Vision is one of the most important senses for a gamer. It is therefore essential to protect your eyes as best as possible.
There are many tips to thwart the blue light enemy that damages your pupils in the long term. Many gamers today opt for anti-blue light PC screen filters to limit these harmful effects.
For the duration of one article, we decided to look into whether this device is worth using (or not).
What is an anti-blue light filter?
For those who may have spent too much time deep in the mountains of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, anti-blue light screen filters are physical films resembling protective "glass" that you attach to the screen of your computer, tablet, or even your smartphone.
How does it work?
From one device to another, blue light filters for computers, tablets, or smartphones are always applied to the screen of your device. These filters are designed to absorb the harmful part of the light spectrum that damages your retina over the long term. It's a bit like a Star Wars-style electromagnetic shield, but for your pupils!
Before you head back into the snowy forests of Norway, we have listed the advantages and disadvantages of this protective device for you.
The advantages and disadvantages
The pros
Protecting your eyes
The first advantage of a filter is obviously the considerable reduction of blue light that is harmful to our eyes in the long term. By reducing its impact and intensity, our brain assimilates light better, our eyes are less exposed to the dangers of this light wave, and so we ensure better health for our pupils.
Screen filters help reduce this light by at least 80%, which is enough to protect your eyes when you play for many hours.
Another tip: A good diet is also a solution to prioritize to improve and protect your vision. Our article on this subject can be consulted here.
Being less tired
Protective filters also have the characteristic of making your energy bar go down a little less quickly. Indeed, the reduction of blue light helps avoid too much disruption to your biological clock; you will sleep better and will therefore be more efficient.
A better-balanced brain
We won't guarantee that you'll have the same concentration power as Magneto, but better-protected eyes and a less tired brain will also allow you to be more effective and better focused.
By reducing the level of blue light with a filter, our brain regains a day/night rhythm that is less disrupted. Consequently, this will also influence your internal clock and allow you to have a more balanced and healthier sleep rhythm.
Another tip: It will still be best to avoid exposure to screens an hour before going to bed!
Avoiding eye conditions
Blue light has harmful effects on the eyes (eye dryness, blurred vision, etc.). Thanks to their protective technology, filters will delay or even prevent certain eye diseases such as AMD (age-related macular degeneration, which is accelerated by blue light) or even cataracts.
The cons
Color alteration
Filters very often use the color yellow to attenuate blue light radiation. This logically alters the quality of the colors on the screen. Instead of accurately viewing the wonderful graphics of a game like Genshin Impact, the colors will lean slightly toward yellow, like a good old photo of your great aunt Monique.
Not 100% effective
If you were looking for a 100% effective filter, you might be significantly disappointed. Anti-blue light PC filters do not completely stop the transmission of this harmful light wave. Indeed, despite technological progress, filters are not yet capable of absorbing the entire light ray emitted by our screens.
In addition to this, recent studies conducted by the University of Manchester suggest that our eyes would react just as much to other colors as they do to the blue light coming from our screens.
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So, the best approach is probably to combine solutions or find other alternatives to arm your eyeballs with additional defense points.
Recommendations and alternatives
Recommendations
From one individual to another, preferences and expectations can differ. At Horus X, we will always be on the side of protection and prevention regarding the health of your eyes.
We consider this anti-blue light filter solution with a lot of interest and seriousness. We think that its use can indeed be an interesting solution to compensate for significant blue light exposure.
However, we prefer other alternatives, which seem less restrictive and probably more relevant for a high-level player.
Alternatives
Anti-blue light & anti-glare gaming glasses
A good pair of protective glasses will always be one of the alternatives we recommend. The positive point about glasses is that you can put them on and take them off as you please, like a weapon you change during a game. We like this flexibility and it will allow you to have greater freedom and responsibility regarding your vision.
To choose the pair that might suit you, there is only one link to follow: it's here!
Light settings on your various devices
You should know that today, it is possible on your PC – as well as on your smartphone or mobile tablet – to modify your screen settings to limit the effects of blue light.
On Windows 10
- Click Start > Settings > System
- In the Display section, turn on the Night light option
- On the Night light settings link, click the Turn on now button. You can also adjust this setting for a specific time range.
On Macbook
- Choose the Apple menu and go to System Preferences
- Click Displays
- Then click the Night Shift tab
- From there, you can schedule a time range and turn on Night Shift mode to adjust your screen's light preferences.
On Chromebook
- Select the time in the bottom right corner
- Click Settings
- Once in the "Device" tab, go to Displays
- Under "Night light," turn on Night light
- From there, adjust your screen color under "Color temperature."
Apps
If you aren't a fan of filters to apply to your PC screens and your computer isn't equipped with a night mode by default, you can always opt for anti-blue light software, such as LightBulb. This application makes it very easy to reduce eye fatigue resulting from long periods spent in front of a screen.
With this software, your computer continuously adjusts the gamma frequency of your screen, shifting the color temperature from cold blue to warm yellow. This type of application has many features for customizing your work environment.
Another application that we really appreciate: f.lux software. It acts directly on the lighting and backlighting of your screen by reducing the blue level when night falls. Extremely easy to use, the application suggests you enter your geographic location and configure the level of light used so that it can adjust automatically: halogen, daylight, or fluorescent.
Where to buy an anti-blue light PC screen filter?
If you are convinced by the usefulness of filters to protect your eyes, you just need to get one online. We decided to make your job easier by comparing the different sales offers available on the Web?
Consequently, the filter that seems most interesting to us is the one from the company VistaProtect. You can find their filter on Amazon with all the information about it.
To buy it without further delay: VistaProtect – Premium Anti-Blue Light Filter
PC anti-fatigue filter | The final word
There are many solutions to protect yourself from the harmful effects of blue light. It is your duty to adopt a few of them if you spend a lot of time in front of your computer or television.
As we take care of our readers and gamers from all walks of life, we want to remind you that here, at Horus X, you will always find advice to protect your eyes: from glasses to PC filters to food supplements, the alternatives are numerous.
Do not hesitate to write to us if you are interested in our lenses and frames or if you have questions regarding the protection of your eyes.
