According to a study, the blue light that comes from laptop and smartphone screens can hurt your eyes and make you more likely to get macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in the United States.
New research shows that blue light from laptop and smartphone screens may kill retinal cells and cause macular degeneration, an eye disease that makes it hard to see.
Everyone knows that looking at a screen in the dark can strain your eyes. Science has shown that this is true for a very large number of people. In a study done by the Lighting Research Center (LRC), two groups of volunteers were asked to watch a movie in different lighting conditions. One group watched the movie in the dark for an hour, then switched to wall light and watched it for another hour. The other group did the same thing, but did it backwards. Researchers found that when people spent less time looking at screens in dimly lit rooms, they blinked less, had less eye strain, and felt less tired [1]. Also, Thai researchers looked into how young children react to watching TV at night. They found that the more young children watch TV at night, the less sleep they get later [2].
How many of us play on our iPhones late at night? If you work in the dark, you might have trouble seeing. Because digital devices give off blue light, they can also mess up your sleep pattern and make you more likely to get some health problems.
The chairman and managing director of Narayana Nethralaya, K. Bhujang Shetty, thinks that using a cell phone in the dark for a long time may only hurt your eyes. If someone only does this once in a while, it might not cause permanent vision loss. He says, though, that it would definitely be hard on the eyes.
A study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from phones and laptops can speed up the process of going blind. The World Health Organization (WHO) also said that most electronic devices are bad for your health because they have dangerous side effects that can make you more likely to get sick. Studies by ophthalmologists show that constantly using a phone in the dark right before going to bed can put a lot of strain on a person’s eyes.
In 2018, 80% of UK customers owned a smartphone, which shows how important they have become in everyday life. As time goes on and smartphones become easier to get and cheaper, this number is sure to go up. They can be used for almost anything, like talking on the phone, checking train times, taking a quick picture, talking with family, and even taking short photos. Because of all of this, the average adult now spends 8 hours and 41 minutes a day on digital devices. This number is likely to be much higher for some people, though. Even if you don’t use your smartphone outside of work, many jobs require you to sit in front of a computer for 35–40 hours per week. How does technology affect our health, even though it’s great for staying in touch with people, planning transportation, and getting things done quickly and easily?