THE DANGER OF BLUE LIGHT
THE DANGER OF BLUE LIGHT TO YOUR EYES
Do you know that blue light from your phone may be permanently damaging your eyes?
We would love to share article written by Rajiv Bahl on August 24, 2018.
Smart phones, laptops, and other handheld devices all transmit light. However, the blue light in particular may be toxic for your eyes.
Scientists at the University of Toledo may have discovered how blue light emitted from your technology has a potential to lead to macular degeneration — one of the leading causes of vision loss in the United States. “It’s no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye’s retina” said Ajith Karunarathne, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Toledo’s department of chemistry and biochemistry in a released statement.
Macular degeneration is the result of photoreceptor cell death in the retina.
The function of the photoreceptor cells is to capture visual images and signal them to the brain using a molecule called retinal.
Retinal, which is produced by the eye, is triggered by blue light and causes various chemical reactions. These reactions within the eye can be poisonous to the photoreceptor cell molecules rendering them damaged.
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When these photoreceptor cells die, there’s no regeneration.
What did the study find?
Karunarathne and his team also introduced retinal to other cells in the body including heart cells, cancer cells, and neurons. When these retinal-infused cells were exposed to blue light they also died.
No change was seen when either blue light or retinal were used alone.
The team also exposed various cells throughout the body to green, yellow, and red light — and interestingly, no results were seen. “The retinal-generated toxicity by blue light is universal. It can kill any cell type,” said Karunarathne.
Part of this phenomenon may be because blue light has a shorter wavelength in comparison to other colors, and as a result, has more energy. The extra energy can be the reason for this chemical change causing retinal-generated toxicity. “Blue light appears to damage retinal cells."