Uvex explains how you can protect your eyes from blue light
After a long day on a construction site, your eyes can feel strained and fatigued. Protecting them from harmful blue light is crucial. Extended exposure to blue light from the sun and digital screens can lead to long-term vision damage. Here’s why it matters—and how safety eyewear, like the Uvex CBR lens filter, can help safeguard your sight.
What is blue light?
Blue light is a high-energy part of the visible light spectrum (380-500 nanometers). It comes from the sun, electronic devices, flood lights and fluorescent lighting. While blue light helps regulate sleep and keeps you alert, too much exposure can harm your eyes.
Blue light from the sun
Construction workers spend hours under the sun, exposing their eyes to blue light daily. High-energy visible (HEV) blue light can damage the macula and retina, increasing the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a progressive condition that severely affects vision. Most people don’t realise that blue light can penetrate deep into the eye, potentially causing significant damage over time.
The eye has macular pigments that absorb up to 90% of harmful blue light, but their density varies among people. Factors like genetics, diet, fitness, smoking, and previous blue light exposure influence how well your eyes can protect themselves. Since you can’t tell your macular pigment levels just by looking, it’s important to take extra precautions.
Blue light from digital devices
Beyond sunlight, construction workers also deal with artificial blue light from screens used for communication and site management, as well as bright artificial lighting. Too much screen time can cause digital eye strain, leading to dry eyes, blurred vision, and headaches. When staring at screens, we blink less, reducing eye lubrication and making discomfort worse.
Impact on construction workers
Construction sites present unique challenges. A mix of outdoor sun exposure and digital screen use increases the risk of eye strain, headaches, and sleep disruption. Harsh lighting—whether natural or artificial—makes the eyes and surrounding muscles work harder, leading to fatigue and discomfort. This can impact judgment and increase the risk of accidents.
How safety eyewear helps
Just like sunscreen protects your skin from UV rays, safety glasses with blue light filters shield your eyes from harmful HEV light. Modern eyewear like the uvex CBR lens filter offers both protection and comfort.
Not all blue light glasses provide sufficient coverage. Some only block wavelengths up to 420 or 430 nanometers, but harmful artificial blue light peaks around 450 nanometers. Proper safety eyewear needs to cover this range to be effective.
Benefits of uvex CBR Lens Filters
- Better Contrast: The CBR65 and CBR23 lens filters improve contrast, helping workers see objects more clearly in bright or high-glare conditions. This improves depth perception and reaction times, which is crucial for safety on-site.
- Reduced Blue Light Exposure: The uvex CBR lenses cut blue light exposure by up to 50% or 95% at 450nm, depending on the lens type. This makes them ideal for work environments with bright natural or artificial lighting and frequent screen use.
- Less Eye Strain: These lenses relax the eyes and surrounding muscles, reducing fatigue. The soft brown tint helps ease headaches and discomfort from bright lighting, keeping workers focused and productive for longer.
- Proper Fit Matters: Simply wearing safety glasses isn’t enough. Poorly fitted eyewear can let blue light reach your eyes. Ensuring your glasses fit properly enhances comfort and protection.
For more details on uvex CBR lens filters, visit the uvex website here CBR65 & CBR23 Blue light protection | Safety eyewear | uvex safety
