If at some point you have heard or read that the blue light emitted by electronic devices can cause eye damage, you can be calm: it is not so. The American Association of Ophthalmology and the Spanish Society of Ophthalmology recognize that there is currently no scientific evidence that ratifies permanent or long -term damages in the retina. This was also collected a few weeks ago Conchi Lillo, Biologist, Doctor of Neurosciences and Researcher on Retina’s Diseases at the Institute of Neurosciences in Castilla y León and the Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca (Ibsal), in the weekly scientific office We respond. However, specialists do coincide when talking about temporary discomfort when you spend a lot of time in front of a screen: dry eye, blurred vision, tear, headache … All manifestations of what is known as visual tiredness – also called “computer syndrome” -, which occurs mainly because we blink less than normal when fixing the look on the screen. “There is no study that shows that any damage occurs in any ocular structure. What the blue light produces is eye tiredness, ”says Dr. Pablo Catalán Muñoz, ophthalmologist and member of Grupo Top Doctors.
Taking this into account, there are many device manufacturers such as computers, smartphones or tablets that are betting on different technologies to reduce blue light in their and reduce these effects to some extent. “A blue light screen filter gives more visual rest, which would be the only effect that it seems that it can have,” confirms Catalan.
Filters to reduce blue light
The most common when trying to reduce visual fatigue is that they include some type of technology capable of mitigating the amount of blue light they emit. They already have the Neo Qled and QLed TVs of Samsung, AOC monitors or Asus laptops, among many other examples. Some have even certified that characteristic. In this sense, the most popular seal – very common in smartphones – is Tüv Rheinland, which submits devices to a series of tests based on the tiredness of the sight, the ocular damage it can cause and the quality of the image.
Did you know that even Windows 10 has a function for this purpose? It is located in the ‘screen’ section within the system configuration, in an option called ‘Night light configuration’: here the amount of blue light that we want the screen is customized here, and choose when we want to be activated. So have the iPhone and iPad (Night Shiftwhich is activated from brightness options) and Android devices (in screen settings).
Screens that become oranges
A good part of the visual fatigue that can cause the use of devices is eliminated in the EREADERS, since their electronic ink screens do not emit light, but reflect it, imitating the reading on paper. As these surfaces did not allow reading when there was no good environmental light, little by little they began to incorporate their own lighting systems; Again, making this light illuminate the paper, but not heading into the eyes, so it does not affect as a LED or LCD screen. Even so, these devices also include technologies that seek to facilitate night reading reducing blue light, which causes their screens to become orange as if by magic when the afternoon arrives. It is a characteristic that incorporate a good part of the models of different manufacturers although, yes, in some this adjustment is made automatically and, in others, it is necessary to perform it manually. For example, in the new Kindle Paperwhite or in Kobo Clara Colour.
In addition, in recent times the option of exchanging source and background color has been popularized: the first one would be put in white, while the second would become black. At first, it was a characteristic oriented to accessibility and, therefore, to facilitate reading people with vision problems. But its great use when reading at night makes it now an adjustment that is recommended to anyone.
Don’t get too close
Finally, let’s talk about other types of sight protection measures, related above all to getting too close to a screen or light source; Something that is also related to eye fatigue. For example, iPhone and Ipad models have the ‘screen distance’ function, which uses its front camera to detect if you approach the device to less than 30 centimeters and remember you to keep it away. And the Astro Nebula portable projector, especially thought to use with children, incorporates the Eye Guard Tech technology, which automatically turns off the device when it detects any object within a distance that can be established in 20, 40 or 60 centimeters.
