Health

Modern Research Says Smartphones Can Cause Blindness And Here Is How!

Smartphones and other electronic gadgets have become an inevitable part of our lives. It makes life so simple and easy. But what if such technology could increase your chances of going blind? Sound terrifying, isn’t it? Well, the truth is out, some of the recent researches have shown that overuse of these gadgets could affect our vision with their blue light. This brings us to the very topic of how smartphones can cause blindness and what could be done about it.

Many would have probably heard “Eyes are the windows to the soul” Well, literally speaking it is the organ that keeps us aware of our surroundings. It plays a very crucial role in our day to day activities and is naturally one of the most important organs in our body. But with the modern lifestyle and food habits, we tend to sacrifice our health more in the business race. And yet we regret it later on! Well, eyes are no exceptions but we tend to care less unless they affect our day to day activities. There are many modern factors that could affect our vision; the blue light from the digital devices also joins the club.

Among other factors, this blue light seems to be the serious topic that one cannot simply ignore.  A recent research from the University of Toledo shows ultraviolet rays from the sun and the blue light from the modern digital devices could affect the retina of the eyes causing blindness.

Though the idea of impaired vision is common among senior citizens, with the increased usage of smartphones and other electronic gadgets, this new threat is about to become more common among other age groups as well.

A Biological Gift!

Our eyes are just like the modern digital camera with lens and the focusing system. However, it is completely biological in nature. When the light passes through the lens and falls on the retina (thin tissues located at the back of the eye). It converts the light into neural signals to the brain for perceiving the images. This is done with the help of the photoreceptor cells in the eyes.

But the modern blue light affects the photoreceptor cells cutting down the signal transmission to the brain causing blindness.

This was discovered by the research team of Kasun Ratnayake, John L. Payton, and O. Harshana Lakmal & Ajith Karunarathne in treating the macular degeneration with the scope of developing new treatment methods.smartphones can cause blindness

Blue Light and the Insomnia

This blue light is capable of affecting other body cells too. It could affect the secretion of body hormonal levels. Melatonin a bodily hormone that triggers sleep gets greatly affected thus causing insomnia in people. This seriously affects out routine works. It is because of such reasons, many medical experts advise not to use any digital gadgets for 30 minutes prior to going bed. Macular degeneration is becoming a more common phenomenon on a global level. Today around 2 million age-related macular degeneration cases are being filled in the US alone.

This research is mainly focused on studying the harmful reactions of the retina and the blue light. This might prove helpful in developing suitable treatments for vision impairment in the children and other age groups.

How Do We Stay Safe?

As it is very clear that smartphones can cause blindness and other health issues, it brings us to the need for discussing the effective way of staying safe and sound. It all starts with the simple changes, use sunglasses while going out in sun. This filters the great level of ultraviolet rays reaching your eyes. Avoid using your smartphones and tablets more in the dark.

Modern smartphone companies like Apple have started providing the blue light filters on their devices to ensure better protection. But this doesn’t stop the complete catastrophe that technology brings upon us! So it is necessary to step back from the very technological advancements we thrive every day and spend more time with nature. After all, the very essence of life is to be healthy and happy. So this little break from these gadgets would surely do the trick!

Source: Blue light from smartphones can speed blindness

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Vivek

Vivek is a writing enthusiast fond of healthy and happy living. He believes Knowledge gets better when shared. So he founded The Mindful Bytes as a platform for people who love to read and write anything that has to do with Health, Tech, Business, Finance, and Lifestyle.

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