By Abdul Waheed Khan Sowdagar, November 19 2024
I vividly remember sitting in front of the TV as a kid, with my eyes glued to the screen and completely engrossed in my favorite video games. My parents’ voices would echo in the background "You’ll need thick glasses for the rest of your life, or worse go blind if you sit that close to the TV!" Their warnings filled me with worry at the time, was I really damaging my eyesight for good? Fast forward to now, at age 25, I do wear glasses, but not for the reasons you would think. So, was there any truth to the warnings I grew up hearing? Let’s dive into the topic and separate fact from fiction.
vWhile concerns regarding the harmful rays coming from our screens are very common, and there is no clear consensus among scientists, nor is there any conclusive evidence linking blue light to blindness. According to Gudgel (2018) from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, many of the worrying articles about blue light and its effects on our eyes are exaggerated and jump to conclusions. It is true that blue light has been shown to cause eye strain commonly referred to as “computer vision syndrome.” Although studies suggest it is unlikely to cause significant long-term damage like blindness, Gudgel (2018) concluded that lab studies that suggest blue light can damage retinal cells don’t reflect real-world conditions, and the exposure to blue light is much lower than natural light, which we have been exposed to all the time without much harm.
Since starting university days in 2017, I have definitely spent more time in front of a screen than what was recommended. Around that time, blue-light-blocking glasses were becoming increasingly popular. A study cited by Kwon (2023) mentioned “In 2019 researchers at the University of Melbourne surveyed optometrists in Australia and found that about 75 percent of them prescribed blue-light-blocking glasses in their clinical practice” (para. 4). A lot of people assume I wear glasses because of poor vision, but my eye exams show I have perfect vision. I mostly wear them to this day for reducing blue light exposure and ease the eye strain from all the screen time. I’ve had a pretty good experience with blue light glasses, but not everyone feels the same about them, and in the review of The Cochrane Collaboration’s study by Jarry (2023) states that blue light glasses have little no effect on the eyes and despite this evidence, they are still commonly recommended for people suffering from computer vision syndrome.
Not entirely. While many concerns about screens and blue light are overstated, there are some truths to them. Denworth (2024) notes that much of the research highlighting the negative impact of digital technologies on young people comes from large, publicly available datasets, which are prone to researcher bias. The harmful effects of blue light, it doesn’t pose a serious risk to your vision. However, it can have other negative implications. For instance, Vimont (2021) explains that people tend to blink less when using screens, which can lead to dryness and eye strain. To combat this, Vimont suggests using the“20-20-20 rule” or hydrating eye drops to alleviate discomfort.
Binay, O. (2020, September 30). A person holding a cell phone in their hand [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/a-person-holding-a-cell-phone-in-their-hand-TSJqQCN4RKA
Denworth, L. (2024, February 20). The kids (Who use tech) seem to be all right. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-kids-who-use-tech-seem-to-be-all-right/
Gudgel, D. T. (2018, August 20). No, blue light from your smartphone is not blinding you. American Academy of Ophthalmology. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/news/smartphone-blue-light-is-not-blinding-you
Jarry, J. (2023, September 1). Feeling Blue about the Evidence for Blue-Blocking Glasses. Mc Gill University Office for Science and Society. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/feeling-blue-about-evidence-blue-blocking-glasses