Most of us spend a significant amount of time in front of our devices, be they laptops, computers, TVs or smartphones. In fact, according to a report by app analytics firm App Annie, in 2021 the Indian will spend an average of 4.7 hours a day on his mobile phone, compared to his 3.7 hours in 2019. In particular, the Covid pandemic played a big role here. It’s a known fact that excessive screen time is harmful to your eyes. However, the blue light emitted by them is also detrimental to other aspects of health.
Blue light, the part of the visible light spectrum that humans can see, “has the shortest wavelength and therefore the highest energy,” said Dr. Sudipto Pakrasi, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Medanta Hospital. Although it is natural and part of sunlight, it is also emitted by various gadgets such as TVs, laptops, smartphones, tablets and game consoles, and is an artificial source of blue light.
“Blue light emitted by electronic devices is associated with a variety of eye-related problems, including cataracts, macular degeneration, dry eyes, blurred vision, and eye strain,” HOD – Ophthalmology, Paras Hospitals, Dr. Rishi Bhardwaj of Gurugram said.
Dr. Shailja Tibrewal of Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi said: “Blue light can worsen dry eyes and hasten age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), which can lead to blindness in the eyes. while blue light is emitted from both the sun and light-emitting gadgets and LEDs,” she adds.
For retinal and macular degeneration, Dr. Pakrasi says blue light toxicity may be the cause, but genetically predisposed people are at greater risk. Talking about eye diseases, doctors say that macular degeneration causes vision loss in the center of the visual field. “Dry macular degeneration degrades the central portion of the retina, while wet macular degeneration causes leaky blood vessels to grow under the retina, resulting in blurred vision and permanent eye damage.” He adds: Apart from these, people tend to blink less when in front of a screen, which further exacerbates the disease.
According to Dr. Bhardwaj, children’s eyes may not filter blue light as well as adults, so children may be at a higher risk of blue light damaging their eyes.
“During the Covid pandemic, due to over-exposure to digital devices, children developed several eye problems, including dry eyes, watery eyes, progressive myopia, eye pain, loss of circadian rhythm, and disturbed sleep patterns. We complained about the problem,” says Dr. Tibrewal. , further adding: Moreover, the same effect is additive. This means that simply increasing over time can cause photochemical damage, free radical production in the retina, and even visual disturbance and damage. The sooner you do it, the more damage you will do later in life. ”
Did you know that late-night screen time is interfering with your sleep? , headaches, lack of sleep, and confusion. ”
Dr. Jitender Jakhar, Consultant Psychiatrist at Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, said:
It should be noted that any light can suppress melatonin secretion and interfere with sleep, but blue light is more harmful. Havard’s group of researchers compared the effects when he was exposed for 6.5 hours to green light that was equally bright as blue light. They found that blue light suppresses melatonin for about twice as long as green light, affecting sleep.
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“Sleep and mental health share a two-way relationship,” explains Dr. Jakar. Primarily by affecting sleep cycles, blue light can indirectly expose individuals to emotional distress. “Prolonged exposure can increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol, making a person more irritable and anxious.
The negative effects of overexposure to blue light don’t stop there. Because it affects sleep, it can cause sleep deprivation, confusion, fatigue, headaches, and worse, can also contribute to the development of other conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, psychotic problems, depression and mental health. has an important relationship with The problem; in severe cases, it is associated with cancers such as prostate, colorectal and breast cancer, he explains Dr. Pakrasi. In children, it may also “increase the risk of obesity and attention deficit disorder,” says Bhardwaj.
Regarding cancer risk, Dr. Jakhar explains: Both prostate and breast cancer risk are positively correlated with exposure to blue light-rich spectrum. Few studies have reported that exposure to artificial blue light increases his risk of prostate cancer by a factor of 1.5. ”
Continuous exposure to the light emitted by these devices increases oxidative stress in the body, initiating biochemical changes in the cells and producing reactive oxygen intermediates leading to necrosis and necrosis. The natural aging process is accelerated. Doctors explain apoptosis, the main cause of aging.
Interestingly, doctors say that exposure to blue light during the day has health benefits, as it “improves alertness, memory, brain function and boosts mood.” “Regulates the body’s natural wake and sleep cycle, or circadian rhythm. Exposure to blue light during the day helps maintain a healthy circadian rhythm,” he says. . However, most of this revolves around sunlight, and sunlight emitted by gadgets at night can have the opposite effect.
“We advise using the device as little as possible,” says Dr. Tibrewal. “Children and adults may have different hours. For example, we recommend that children use gadgets for up to two hours,” she recommends.
Click here for doctor recommendationsfor kids
- Limit device usage
- Ask them to put away their handhelds at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
In eye
- Turn on the blue light filter in your electronics. Many laptops and smartphones come with a blue light filter in software that turns the screen color yellow.
- If you work a night shift or spend a lot of time using gadgets at night, use blue/green wavelength-cutting glasses or an app that filters blue/green wavelengths.
- If your work requires you to look at the screen for a long time, take a 15-20 minute break after every task.
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule of focusing on an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds after working with the screen every 20 minutes.
- Blink frequently to avoid dry eyes
