Ep. 021: Do Your Blue Blockers Actually Work?

There is a growing awareness of circadian function and its role in shaping health. While this trend has emerged more recently, its impact on the health space has been significant. This, of course, has a trickle down effect, impacting how people understand their health and what they do to support it. Many are now thinking differently about the role of sunlight in human function, how they structure their day, and their relationship with modern technology. But one could argue that the greatest impact of this growing circadian awareness has been the widespread adoption of blue blocking glasses – glasses designed specifically to filter out certain wavelengths of the blue light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Now you can find these glasses everywhere. Even eye doctors, who were previously resistant to this message, are regularly offering – even recommending – blue blocking in the lenses that they offer to patients. In so many ways, this is positive. It demonstrates a growing recognition of the negative impacts of modern, artificially-lit technology on human health and a willingness to do something about it. Not to mention, blue blocking glasses are a really simple and relatively inexpensive solution for offsetting these risks; this is a breath of fresh air in a world that often tries to overcomplicate with new and expensive “solutions.” We feel strongly: blue blockers are an absolute must if you want to support your true health. The only challenge is that this trend emerged without a strong biophysical basis, which means that there was very little understanding of the complexity of how light shapes human function and why artificially-lit, blue-shifted technology has a negative impact on health. The thought was simply: blue light is bad, let’s block some of the spectrum. And because these companies are trying to create a product that people actually want to use, they chose to block very small and specific portions of the blue light spectrum. This was ultimately to create lenses that were clear, therefore not distorting the users color vision in any way. On paper, this sounds like an amazing solution for everyone. Companies can sell these glasses as blue blockers because, realistically, that's what they are. Users perceive they are getting the benefit without any alteration to their visual experience. Everyone is happy…right? The only problem: this is simply not how blue blocking works. At best, these clear lenses have no impact on health. At worst, they have a negative effect. This is often where we find ourselves in the field: trying to convince patients that their clear blue blockers are not what they need to support their true health. Maybe they’ve been convinced otherwise by an “expert,” influencer or company. Maybe they simply don’t like wearing tinted lenses because of how they look or how they alter the color from screens. Either way, we too commonly see that when patients wear these clear blue blockers, their health is ultimately what suffers. In this episode, we’ll tell you why. You’ll learn what blue light is, the impact of the “the blue light hazard,” what these clear blue blockers are actually blocking and what constitutes a pair of blue blockers that actually work. Part 2 takes you a layer deeper into the blue light story more broadly and you’ll come away with an understanding of how blue light functions in nature to tune our biology to the environment. Exploring the biophysics of the blue light story is an easy and accessible way to learn about circadian rhythms and we feel it’s a great starting point for anyone wanting to dive deeper. If you’re interested in the topic and want to go deeper, become a Fieldlab member: https://fieldlab.mn.co/plans/1903955?... [Medical Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, health, or professional advice and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. Any reliance on information provided through the podcast is solely at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. If you think you’re having a medical emergency, please contact your healthcare provider or call 911 immediately.]