The Wide Blue Yonder by Simon Mahoney, Author and Advocate
This image is from his third and latest book ‘Winging It Blind.’ You can find out more about him as well as how to get all of his books by clicking here.
“It is hard to disagree with the idea that our eye sight is probably the most precious asset that we all have. Unfortunately it is under greater threat now than perhaps ever before. Sadly, a majority of the increasing frequency of vision loss is unnecessary. Yet how much information are we given to safeguard this incredible asset? The answer is ‘very little or none’.
The reasons for the ever increasing incidence of sight loss are neither simple or uncontrollable. Some of it is because we are living longer, some is due to our toxic life styleand environment and some as we do not really ever consider our eyes.
One part of our toxic lifestyle we can control is exposure to blue light. This is light which is high energy and has a short wave length. Both these factors can have a damaging affect on our eyesight. Blue light is found in sunlight, some fluorescent lighting, some LED lighting, televisions, computer screens, smart phones, mobile phones, tablets, and games consoles.
Blue light can have a number of affects on the eyes. It can cause dry eye, cataracts and macular degeneration. An American study has found that fluorescent lighting operating in the cool or blue spectrum can cause damage to the eyes of young children. In addition it can cause further damage to eyes with existing problems.
Blue light penetrates right to the back of the eye with little or no dispersal. This is more so in the case of small children. It impacts each photo-receptor in the retina with frequent bursts of high energy. The photo-receptors fire at the peak of every wave of light, the short wave blue light means that they are firing very frequently. This in itself is not problematic. what is a problem is that for every burst of activity there is a unit of waste produced. With short wave light the waste disposal system of the eyes is unable to keep up. The eyes become clogged with waste. This produces blurriness and in some cases can cause lasting damage to the retina. The frequent impact of high energy bursts of light on the retina can result in the
production of toxic molecules which can also cause deterioration in sight and in some cases permanent damage.
Other affects of blue light in young children can be to prevent the production and release of the sleep hormone melatonin. This promotes sleep and its absence can cause sleeplessness.
Harvard University recommend that all devices emitting blue light should be turned off at least two hours before bedtime. Good luck with that!
As sleep is one of the most valuable restoratives this can also have harmful affects on growth and general development. Other findings have found that blue light can promote both obesity and depression. As obesity can be a causal factor in sight loss this again is a cause for concern. yet more research indicates that blue light can influence the circadian rhythm or daily cycle. This again , in the long term, could cause problems in the development of young children.
Much of the research is in its early stages. In some senses the evidence about blue light is regarded with some scepticism. Harvard University have gone so far as to state there is no evidence to demonstrate that blue light is harmful. But then nearly two billion people either believe the world is flat or have no opinion either way.
When looking at various claims about blue light you have to ask yourself who benefits from denying that is harmful. Clearly the computer, mobile phone, lighting and gaming industries would not like to agree that their products are causing people to lose their sight. Yet the solutions are simple and inexpensive.
To counter sunlight wear sun glasses, and yet how many children routinely wear them? With phone, gaming and computer screens either use a blue light filter or change the background colour. I was talking about this to my Doctor one day and she activated the blue light filter on her monitor. The relief to her eyes was almost immediate. as far as lighting is concerned do not purchase light bulbs that work in the blue spectrum. None of this is difficult or impossible. What is stopping blue light from not being a problem is sheer ignorance.
Whether blue light causes eye problems may be an open question. Personally I do not think so. if there is even the slightest risk then I feel it should be taken seriously. Either way , when I see toddlers being given tablets to play upon and children of all ages glued to their mobile phones I fear the worst. In ten years when we have a rash of teenage or early adult cataracts and macular degeneration I will be unsurprised. We should also remind ourselves that there is evidence that blue light can exacerbate the damage to eyes that have existing problems. This is a clear call to use assistive technology with caution.
For many of us the information about blue light may well be too late. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, however, do we not have a duty to sound the alarm?
Article published March 7th, 2022.