Figueiro M.G. One March 2016 study by University of Haifa researchers compared World Health Organization obesity data with military satellite images of nighttime lighting and found that the men and women who lived in the places most illuminated at night were also the most likely to be obese. Best-case scenario: You’ll live longer. No, Blue Light From Your Smartphone Is Not Blinding You, not enough exposure to sunlight in children could affect the growth and development of their vision, Skip the glasses that claim to protect your eyes against blue light, 12 Treatments for Dry Eyes: What Patients Should Know, Sight-Saving Advances in Diabetic Eye Disease, 30 Apps, Devices and Technologies for People With Vision Impairments, Computers, Digital Devices and Eye Strain, High-Tech Contact Lenses That Go Beyond Correcting Vision. © 2005 - 2019 WebMD LLC. At the office, put your desk near a window. Blue light has been linked to all sorts of issues, from causing digital eye strain to making us blind. Much of the harmful exposure arises from light emitting diodes (LEDs). One recent study of 75,000 nurses, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that those who worked the night shift for more than 5 years were 11% more likely to die early. Studies show that people exposed to more bright light at night are hungrier and produce less insulin, making it harder for them to turn those late-night snacks into fuel. Our bodies are naturally adept at absorbing and dealing with blue light exposure, but like anything else, too much can be detrimental. Another study, looking at teenagers, suggests they may be even more sensitive to light at night. International Journal of Obesity, January 2016. “Report of the Council on Science and Public Health: Human and Environmental Effects of Light Emitting Diode Community Lighting.”. Just dim the lights at night and tone down that blue, he says. Too much exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun increases the risks of eye diseases, including cataracts, growths on the eye and cancer. At dusk, in an electricity-free world, the opposite happens. You don't need to live by candlelight after dinner, but it’s a good idea to dim the lights and steer clear of bright blue screens. Most of us blink less when looking at screens, causing eye strain and dry eyes, says Rahul Khurana, MD, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Blue light does affect the body’s circadian rhythm, our natural wake and sleep cycle. How Long Does Coronavirus Live On Surfaces? Blue light exposure from screens is much less than the amount of exposure from the sun. Additionally, studies have shown blue light is a risk factor for the onset of age-related macular degeneration, which is a progressive condition that can lead to vision loss over time. Exposure to blue light comes from a variety of technologies including computers, televisions, and lights. The time spent in this restful state, even if we are not actually sleeping, is restorative, Stevens says. “It’s premature to take preventative action against blue light—there could be unintended consequences,” he says. The animals also showed “depressive like symptoms” and had memory problems, says study author Randy Nelson, chairman of the department of neuroscience at Ohio State University. Wright, K. Current Biology, February 2017. During the day, blue light wakes us up and stimulates us. Blue light or blue-violet light can be damaging to delicate retinal cells deep in the eye. Maltese, F. Intensive Care Medicine, March 2016. Although people often associate blue light with computers and phones, the largest source of blue light is sunlight. Other sources include fluorescent light, compact fluorescent light bulbs and LED light. They promise to block out 90% of the most harmful blue light while you’re gaming, reading, watching TV, or doing anything else on a screen without distorting the color. It's also no more damaging than blue light from the sun, Dr. Khurana says. “It not only makes you more awake and alert by day; research suggests it may also make you less sensitive to the negative health consequences of light at night,” she says. Much of the research so far has been done on animals or comes from large population studies, which show patterns but don’t confirm cause and effect. Trouble is, in the modern world, we are bathed by lights that have the same potent wavelength that wakes up to, so our transition to nighttime physiology has been delayed by hours. The long-term effects may be harmful. National Toxicology Program workshop: "Shift Work at Night, Artificial Light at Night, and Circadian Disruption. Randy Nelson, PhD, chairman, department of neuroscience, Ohio State University. This is a problem of disruption of the entire circadian clock, and sleep is just one hand of that clock.”. It raises inflammation and lowers levels of a hormone that's key for promoting new brain cell growth. Its effects are still being researched. Richard Stevens, PhD, professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Mariana Figueiro, PhD, light and health program director at the Lighting Research Center in Troy, NY, stresses that in addition to minimizing bright blue-hued light -- especially from gadgets held close to the eyes -- at night, we should try to maximize the amount of bright light we get during the day. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. “This is not just a sleep problem. They also fell asleep earlier than others who didn’t go camping and were less groggy Monday morning. But there is no scientific evidence that blue light from digital devices causes damage to your eye. Light is by far the most important synchronizer of human circadian rhythms, or body clocks, Czeisler says. We know less about blue light. In October, NASA went so far as to change all the lights on the International Space Station to ones that, as night falls, dim and change to longer-wavelength light, which has been shown to have less impact on human physiology than “blue light.”, Last June, the American Medical Association chimed in. Female night shift workers have a 50% to 70% greater chance of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, says David Blask, MD, associate director of the Tulane University Center for Circadian Biology. One fear is that overexposure to blue light could lead to retinal damage as is seen in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Rybnikova, N.A. Invest in a bright light -- one that delivers 1,000 lux (a measure of light intensity) or more of blue-hued light at eye level -- to put on your desk at work. Blue light and ultraviolet light place oxidative stress on the retinal pigments. Last year, the U.S. National Toxicology Program convened a 2-day workshop to explore mounting research linking exposure to artificial light at night not just to sleep problems, but also to weight gain, depression, cancer, and heart disease. Schernhammer, E. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, March 2015. Nelson. Molecular Psychiatry. 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HARMFUL EFFECTS OF BAD BLUE LIGHT: 1- Degenerative changes of retina: In a research study by Essilor and Paris Vision Institute in 2008, they found a specific band of blue light (415 nm to 455 nm) is most harmful to the retina by splitting the visible light into multiple bands of 10 nm and each band was then focused on a porcine retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells for several hours. June 19, 2017 -- Peek into the typical American household after dinner and you’ll find the occupants bathed in a faint bluish glow. 2) May Raise Cortisol Exposure to either short-wave blue light or long-wave red light significantly increased cortisol levels at night, with little effect on cortisol levels during the day, in a small trial on 12 people [ 19 ]. Just an hour of exposure from a glowing device, like a phone, suppressed melatonin by 23%; 2 hours decreased it by 38%. If you have trouble waking up in the morning or focusing, a source of blue light can assist with both. Smoking one cigarette doesn’t cause cancer. As light rays hit those cells, they tell the brain to stop pumping out drowsiness-inducing melatonin and start making hormones like cortisol and ghrelin that wake us up and make us hungry. But too much blue light exposure late at night from your phone, tablet or computer can make it harder to get to sleep. Blue light filter – Filters out the harmful blue light emitted by the display and makes colors warm and easy on the eyes. Just because a study shows that there were no harmful effects after one or two weeks doesn’t mean there would be no harmful effects over years and years of exposure. Customers say the glasses work as promised and are a great value for the price. It also causes transmitters between neurons to whither. Not getting enough sun could also increase the risk of myopia (nearsightedness) in teens and young adults, a recent study suggests. It's also no more damaging than blue light from the sun, Dr. Khurana says. August 2014. Should You Use Night Mode To Reduce Blue Light. The discomfort some people have after looking at screens is most likely digital eye strain. “The more research we do, the more evidence we have that excess artificial light at night can have a profound, deleterious effect on many aspects of human health,” says Czeisler, who is also director of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School. Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes, Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats, Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts. “It is a growing public health concern.”. We know less about blue light. You can also use artificial tears to refresh your eyes when they feel dry. Get ophthalmologist-reviewed tips and information about eye health and preserving your vision. ¿Debe preocuparnos el uso de la luz azul? Blue light exposure from screens is much less than the amount of exposure from the sun. Blue light is harmful the same way having too much sodium in our diet is harmful. ", American Medical Association. How can anyone unequivocally say that blue light from screens has no harmful effect on the eye when there have been no long term studies on the issue? No flickering – Eliminates the invisible flickering of the display backlight, a cause of eye strain and headaches. As light fades, the body begins to transition to “nighttime physiology,” in which melatonin levels rise, body temperature drops, sleepiness grows, and hunger goes away. Many devices have nighttime settings that minimize blue light exposure in the evenings. It issued a statement showing concerns that the new ultra-bright light-emitting diode (LED) lamps many cities are now using in their streetlights could “contribute to the risk of chronic disease.”. All that concerns Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD, chief of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. As Stevens puts it, we are “darkness deprived.”. In one study, people in a sleep lab who read from an e-reader at night saw their nighttime melatonin levels drop by 55% after 5 days, took longer to fall asleep, had less restorative rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and felt more groggy the next day than those reading a paper book. But many health experts say the results are troublesome enough to warrant action now. Some European governments, with health risks in mind, now pay women night shift workers hazard pay. Sleep issues aside, light at night is now being accused of helping fuel weight gain and metabolic diseases. The best way to protect your eyes against eye strain from blue light in devices is to take regular breaks using the "20-20-20" rule: Every 20 minutes, shift your eyes to look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. One 2014 study by Northwestern University researchers found that people who got most of their bright light exposure before noon were about 1.4 pounds leaner on average than those exposed to most bright light in the evening. Czeisler is among a growing number of physicians, researchers, and health policy makers sounding the alarm that dark nights -- like a healthy diet, regular exercise, and good sleep habits -- are a key, endangered ingredient for long-term health. As light rays hit those cells, they tell the brain to stop pumping out drowsiness-inducing melatonin and start making hormones like cortisol and ghrelin that wake us up and make us hungry. Start powering down at dusk: Use programs like f.lux and other apps that automatically shift screens on phones and laptops to more orange-red longer-wavelength lights at night. Blue light exposure can be helpful in some circumstances. The Academy does not recommend any special eyewear for computer use. Some studies suggest that not enough exposure to sunlight in children could affect the growth and development of their vision. Mariana Figueiro, PhD, light and health program director, Lighting Research Center, Troy, NY. Best with Magnification: PROSPEK Blue Light Blocking Glasses . Several lighting companies, including GE, are also rolling out household bulbs that change wavelengths as the day goes on. Today, many white LEDs are produced by pairing a blue LED with a lower-energy phosphor, thereby creating solid-state light (SSL). Replace the lights in your bedroom and bathroom with dimmer, longer-wavelength lights, consider using blackout shades if streetlights shine into your window, and invest in an eye mask for when it’s time to go to sleep. People with light-colored eyes (blue or green, for example) are more susceptible to melatonin suppression by blue light than those with darker eyes . Too much exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun increases the risks of eye diseases, including cataracts, growths on the eye and cancer. David Blask, MD, associate director, Tulane University Center for Circadian Biology. Research is young, but some studies suggest that chronic exposure to excess light at night may also fuel cancer, in part by lowering the levels of melatonin -- a known anti-cancer agent -- circulating in the blood. Get plenty of natural light by day: Take a walk outside in the morning. This … Should You Use Night Mode to Reduce Blue Light? Specialized lenses can help . Animal studies at Ohio State University show that even exposure to relatively dim light -- about the brightness of a child’s nightlight 3 feet from the eyes -- over 8 weeks has a measurable impact on the brain. Posted April 20th, 2019 at … When you stare at a screen for hours at a time, whether it is a computer, TV, phone or tablet, you are exposed to blue light from the device. At a minimum, you’ll wake up feeling more refreshed. Even if the gadgets are off, new eco-friendly street lamps, TVs, and household bulbs shine into the night, emitting a brighter, shorter-wavelength (more bluish), and more potent light than older incandescent bulbs did. Specialized cells in the retina are finely tuned to respond to the short-wavelength light that comes from a cloudless blue sky. Is blue light harmful? That is why Dr. Khurana recommends that you try to limit your screen time in the two to three hours before you go to bed. As parents fire off late emails on their laptops or lie in bed with eyes fixed on e-readers, kids update their Snapchat accounts or squeeze in one last game on their phones. Phyllis Zee, MD, PhD, chief of sleep medicine, department of neurology, Northwestern University. While studies looking at the way light at night affects the human brain are only in their infancy, population studies of emergency room workers and oilfield workers chronically exposed to bright light at night show similar thinking and mood impairments, even if those workers are getting enough sleep, Nelson says. “In a sense, with all our gadgets, we are all night shift workers to a degree now,” says Blask. Blue Light and Macular Degeneration . Studies show that most office environments are too dim to stimulate the positive, alerting effects of light by day. Skip the glasses that claim to protect your eyes against blue light, because of a lack of evidence they are effective, Dr. Khurana advises. Sign Up to Receive Our Free Coroanvirus Newsletter. Break reminder – Reminds you to take breaks and provides advice on maintaining good health in front of the computer. The best-documented consequence, by far, of excess evening light exposure is short-term sleep disruption. Lighting Research and Technology, May 5, 2015. Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD, chief, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. “As opposed to the many other kinds of harmful environmental pollutants out there, we are rapidly figuring out exactly what to do about this one, and it is really not that hard,” says Richard Stevens, PhD, a University of Connecticut cancer epidemiologist and light-at-night researcher. The bottom line, Dr. Khurana says, is that taking preventive measures against blue light even though there is no evidence of damage could be more harmful than the blue light itself. ", NASA website: "Testing Solid State Lighting Countermeasures to Improve Circadian Adaptation, Sleep, and Performance During High Fidelity Analog and Flight Studies for the International Space Station (Lighting Effects). As a result, it rests in the blood, where it makes diabetes more likely, or it's stored as fat. They like the sleek look, and say they’re well made and comfortable to wear. All rights reserved. Stevens says that beyond the 7 to 8 hours of sleep you try to get each night, you should make an effort to get 3 more hours of relative darkness. Go camping for the weekend: A recent study by University of Colorado-Boulder researchers found that as little as 48 hours spent in the woods, with no artificial light at night and as much as 13 times more natural light by day, prompted campers to shift into nighttime physiology (signaled by a rise in melatonin) 1.4 hours earlier.

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