Blue light filter on computer stuff

[Helene2013]

I've been reading more and more articles about the danger/issues of blue lights on iphones, tv, tablets, etc.

Most of us nowadays have one, if not many, of those devices.

Do you use a blue light filter on your electronic "toys"?

I went for an eye exam 2 weeks ago and opto said she noticed that I have a small spot on the macula. Nothing to be alarmed. May have been there already 10 years ago and never grew. But she took a picture for a follow-up in a year or 2. Also the fact that I have drier eyes (I had lasik done in May 2008) is often related to a lot of computer (which I do). So I have to take breaks every 20 minutes.

But she did ask me if I did a lot of computer/similar gadgets things and yes as I have an iphone, tablet, laptop and HD tv... And I don't sleep well of course as I read from my Notes 10.1 tablet (magazines or downloaded books).

She's asked me to try to use a filter on my tablet at night. Something I was already using, on/off. I find the image not as sharp as it is darker and it changes the look of a magazine page. But if I don't want sleep issues (at least worst then they are) or eye issues in the long run, I have to tone down the blue lights on my devices.

So do you protect your eyes from those blue lights?

[rebeccaC]

because of some client time zone differences i'll have to do some long work hours at night at times and the free app f.lux works for me on a macbook pro. you might try it and just delete it if you don't like it...make sure you use the temperature adjusting sliders to see where the best position is for you.

[Helene2013]

Thank you. It is the one I downloaded on my laptop after the post I wrote. Will take some time to get use to it as I find you lose a lot of light if you want the full effect of less blue light.

I have a filter on my android tablet and it is "brighter" than f.lux.

I could.not find anything free so far for hubby's ipad and do not want to pay before trying it out.

[Catrin]

I've found that f.lux words pretty well on my PC, I use Twilight on my android devices. Twilight is good, but f.lux is better because you can adjust it to the level/tone of light you wish. Twilight is nice though.

Something else to consider. Depending on your laptop's reading software, if I use my backlit device to read on at night then I will change the page display in the software to either sepia or green which is easier on the eyes than the white background. I also like the black background but not at night as the contrast between background and text is too pronounced.

For me, it's been very helpful to make these changes, and I try not to use any electronics in that last 30-45 minutes before bed. It helps me to sleep. I also have dry eyes but for a different reason - scrubbing my eyelids with baby shampoo has pretty much taken care of THAT problem (was very surprised when this was recommended at my last eye exam). Apparently if the pores on our eyelids get blocked then it greatly affects tear production - & I don't wear eye makeup. Very interesting.

Good luck on finding something that works! It would be nice if f.lux were available across more platforms as it really does a nice job without losing sharpness.

[Helene2013]

on the tablet, when I read a book, I use the sepia background. love it. But wonder if the "blue" still comes out of it.

I noticed while searching the web for apps, that they have glasses you can wear to remove that blue light. Anyone tried them?

[Catrin]

on the tablet, when I read a book, I use the sepia background. love it. But wonder if the "blue" still comes out of it.

I noticed while searching the web for apps, that they have glasses you can wear to remove that blue light. Anyone tried them?

I've not used them, but I know people who wear those glasses at home after sunset to help their sleeping patterns. That would be one way of dealing with it - let us know if you try them. I've considered them for myself as I've sleeping problems but haven't tried this yet.

As far as the blue light when using the different backgrounds, it probably still does if you aren't using a light filtering application (which I do), but I can tell the difference even with the filter in place when I've a different background than the traditional white with black text.

[emily_in_nc]

Very glad to see this thread! I'd saved off a pair of blue-light filtering glasses in my Amazon wishlist, but as they are $45, I hadn't managed to make myself pull the trigger. I use my tablet a lot at night and use it as an e-reader as well, so I am very happy to hear about f.lux. Much cheaper than the glasses! I am going to download and give it a try.

I can always count on the wealth of information in this group. Thanks for being there!

[Helene2013]

I just quickly looked at readers.com and they do have some for blue lights
http://www.readers.com/computer-reading-glasses.html

Will take a better look at their site tonight. I do have a pair for reading (regular books or truly fine prints stuff) as I don't need real reading glasses for now. Opto said not to spend a fortune for reading glasses (drugtstore type can do for time-being as I'm only at 1+). And even those, they seem to triple the size of letters for me and I hate this. But I may decide to get a pair from them to try. And you have various coupons/code you can use to save 20% or 40% off. May worth the try.

[ny biker]

I saw this article recently -- it mentions f.lux and some android options.

http://www.vox.com/2015/11/2/9658952/blue-light-app

I fall asleep while reading my tablet at night so blue light doesn't seem to be keeping me awake. I've been falling asleep in front of the TV after soon after using my laptop, tablet and phone, too. I don't know if it matters but I keep all my screens pretty dim most unless I'm trying to look at them outside during the day. It saves batteries and also is more comfortable for me, which I assume is related to the migraine and photophobia problems I've had for decades.