Published in Mobiles

Blue light from smartphones does not make you blind

by on04 October 2018


Another advert proved wrong

The Interwebs have been getting adverts from companies who claim that the blue light from smartphones make you blind and are offering drugs to fix "the problem".

Reticare US has been putting out an advert claiming that:

"Digital screens can cause long-term eye damage, according to studies. The irreversible damage the light from screens produces in the eyes is more serious than previously thought and, RETICARE is much more effective than previously believed.https://t.co/FFSRJ8ObkZ pic.twitter.com/iQBw0IFDff — Reticare USA (@reticare_usa) September 12, 2018"

The secret to saving your eyes is to put Reticare's screen over your tablet or smartphone.  The PC version will set you back $140. 

However The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) is warning people otherwise.  While it is true that a  study published this summer that found blue light, plus a chemical naturally found in certain eye cells, could damage cells, the researchers did not use any actual cells from our eyes, because our eyes have defenses against exactly this sort of damage.

The words “smartphone blindness” in the title of a different kind of study last year, but this referred to a temporary effect that can happen if you look at a screen with one eye while keeping the other closed.

Other research, like the study that inspired the scary headlines about a ‘global epidemic’ of sight loss, involved rats exposed to extreme amounts of light.

The AAO doesn’t recommend blue-blocking glasses or filters, because they haven’t been shown to be effective and we don’t know what side effects they might have in the long term. They do recommend keeping your phone out of bed, because the blue light messes with your sleep, and not staring at your phone for hours on end because it can cause dry eyes.
 

 

 

Last modified on 04 October 2018
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