Computer Tip – Is Your Display Keeping You Up at Night?

So, I just visited my eye doctor for my annual vision check. Everything’s fine, but it gave me pause when she asked me if I wore sunglasses regularly. When asked why, she explained that it’s important to protect one’s eyes from the sun’s blue light waves that have been shown to be a major contributor to permanent retinal damage and age-related macular degeneration.

For Your Eyes Only (Not)
A bit more Interweb exploration on my part turned up a large number of health concerns related to the blue-violet end of the light spectrum including certain types of cancer, obesity, diabetes, and other vision-related issues. Mind you, there are benefits to blue light exposure as well, but they’re not my topic today.

Blue Light is Everywhere
Time was when we got all of our blue light exposure from the sun. Then fluorescent lights were introduced to our office spaces. Today, blue light emanates from the LED technology in computer, TV, smartphone, and tablet displays. We’re now exposed to the blue light spectrum during every waking hour both inside and out.

Sleepless Lights
Short story long, this reminded me of a wonderful application I recommended to a friend several years ago who was suffering from insomnia. In addition to the health concerns I listed above, it also turns out that blue light exposure suppresses melatonin (a hormone that maintains the body's circadian rhythm) and delays deep REM sleep.

A Computer Display Solution
f.lux (https://justgetflux.com) is a small utility that runs in your Mac’s taskbar and adjusts the color of your lap- or desktop display based on the time of day. To do this, the program applies an algorithm to your screen that adjusts the color throughout the day (and night) to minimize your exposure to blue light while still maintaining a pleasing color palette. It took me about a week for my visual cortex to adjust to the changes in color that f.lux implemented. (At dusk the screen would start it’s gradual transition with faint hints of an ugly shade of rose-orange.) Today – two years after installing f.lux on my MacBook Pro – if I look at anyone else’s display after dark, I’m shocked by how bright and “blue” it is and it literally hurts my eyes. In fact, I’ve become so accustomed to the f.lux settings that I’ve actually reduced the default brightness on my iPhone and iPad to tone down the blue. And if I read in bed, I reduce the device brightness to the minimum setting and can still see the text without straining. (I was really excited to see that in addition to supporting the Mac OS, Windows, and Linux, there's a f.lux app for the iPhone and iPad. Unfortunately, you have to jailbreak your device to install it.)

Note: Many of the articles I read recommend that one refrain from using a digital device starting several hours before bed to reduce the negative affects of blue light exposure.

Auto and Manual Controls
There’s a slider control that will allow you to adjust the color to your liking (good for late night and early morning graphic designers that require accurate color values for their artwork) and there are a number of global settings that can be turned on and off at a whim. These include presets for “Recommended colors,” “Working late,” what’s referred to as “Classic f.lux,” and “Custom colors.”

Additionally, there are specific controls for unique situations:
Customize
- Fast fade at sunset
- Sleep in on weekends
- Extra hour of sleep

Color Effects
- Darkroom
- Movie mode
- OSX Dark theme at sunset

Disable
- For an hour
- Until sunrise
- For current app

I don’t own stock in f.lux and have no vested interest in the company’s success, so this is not a product endorsement other than the fact that I’ve become a convert and my eyes feel better for it. The way I see it, f.lux is just one more supplement that I’ve added to my daily vitamin regimen and, since it’s free, I don’t even notice it.

Additional Reading about Blue Light Exposure:
F.lux: Research
Harvard Health: Blue Light has a Dark Side
The Huffington Post: How to Protect Your Eyes From the Negative Effects of Digital Devices and Blue Light
American Macular Degeneration Foundation: Ultra-violet and Blue Light
Review of Optometry: The Lowdown on Blue Light: Good vs. Bad, and Its Connection to AMD
About Health: Blue Light Exposure