Blue light from phone screens accelerates blindness, study finds (xpost from Health)

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/09/blue-light-from-phone-screens-accelerates-blindness-study-finds

Blue light from phone screens accelerates blindness, study finds

Press Association

Thu 9 Aug 2018 21.20 BST Last modified on Thu 9 Aug 2018 21.40 BST

Scientists say they have found how blue light from smartphones, laptops and other digital devices damages vision and can speed up blindness. Research by the University of Toledo in the US has revealed that prolonged exposure to blue light triggers poisonous molecules to be generated in the eye’s light-sensitive cells that can cause macular degeneration – an incurable condition that affects the middle part of vision. Blue light, which has a shorter wavelength and more energy compared with other colours, can gradually cause damage to the eyes.

Dr Ajith Karunarathne, an assistant professor in the university’s department of chemistry and biochemistry, said: “We are being exposed to blue light continuously and the eye’s cornea and lens cannot block or reflect it. “It’s no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye’s retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop.”

Macular degeneration, which affects around 2.4% of the adult population in the UK, is a common condition among those in their 50s and 60s that results in significant vision loss. It is caused by the death of photoreceptor, ie light-sensitive cells, in the retina.
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The researchers found that being exposed to blue light causes retinal to set off a chain of reactions that leads to toxic molecules being created in the photoreceptor cells.
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[TexasBushwhacker]

1. I worry most about young people

I didn't use a computer on a regular basis until age 34 and didn't get my first smartphone until age 55. Young people today will have decades more exposure to blue light.

[HopeAgain]

2. As I read this on my tablet....

I spend a lot of mornings reading news and DU staring at thst blue light.

[sweetroxie]

3. I use a free app--f.lux-- on my laptop

and that blocks blue light. Computer program that adjusts a computer display's color temperature according to its location and time of day. https://justgetflux.com

[NurseJackie]

4. I used to tell my boys that watching too much TV would cause blindness...

... or was it "sitting too close to the TV" causes blindness? (They're not blind.)

[pansypoo53219]

5. just discovered an afterdark daylight mode on my mac. ooh. sepia!