There are many medical studies that warn us that our eyesight suffers greatly after prolonged exposure to blue light of a monitor. What can we do to protect the health of our eyes? Windows It offers us some solutions through its settings menu.
It is worth paying attention to this matter, since the list of problems that can appear as a result of this is quite long. From sleep disorders to skin problems, among many others, Luckily, starting with Windows 11, Microsoft decided to provide its operating system with a series of functions designed to minimize these negative effects, as we explain below.
Already Windows 10 a was introduced filter designed to mitigate these harmful effects. An idea that was very well received by users, concerned about the effects on their health derived from the daily use of computers and screens in general. Something that, in the world we live in, is difficult to avoid.
What is blue light?
Natural light is made up of a series of colors. Each of them has a different wavelength within the visible spectrum. Specifically, blue light (which is approximately 25% of white light) occupies a wavelength between 380 nm and 475 nm. The sun is the main source of blue light.
This type of light is closest in the spectrum to ultraviolet light. It is the one that predominates in LED lights, present in most electronic device screens, as well as in fluorescent tubes.
It is not, in essence, a harmful light, as long as our eyesight is exposed to it excessively. In fact, many experts believe that some degree of exposure to sunlight is necessary, especially for children's visual development. Everything indicates that The problem is excess exposure to this type of light.
The risks of blue light
Among other things, blue light can cause eye irritation, eyestrain and lack of concentration. Apart from this, there are some studies that show that it is also the cause of deterioration and death of cells in living organisms. Although there are opposing medical opinions Regarding the real consequences of being exposed to blue light, what is clear is that it causes a series of negative effects on health.
In order not to alarm too much, it is necessary to point out that This blue light is only dangerous if it is abused for a long and continuous period of time.. This is the reason why it is advisable to control and dose the use of electronic devices, especially when used by children. It is also advisable to keep your eyes well hydrated after a long session (several hours) exposed to an artificial source of blue light, such as the PC screen.
Let's now see how to protect the health of our eyes with these Windows settings to reduce blue light:
Blue light filter
There are a series of very useful ideas and recommendations to counteract the adverse effects of blue light and protect our eyes when we are working on a Windows PC. Experts recommend, for example, wearing protective glasses for long sessions of leisure or work in front of the screen, or regularly eating fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants to strengthen and protect our eyesight.
Beyond this, it is highly recommended activate the Windows blue light filter. We explain how to do it in both Windows 10 and Windows 11:
Activate the blue light filter in Windows 10
These are the steps to follow to activate this method to protect our eyes in Windows:
- First we go to the menu Windows Start and from there we access Configuration.
- Then we select the option Screen.
- There we go to the section Color, where we click Night light settings.
- Finally, we click the button Activate to activate the blue light filter. To be more precise, we can use the button intensity control of light until we achieve the level that makes us feel most comfortable.
Activate the blue light filter in Windows 11
The blue light filter in Windows 11 is the same and works the same, just accessed differently:
- To start we go to Start Menu to later access Configuration.
- Then we will System.
- Next we select the option of Screen.
- Here we search and select Night light.
- Finally, on this screen, click on Activate now. Also here we find a button to control the intensity of the light.
Finally, it should be mentioned that, in both Windows 10 and Windows 11, there is the possibility of programming the night light so that it is activated and deactivated within the schedule that we ourselves decide.