Blue Light From Your Phone, Laptop Screen Is Making You Old Faster Even If You Don't See it
Monday, October 21, 2019 IST
New research reveals that the blue light that is emitted from our smartphones and computer screens are causing severe damage in brain cells and retinas, and ageing you
The research was conducted at Oregon State University (published in Ageing and Mechanisms of Disease). For this study, they used the common fruit fly as it shares similar cellular and developmental mechanisms as humans and other animals.
The researchers examined how these flies respond to daily 12-hour exposures to blue LED light (which is similar to what our phone screens emit) and discovered that the light was ageing the flies faster than the usual.
The flies were subjected to 12 hours in blue light and 12 hours in complete darkness. They discovered that these flies have shorter lifespan compared to flies kept in just total darkness or in light with the blue light filtered out.
The flies which were affected with the blue light revealed considerable damage to their retinal cells. Moreover their brain neurons had impaired locomotion, basically, the flies' ability to climb walls was also reduced.
However, what's worse is the fact that some of the flies in these experiments were mutants without any eyes or vision. Even they faced similar results, hinting at the fact that one doesn't not see the blue light to get harmed by it.
According to Giebultowicz, a professor of integrative biology, natural light is crucial for body's circadian rhythm, (which is basically our body's natural schedule pertaining to cell regeneration, hormone production) that is usually impacted with eating and sleeping patterns.
She says, "But there is evidence suggesting that increased exposure to artificial light is a risk factor for sleep and circadian disorders," she said. "And with the prevalent use of LED lighting and device displays, humans are subjected to increasing amounts of light in the blue spectrum since commonly used LEDs emit a high fraction of blue light. But this technology, LED lighting, even in most developed countries, has not been used long enough to know its effects across the human lifespan.
She says that if flies are given a choice, they go away from the blue light. She adds, "We're going to test if the same signalling that causes them to escape blue light is involved in longevity," she said.
So it is strongly recommended that you turn on blue-light filters on your smartphones or laptop screens. If not, invest in a good pair of glasses with amber filters that would cause reduce the impact of blue light.
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