light How to Protect Your Eyes and Minimize Exposure
You may have been warned about blue light and its impending threat to your eyes. It comes from your computer screen, your phone, and even from the sun. Why is this form of light harmful, and how can you keep your eyes safe? IS BLUE LIGHT A NEW THING? filtered by the corneas and lenses, almost all of it reaches the more sensitive retinas.
There are also removable filters you can put on your computer screen. Brands like RetinaShield/Tech Armor and Eyesafe are designed to limit the amount of blue light your eyes are exposed to. To avoid eye strain, talk to your eye doctor about blue light glasses. These tinted glasses, which come in prescription and nonprescription versions, reduce the amount of blue light that reaches your eyes. Remember, blue light itself is just a natural form of light and isn’t inherently bad. During the day, it can even be beneficial to get some natural blue light from sunshine — while wearing sunglasses, of course. But it’s also a good idea to take precautions to protect your eyes from artificial blue light, especially if your work environment and hobbies expose you to it frequently.
Blue light occurs in nature and is nothing new. However, because many electronics emit blue light, it’s more of an issue now than it was just 10 years ago. Backlit LED screens emit strong blue light waves, so our use of devices like cellphones, tablets, and flat-screen TVs means we are exposed to more blue light than ever before. WHY ARE EYE DOCTORS WORRIED? Blue light isn’t inherently bad — it’s found in sunlight and lightbulbs — but our increased exposure to it might be. Our eyes are pretty good at blocking UV rays but not so good at blocking blue light. Blue light has a higher energy output than other forms of light, so instead of being
The high energy output of blue light and our eyes’ inability to protect the retinas from it appears to cause damage similar to macular degeneration, an eye disease mostly affecting people over 65 that can lead to blindness. These similarities to macular degeneration have scientists worried that our increased exposure to blue light could lead to more cases of it. HOW CAN YOU MINIMIZE EXPOSURE? Many computers and electronic devices have a “night shift” option built in. Enabling this feature will dim the screen and lower the amount of blue light that your device emits.
NOT LIKE IN THE MOVIES What Hollywood Gets Wrong About Being a Lawyer
You can’t believe everything you see on TV. Space travel doesn’t look anything like “Star Wars,” and getting bitten by a radioactive spider is more likely to make you sick than give you superpowers. Even movies or TV shows with realistic plots can be way off base. Just look at these myths about the law Hollywood writers want you to believe. MYTH: CASES HAPPEN REALLY FAST. Your average legal drama on TV only has about 60 minutes with commercial breaks to introduce, argue, and then wrap up an entire case. Movies tend to drag things out a little longer, but even the most nail-biting cases are implied to last only a few days. In reality, cases can stretch out for years! Workers’ comp cases last an average of 1 5 months , and sometimes it can take two years for a personal injury case to get to trial! This leaves lawyers with a lot of prep time, which brings us to our next myth … MYTH: LAWYERS SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN COURT. Audiences often see fictional attorneys spend most of their time in a courtroom. At some point, you start to wonder why they don’t rent out a spare closet and just live at the courthouse. While many real lawyers do argue cases in front of a judge, most of the time spent working on a case is done in the office. A typical day for a
lawyer is spent at their desk reviewing cases, drafting arguments, researching legal questions, preparing for depositions, and negotiating settlements. Almost no one yells, “You’re out of order!” MYTH: WINNING A CASE COMES DOWN TO ONE PERSON. In shows like “Law & Order” and “L.A. Law” and movies like “A Few Good Men” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” winning each case falls solely on the lawyer’s shoulders. Since the lawyer is the main character, it makes narrative sense for them to be the most important character, but this isn’t how it works in a real case. In real life, your case would be handled by numerous associates, lawyers, and paralegals all working together to get their client justice. It really is a team effort! While the life of a lawyer isn’t as thrilling as prime-time dramas suggest, that isn’t to say each case isn’t important. If you find yourself involved in a case, it can
feel like the end of the world. Fortunately, the attorneys at Block, Klukas, Manzella & Shell are available to work together and provide the time and attention your case demands.
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