Scientists knew blue light from screens contributed to blindness. Now they know why

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(Kristin Houser/ Futurism) — BAD, BAD BLUE LIGHT. When it comes to our eyesight, the various colors of light our eyes are subjected to are far from equal. Blue rays of light, which have shorter wavelengths and more energy than other colors, can damage our eyes over time – they contribute to macular degeneration, the primary cause of blindness.

Now, thanks to a team of researchers from the University of Toledo, we know how blue light causes this damage, meaning we might also be on track to preventing it. They published their study Tuesday in the journal Scientific Reports.

STEP AWAY FROM THE SCREEN. Sunlight contains all the colors of the light spectrum, from blue to red, and it’s our primary source of blue light exposure. However, digital devices, such as computers, televisions, and smartphones, also emit blue light, and we spend an awful lot of time staring directly at those screens from a close distance. We also tend to turn to our devices at night, and that’s when blue light is the most damaging.

Macular degeneration is essentially the death of the retina’s photoreceptor cells. For their study, the researchers decided to target retinal molecules that photoreceptor cells need in order to sense light and send signals to the brain.

“You need a continuous supply of retinal molecules if you want to see,” researcher Ajith Karunarathne said in a press release. “Photoreceptors are useless without retinal, which is produced in the eye.” (…)

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