It’s not just you, blue light really is everywhere at the moment. We're living in a digital age, and as the main light source for phones, tablets and television screens, LEDs with their blue light component are impossible to avoid. Frequent exposure has led to a whole host of concerns: from eye strain to interrupted sleep patterns, worries around the emission of blue light are only growing. The development of protection such as screen software “night mode” and blue light blocker glasses are just some of the ways people are trying to limit how much we encounter every single day.
But what if there was a biological way to reduce the impact of blue light? An all-natural dietary tool your body could use to shield itself, backed by real science?
Meet lutein and zeaxanthin.
Pronounced ‘loo-teen’ and ‘zee-uh-ZAN-thin’, these are bright yellow pigments made from plants. They can be found in leafy greens like spinach, kale, and peas, or natural supplements like the Mighty Kids Multivitamin, which derives the compounds from marigold flowers.
How does it work?
These compounds gather naturally in your retina, the layer at the back of the eye that contains cells sensitive to light, and form a protective shield. You can think of the barrier that lutein and zeaxanthin contribute to as working like a pair of built-in sunglasses, both filtering out the high-energy blue light and contributing to antioxidant protection of retinal tissue.⁵
Perhaps most importantly, it provides a defensive buffer against the light and glare from long hours spent at screens.
The benefits
Clinical studies consistently show that taking zeaxanthin and lutein can positively impact how efficiently your visual system is able to function. Here are just a few of the supportive effects:
Enhanced visual clarity
Reduced eye strain
Minimised eye dryness
Better sleep
For example, a recent 2025 study looked specifically at people who use digital screens for several hours every day. After six months of taking lutein and zeaxanthin, participants reported less eye fatigue and dryness, better sleep quality, and sharper visual focus compared with the placebo group.² These findings are not surprising: earlier studies find similar benefits, with participants describing reduced headaches, lower levels of eye strain, and improved sleep.⁵
Whether you're working from home, helping with school assignments on a tablet or sitting down to watch a show with the family, screens are all around us. While lutein and zeaxanthin cannot stop screen fatigue altogether, these subtle improvements can make a real difference to the comfort and clarity of your everyday.
Treating the root problem, not just the symptoms
Looking after your levels of zeaxanthin and lutein is a long term investment in eye-comfort. It's not just a quick fix after a day on the laptop; sustained intake has been shown to reduce these issues before they can even arise.
Given that blue-light glasses have failed to show clinical benefit even in carefully controlled trials,⁷ the clearer mechanistic rationales and stronger evidence base of supplements could suggest a more substantiated solution.
Do I need supplements for zeaxanthin and lutein?
Zeaxanthin and lutein are crucial compounds in aiding retinal health and helping you function at your best. Importantly, your body can’t make these pigments on its own, so you need to get them from food or supplements.
As mentioned, they can be found in vegetables like leafy greens, but we understand that children are still learning their taste buds, and wrestling kale into a toddler can feel like an uphill battle at times!
Even for healthy adults with consistently varied diets, studies have shown that taking additional zeaxanthin daily will increase the density of this shielding layer in the eye over several months.⁶ Consistently, the science suggests that lutein and zeaxanthin supplementation produces beneficial effects on regular users of electronic screens.⁵ If you're reading this article on your computer or phone, chances are that applies to you!
So whilst (like most vitamins and minerals) it is true that these can be found on your plate, giving yourself and your children that extra bit of support through supplements, even alongside a perfect diet, can only do good.
Wondering where to start?
The Mighty Kids Multivitamin contains natural lutein and zeaxanthin, in leading, liposomal forms that the body can easily absorb. To learn about why this is so much more effective than your standard pill or powder delivery, take a look at this article: The Fascinating World of Liposomal Supplements
Every serving helps nourish ocular health and support long-term comfort, especially for young eyes that are still developing and exposed to screens, homework tablets, and gaming devices.
With zeaxanthin and lutein, blue light doesn't need to be a worry.
For the Sciencey People
The protective layer gathers in the macula of the retina, and its scientific name is the macular pigment. Our current understanding of its function comes from the macular pigment optical density correlating with glare disability and contrast sensitivity.³
There’s a lot of talk about blue light being “toxic” to the eyes. Leading eye-health bodies like the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) are clear: blue light from screens does not cause eye damage.¹ The problem with screens is:
- Eye strain
- Dryness
- Poor sleep from staring too long and using devices late at night
There is no scientific evidence that blue light from digital devices causes damage to your eye.¹
Supplements aren’t about shielding from harm; they’re about supporting comfort and performance.
There have also been benefits demonstrated in photostress, a measure of macular function. Daily supplementation has been associated with improvements in contrast and recovery from photostress.⁴
References
1. American Academy of Ophthalmology. (2021, March 10). Should you be worried about blue light?
Retrieved from Should You Be Worried About Blue Light? - American Academy of Ophthalmology
2. Lopresti, A. L., & Smith, S. J. (2025). The effects of lutein/ zeaxanthin (Lute-gen®) on eye health, eye strain, sleep quality, and attention in high electronic screen users: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Frontiers in nutrition, 12, 1522302. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1522302
3. Johnson, E. J., Avendano, E. E., Mohn, E. S., & Raman, G. (2021). The association between macular pigment optical density and visual function outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eye (London, England), 35(6), 1620–1628. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-020-01124-2
4. Nolan, J. M., Power, R., Stringham, J., Dennison, J., Stack, J., Kelly, D., Moran, R., Akuffo, K. O., Corcoran, L., & Beatty, S. (2016). Enrichment of Macular Pigment Enhances Contrast Sensitivity in Subjects Free of Retinal Disease: Central Retinal Enrichment Supplementation Trials - Report 1. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 57(7), 3429–3439. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.16-19520
5. Stringham, J. M., Stringham, N. T., & O'Brien, K. J. (2017). Macular Carotenoid Supplementation Improves Visual Performance, Sleep Quality, and Adverse Physical Symptoms in Those with High Screen Time Exposure. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 6(7), 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods6070047
6. Wilson, L. M., Tharmarajah, S., Jia, Y., Semba, R. D., Schaumberg, D. A., & Robinson, K. A. (2021). The Effect of Lutein/Zeaxanthin Intake on Human Macular Pigment Optical Density: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 12(6), 2244–2254. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmab071
7. Singh, S., Downie, L. E., & Anderson, A. J. (2021). Do blue-blocking lenses reduce eye strain from extended screen time? A double-masked randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Ophthalmology, 226, 243–251. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33587901/
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