Why the danger of blue light is more shocking than you think

As the types of various electronic devices increase, the time to use them in contact with them is increasing day by day.PCs, laptops, monitors, TVs, smartphones, and lighting are important tools that cannot be removed from our daily lives. If you add up the time you spend using them, you can see that you use a huge amount of time per day. By the way, are you not overlooking the danger of 'blue light,' the main character we are going to introduce today? So, today's story prepared is "The reason why the danger of blue light is more shocking than you think."

01. What is blue light?

Blue light exists in a wavelength between 380 and 500 nanometers and is a wavelength of light used for acne treatment in dermatology.

02. 'Blue light' is everywhere.

Sunlight is a major source of blue light, and most people are most exposed to blue light when outdoors during the day. However, there are artificial blue lights, including fluorescent lights, LED lights, and flatscreen TVs. In particular, the display screens of computers, organizers, smartphones, and other digital devices emit significant amounts of blue light. The amount of HEV light emitted by these devices is only some of the amount emitted by the sun. However, the number of time people spend using these devices and the proximity of the user's face to the screen worries ophthalmologists and healthcare professionals that blue light may have longterm effects on eye health.

03. Sleep Disorder

Blue light has a short wavelength and high energy, which makes the eyes tired easily and inhibits the secretion of the sleeprelated melatonin hormone, which causes sleep disturbance.

04. Reduce vision and cause macular degeneration

When exposed to blue light for a long time, eye fatigue and sleep disturbance continue, which leads to more severe adverse effects such as various diseases caused by stress, lethargy, macular degeneration, and decreased vision.

05. Causes dry eye syndrome

According to the Japanese Blue Light Research Society, blue light is not absorbed into the cornea or lens of the eye when exposed for a long time due to its strong and direct energy nature. Still, it reaches the retina, causing eye fatigue and dry eyes.

06. Eye Cancer and Death

Recently, a man in his 40s who looked at his smartphone every day before sleeping died of 'eye cancer.' At this time, the cause of death was the 'blue light' of the smartphone. Blue light lowers the secretion of sleepinducing hormones, causes eye fatigue and dry eye syndrome, and in severe cases can damage the retina or lens in the eye and cause eye cancer.

07. How to use safely

Please do not use your phone for more than 1 hour in a dark room, and it is recommended to wear blue light blocking lenses or glasses when electronic devices are using as a computer or TV for a long time. You can use the blue light blocking function on the smartphone device. Android has a 'blue light' function, and iPhone has a 'Night Shift' function. If the model is not equipped with a blocking function, you can protect your eyesight and skin using a blue light blocking application. Blocking the blue light will remove the blue light source so that the screen will turn yellow. A similar feature is built-in and programmed for PC monitors. It is beneficial to wear glasses with blue light filters after cataract surgery.