TALKING EYE HEALTH WITH BAXTER BLUE
It’s hard to believe that social media and the 24/7 instanaiety of the online world only really stepped into my life in my late teens. I can’t wait to be the ‘old sounding parent’ telling my children that one day (*insert eye rolling)! In the space of 10 years it’s gone from the humble beginnings of Google to the explosion of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat….the list goes on. Technology has truly infiltrated into every aspect of our lives, opening us to a digital age of exponentially increased screen time. Whilst there are many benefits of this type of accessibility, we are only really just starting to understand the health consequences of a % increase in time behind the screen. Like many things, it becomes less about fighting the change, and more about becoming educated on how to adjust and take preventative health steps.
Today I’m talking with Aaron Telford from Baxter Blue, whose passion is to protect our eyes with stylish blue light blocking eyewear that protects our eyes from the symptoms of digital eye strain.
Baxter Blue, designed in Sydney Australia, have a huge range of prescription and non-prescription glasses for male and female adults and children.
Aaron, thankyou for taking the time to chat with Happywhenfit!
Why are you so passionate about eye health and how did this passion evolve into Baxter Blue?
Every idea starts with a problem and ours was the headaches and sore eyes that came from working long hours on a computer & being exposed to the blue light from digital devices. It was after discovering that there was a solution to alleviating these symptoms of this digital eye strain that we became passionate about educating people that they don’t have to put up with the sore eyes & headaches & there was a solution in Baxter Blue glasses.
As a school teacher, I see how much the use of digital devices has increased and continues to increase in the classroom. Why do you think preventative steps such as wearing blue blocker glasses are so important to begin at a young age and what are some of the short and long term benefits of using the Baxter Blue glasses?
Today, kids grow up surrounded by digital devices. And that means they're heavily exposed to screens from a very young age when their eyes are still developing – making them even more at risk for potential long-term damage.
Children don’t have pigments in their eyes (as adults do) to provide some protection, so the blue light can pass straight through to the retina and the damage may be cumulative. In fact, most damage from blue light exposure occurs before children reach the age of 20.
With digital devices now part of every child’s everyday learning and communication, we can’t stop them using their laptop or smart phone however we can be proactive in protecting their eyes from long term damage.
We still don’t have definitive research on how blue light leads to macular degeneration, but we don't think it’s worth gambling our kids’ eyesight on. If they’ve been watching digital screens for 20 or more years day and night, we suspect there may be issues down the road.
“Most damage from blue light exposure occurs before children reach the age of 20”
In combination with protective glasses, are there any other strategies you use personally to combat digital eye strain?
There are a few ways to combat digital eye strain: In addition to our Baxter Blue glasses, we suggest you adopt the 20-20-20 rule which says that for every 20 minutes of screen time you should look at something 20 feet (6 meters) away for 20 seconds. Another great tip is to ensure you position yourself at arms distance from your screen.
Giving Back is a core value of Happywhenfit. Baxter Blue are doing some amazing things with not-for-profit organisation ‘Restoring Vision’. Can you tell us a bit about that?
Our ‘pair for a pair’ pledge is at the heart of Baxter Blue and for every pair of Baxter Blue glasses that are purchased we will provide a person in need with a pair of reading glasses.
We have partnered with Restoring Vision to give the gift of sight to those in the world that would not otherwise have access to reading glasses. Restoring Vision are a not for profit organisation who since 2003 have distributed over 10 million pairs of reading glasses to people in need.
By providing a simple pair of reading glasses you can immediately and positively impact a person’s life, the well-being of a community and the global economy at large.
“For every pair of Baxter Blue glasses that are purchased, we will provide a person in need with a pair of reading glasses”
A lot of hard work and research went into developing the Baxter Blue product. I think it is incredibly inspiring to see how the humble beginnings of seeing a need for protecting your eyes turned into the Baxter Blue journey. What advice would you give to someone who may have a solution to a problem and wants to embark on the small business journey?
Being a start-up business can on one hand be a very hard, long, lonely road however on the other hand it can be the most rewarding thing you can ever do & to have a business after 18 months like Baxter Blue makes it all worthwhile.
I would advise anyone starting out to essentially trust your gut. Obviously make sure you do your due diligence & research to see that your product or service will be a solution to a particular problem. There is however no such thing as a sure thing & if there was everyone would be doing it.
Without risk there is no reward, however when it does work it can be one of the most rewarding things you’ll do.
“Without risk there is no reward, however, when it does work it can be one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do”
What do you see (excuse the pun) in the future for Baxter Blue?
We have a number of exciting things in the wind for Baxter Blue this year, some I can tell you about & some I can’t!! We’ll be launching many new exciting styles as well as continuing our rapid expansion into the United States where we have recently established a distribution hub to get our Baxter’s into the hands of our American customers quickly.
with a similar mission of improving people’s health and wellbeing, I am proud to have affiliated with Baxter Blue and offer the Happywhenfit community free express shipping if you order through this link:
https://baxterblue.com.au?rfsn=2241058.c3669b and use the code HWF01
BE SURE TO FOLLOW @BAXTERBLUE_ ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND CHECK OUT SOME OF THEIR SERIOUSLY STYLISH EYE PROTECTIVE GLASSES!
