I have been ignoring you. This is my first page in eight days.
I have not been ignoring you on purpose. I have been having what I consider to be a raging case of seasonal allergies (my husband swears I caught a germ) and fighting that. I have also been doing other things such as going to exercise, a benefit supper and work. September we go back to the second half of our “free” training, and I need to have my homework done.
I say this not to garner sympathy or admiration but to make this point: there is life after vision loss. Vision loss does sometimes shrink into the background. Sometimes wondering if you will ever get through a day without hacking up a lung or pondering where the hey the answer to question six is in the handouts really does take precedence.
And with that reassurance – there really is life after vision loss! – I want to move on.
Lin sends me stuff. I know the Facebook group has talked about the topic of blue light to death, but let’s quickly do a review of the article she sent me.
The article is Can Phones Make You Go Blind? In my short time on Earth we have gone from heavy, Bakelite monstrosities with little operators who hated kids living inside of them (I swear. I had a bad experience when I was about three. The little operator in the phone yelled at me to stop playing with the phone and behave myself. It was traumatizing!) to little, pocket-sized things (on which kids play all day. Go figure.) These little, pocket-sized things emit blue light that destroys retinas. The only way the old, black phones of my early childhood could have blinded you was if someone hit you over the head with one. I guess this is progress.
Anyway, it seems blue light will cause the chemical retinal (that is “retin- all” for pronunciation) to morph into something toxic. It all has to do with oxygenation and reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROSs sort of run amok damaging other cells. Ever heard the term free radical? It is all related.
Bottom line is, we need oxygen to be used in the chemical processes of life. Cannot cut that out of the equation. Also, in this technology-crazy world, screens that emit blue light pretty much rule. I will give up my device when you pry it out of my cold, dead hand. Besides, technology makes vision loss tolerable for many of us.
The answer appears to be putting “shades” on all of your devices. Blue light filters come in a variety of sizes. Most of them just mold to your screens. No muss and no fuss.
Amazon has a selection of blue light filters available. A lot of them cost in excess of $40. Potentially a little expensive.
There is another option, however. Amber lenses can do pretty much the same thing. Sunglasses with amber lenses block blue light and can be worn while you look at any screen. One purchase rather than several. Another benefit of wearing amber lenses and blocking blue light is, according to the research, better sleep.
Get shades for your screens or you wear shades yourself. Either way, it is best to avoid that pretty, blue light.
Lin/Linda: As with so many topics in the field, since I gave Sue the article she’s written about, this article was released: No, Blue Light From Your Smartphone Is Not Blinding You. This article is from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), and it says, “Blue light from electronic screens is not making you blind. A recently released study has been creating both concern in the public and alarmist headlines from news outlets worldwide. But experts are cautioning that the news reports are leaping to unfounded conclusions about the potential effects of blue light on the eye.”
Written August 28th, 2018