The disruption caused by the pandemic means we are spending longer — on average 10 hours a day — in front of a screen. As a result, four out of five of us suffer from digital eye strain caused by over-exposure to damaging blue light. As well as causing potential long-term sight loss, this can also affect productivity through reduced concentration. Our latest ThinkVision displays, designed with the help of leading eye specialists, are certified to protect the eye health of your people, wherever they work.
One thing is for sure in this digital age, much of our working life involves sitting in front of a screen. This is even more evident in the current climate, which has accelerated the move to work anywhere.
Typically, meetings are now video calls and even coffee break chats are as likely to be via a screen than in person.
It’s not surprising, then, that we are spending longer than ever before looking at our smartphone, laptop or PC. Research shows that, on average, we view some form of screen for more than 10 hours a day. This does have a cost. Some 80% of people admit to suffering from digital eye strain.
It’s an experience that will seem all too familiar — the dry, gritty feeling in the eyes that makes you aware that you've been staring at a display for too long. A rub of the eyes, some rapid blinking, a change of focus and all is good — or so it seems.
The cost of digital eye strain
In fact, research shows that there are some more fundamental and potentially damaging effects going on. This is down to the high energy visible (HEV) blue light that is typically emitted from displays.
This over-exposure to blue light, can cause eye irritation, troubled sleep and blurred vision, which can ultimately lead to difficulties concentrating, lower attention span and reduce productivity.
Sunshine with a tinge of blue
We shouldn’t think that all blue light is bad. One of the main sources of blue light is sunlight and no-one is suggesting we eliminate this. A modest amount of blue light is good: it boosts alertness, helps concentration and raises our mood. But research highlights how over-exposure can be harmful.
Blue wavelengths flicker more than others, which creates a glare that makes it more difficult to see what we’re looking at, leading to eye-strain, headaches and fatigue.
More than that, there’s a cumulative effect. Blue light is the shortest wavelength of visible light and is known as high-energy visible blue light (HEV BL). Its higher energy means it penetrates deeper into the eye.
Consequently, over-exposure can damage photoreceptor cells at the back of the eye, causing permanent vision loss.
The issue is especially relevant for digital devices, like smartphones, laptops and displays, as we sit close to them — day after day, for hours at a time. And, not surprisingly, the smaller the screen the closer we sit.
Ease away the blues
The solution is to properly protect the eye from the impact of harmful blue light.
The Latest Lenovo ThinkVision displays do just that. They are Eyesafe® Certified. This means they are designed to meet industry-leading standards for eyesafe technology, set by leading specialist doctors worldwide. In particular, the smart displays reduce the amount of harmful blue light, dispersing it across the light spectrum to reduce the impact on the eye.
Natural eyesafe colour
As the eyesafe technology is built-in to the hardware, everything happens automatically. There are no fiddly settings or lengthy calibrations needed. In fact, reducing high-energy visible blue light delivers a more natural colour experience than is possible with a software-only solution.
Now, your users can enjoy the full colour experience while also being protected against potential ill-effects – so they are more productive and able to work more effectively.
