Meet Oculamp, the reading lamp that helps you sleep

Blue wavelengths on the visible spectrum are thought to improve the performance of memory, alertness, attention span, reaction times and learning ability. All positive stuff, unless you're trying to fall asleep. The contemporary and portable Oculamp is designed to keep blue light levels low to preserve your eye health and help you sleep. It lasts for 20 hours on one charge, allowing you to move it effortlessly from room to room. Wherever you need light, it goes with you. Charge via a USB cable and choose from three intensity settings, controlled by a touch-panel display. You can adjust the angle to find the most comfortable position for your task.

Why is blue light a problem?

Blue light is found in natural light but it's also emitted by our phones, computers and tablet screens. With many of us using our devices up until the moment we turn over to go to sleep, are we sabotaging our own sleep quality by being hooked to technology?

Harvard researchers carried out an experiment comparing the effects of 6.5 hours of exposure to blue light, with equal exposure to green light. They observed that the blue light suppressed melatonin - the hormone responsible for natural sleep cycles, for twice as long as the green light (3 hours compared to 1.5 hours). The evidence tells us that blue light messes with our body's natural sleep cycle.

The question is: what can we do about it?

In 2013 a university student named Dhruvin Patel started a dissertation on how blue light affects the eye physiology and sleep cycles. Aware of the amount of blue light around us in day-to-day life, he wanted to know more about the health implications. From here he began developing products and solutions to help us live in the digital age without being too badly affected by blue light, especially in the workplace.

Today Dhruvin is a practicing optometrist consulting for major brands, including Vision Express, Boots, and Specsavers. He is also the founder of Ocushield, a range of blue light filtering products including glasses, screen filters and - more recently, reading lamps.

Watch his webinar now:

Oculamp is available to buy now. You can order yours now here.