Blue light from digital devices has been shown to accelerate blindness by causing retinal molecules to turn into cell killers, according to recent research.
The study was undertaken by the University of Toledo (UT) in the US and included Dr Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, introducing retinal molecules to other cell types in the body, which died after being exposed to blue light.
This led to the discovery that exposure to blue light triggers reactions in the retina that produces poisonous molecules in the photoreceptor cells.
Dr Karunarathne said: ‘We are being exposed to blue light continuously, and the eye’s cornea and lens cannot block or reflect it. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop.’