A new study has sought to deepen the effects of technology on our vision - and the results are not encouraging at all. Published by the journal Scientific Reports, the survey points out that the blue light emitted by smartphones and computers can increase our chances of getting blind.
According to the University of Toledo, responsible for the study, this light would transform vital molecules into a kind of poison for our cells. The team found that this light turns vital molecules into toxic ones, kills eye cells, which can lead to age-related macular degeneration - a major cause of blindness worldwide.
In the words of Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the university's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and co-author of the study, “it is no secret that blue light damages our eyesight, damages the retina of the eye, but our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope that this leads to therapies that delay macular degeneration, such as a new type of eye drops".
In a press release, Kasun Ratnayake, one of the researchers who was part of the project explains how this occurs:It is toxic. If you expose the retina to blue light, it kills photo-receptor cells as the signaling molecule in the membrane dissolves. Photo-receptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they die, they die forever".
Karunarathne's suggestion to minimize the problem while still using blue light displays is the use of special sunglasses that filter blue light while using the devices. But there is still no consensus in the medical community regarding the level of benefit that the use of these glasses brings in the long run.
