'Global epidemic of blindness' on the horizon, experts warn: Hours spent staring at screens 'will rob millions of their sight decades early'
- High energy light from digital screens is damaging our retinas, a new study says
- Damage to the retinas - the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye - is the biggest cause of central blindness
- Experts say it is now 'clearer than ever' that we are facing a new global epidemic
- But using a filter over screens can prevent further damage, researchers claim
Experts warn we face a global epidemic of blindness if we continue to spend hours you spend staring at a screen.
The high energy light emitted from digital screens is causing irreversible damage to our eyes by deteriorating the retinas.
Damage to the retinas - the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye - is the biggest cause of central blindness.
And
a new report warns 'it is now clearer than ever that we are facing a
global epidemic' of sight loss - particularly for the millions of
children who are exposed to digital screens earlier than ever.
Lead
researcher Dr Celia Sanchez-Ramos said: 'It is paramount for adults and
parents to act now and protect themselves from further damage.'
Staring at
digital screens for several hours can cause irreversible damage to the
retinas, potentially
leading to central blindness, a new study claims
Currently,
there are approximately 900 million devices. Of those, 70 million are
used by children in the US without eye protection such as a protective
screen or glasses.
The study, conducted at University Complutense of Madrid in Spain, analyzed and compared the results of two previous studies.
The
first exposed the retinas of rats to tablet screens emitting white LED
light, one group with filters and the other group without filters.
After
three months of exposure to white LED light, the rats exposed to
tablets without filters experienced approximately a 23 percent increase
in retinal cell death, which can lead to a loss of vision.
Dr
Sanchez-Ramos said: 'These results are important because LED screens
are being used by the majority of the population, adults and children,
for work, school and entertainment.'
A
second study looked at the amount of light entering the eye based on the
device, the user, the diameter of the pupil and the distance of the
device to the eye.
Scientists measured the emission of the LED screens from different devices and calculated the amount of high energy light.
LED
displays of digital devices (smartphones, tablets, computers and game
consoles) emit light with a high proportion of short wavelength, which
is a visible radiation that is characterized by being highly energetic
and can cause damage to the eyes.
The
results found that children received three times more light of short
wavelength. Due to their shorter arms, they are exposed to high energy
light at a shorter distance than an adult who uses the same device.
More
than 2,000 children between ages eight and 18 reported that, on an
average day, they spent approximately 7.5 hours using devices with LED
displays in academic and leisure activities.
The
approximate distribution of this time is 4.5 hours watching television,
1.5 hours on computer tasks and more than an hour with video games
Recently,
the European Government established a scientific commission
prioritizing the study of screen risks to eye health, and has demanded
all researchers to provide the results of their work.
Aside
from retinal damage, computer screens can also cause the eyes to become
dry, due to reduced blinking while staring at screens.
Experts
recommend the 20-20-20 rule: for every 20 minutes you stare at a
digital screen, turn your gaze 20 feet away for 20 seconds or more to
let the eye muscles relax.
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