Blue light effect

Sarah Grier, Pulse Editor

Growing up on the 2000s was so different than the picturesque game of tag on a green lawn you would want to imagine. Kids in the 2000s experienced a childhood filled with computer games and better quality video games than ever before.

Now, as teens, the computer games and AIM has been transformed into a portable, constant device owned by over 2.1 billion: the smart phone. An entire generation spending their days in front of monitors and screens comes with a price. Children being bombarded with marketing campaigns and violence is a clear negative; but little attention is brought to the power of blue light, a power that can blind.

Blue light is a short wavelength of light that is omitted from the sun but more concernedly from flat screen TVs, smartphones, LED lights and computers. These manmade light sources give off significant amounts of light on this spectrum; however, the biggest detriment is the amount of time needed to be productive depends on staring at these devices.

According to the National Eye Institution, the anterior structures of the human eye (cornea and lens) are very effective at blocking UV rays from reaching the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eyeball. In fact, less than one percent of UV radiation from the sun reaches the retina, even without sunglasses. Yet, almost all the blue light from screens passes through and reaches retina.

The fact that this light travels all the way to the retina (the back of the eye) is important. Studies have shown that too much exposure to blue light can damage light-sensitive cells in the retina. Optometrists believe that due to the over penetration from smartphones and other devices, there will be an increase in number of macular degeneration cases (which can lead to permanent blindness).

There has been a push to find preventative measures to shield eyes from these rays. At a Westmont vision firm, Dr. David Maze O.D. sells special tinted glasses to protect the eyes from intrusive blue light.

“Future generations are going to look at watching blue screens without tinted glasses like we view being in the midday sun without sunscreen,” Maze said.

Blue light can also throw off the body’s natural circadian rhythm. Blue light is similar to sunlight, so when viewing monitors it in a sense tricks the body into believing it is daytime. This brings more alertness and energy to the person, which can lead to insomnia.

That headache after staring at a computer for might be a warning. Computers have obvious benefits but the blue light admitted can have the power to blind a generation. Macular degeneration could be the plague of the 21st century.