November 19, 2018
Mateusz Dach /Pexels
It's not like our tech-ridden world will change anytime soon, so we might as well protect ourselves as much as possible.
Technology, as amazing and helpful as it may be, doesn’t come without its issues.
Among them: migraines — which can be a debilitating side effect of too many hours on YouTube or Instagram.
Technology-induced headaches and migraines are likely caused by the eyestrain that results from looking at a screen for hours, according to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Since it’s not like technology will become less involved in our lives, it’s best that we find a way to protect ourselves from the pain.
One reporter at MindBodyGreen, Ray Bass, discovered a migraine-deflection tactic that fends off attacks, despite her 40-hour work weeks spent in Instagram as a social media manager: blue-light-blocking glasses. She wrote:
The irony is that you've probably seen these glasses on Instagram. Blue-light-filter glasses brands are popping up left and right — Pixel Eyewear, Felix Gray, and even trendy sunglasses brands like Quay Australia have come out with blue-light counterparts.
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Pixel, which slings what they call “computer glasses,” made the astute realization that most glasses are made for reading books, not looking at computer screens which, by the way, they estimate people spend 10-plus hours a day doing. With that in mind, they created lenses engineered to reduce eyestrain that are able to block up to 50 percent of blue light and up to 95 percent at the strongest wavelengths without the yellow tint.
Originally a skeptic, Bass is now a dedicated wearer of the blue-light-blocking spectacles.
“These glasses take the edge off the harsh light that comes from my computer and phone. I also found that they ease my dizziness — I spend a lot of time constantly looking from my laptop to desktop, to work phone to social phone, and most days it leaves me lightheaded,” she wrote.
And if you aren’t prepared to shell out the big bucks for a new pair of glasses, there are other precautions you can take to protect yourself from technology-induced migraines. For example, you could download an app that matches your computer screen to the lighting of the room you're in and time of day so you won’t blind yourself. Or, you can opt for an anti-blue-light phone case.
