Blue Light Leads to Blindness - According to Latest Research

Blue Light Leads to Blindness

According to the latest research conducted by scientists from the University of Toledo, Ohio, blue light emitted from the likes of smart phones and other digital devices speeds up blindness.

As the eye's cornea and lens are unable to filter out high energy blue light emitted from screens, prolonged exposure to blue light sets off a chain reaction in the retina, which induces toxic molecules to be generated in the light sensitive cells (photoreceptor cells) found in our eyes, thus leading to the death of these cells. This in turn, results in the early onset of macular degeneration and subsequently, very significant vision loss to occur much earlier in our lives.

Macular degeneration (Age-related Macular Degeneration - AMD) is a common medical condition found in people aged in their 50s and 60s. While it may not lead to complete blindness, AMD can make everyday tasks we take for granted, very difficult, such as seeing faces or reading. Unfortunately, our addiction to smart phones, laptops, TVs and the like essentially accelerates the deterioration of our vision.

Scientists recommend glasses that filter out both UV and blue light should be worn outdoors and that we should avoid the use of digital devices in the dark. By doing the latter, we also minimize the impact blue light has on disrupting our sleeping patterns. The full research can be found here.

When using digital devices indoors, we should also wear blue light filtering glasses to minimize our exposure to blue light in order to safeguard our vision.