Blue light can damage your eyes, display manufacturers react with “safe screens” / GEEK
By Matthew Humphries Sep. 7, 2015 11:59 am
The first thing I do when powering on a new device such as a phone, tablet, or monitor is to turn the screen brightness right down. The latest displays are so bright they hurt my eyes, but apparently that’s not what’s causing our eyes harm, it’s actually the blue light they emit.
Many of the displays we all use today use blue light frequencies of between 415 and 455 nanometers. Tests have shown that such light can kill cells in our retinas causing damage to our sight. Display manufacturers have decided to turn this fact into a marketing opportunity, so we can expect gadgets to start shipping with “safe screens.”
Such screens have had their blue light frequencies adjusted to around 460 nanometers, placing them outside the harmful range. However, there is no need to dump your existing gadgets and wait for a safe screen alternative. The light emitted from displays may be bright, but it’s relatively weak. As long as you aren’t over exerting your eyes by looking at a display for very long periods of time, your retinas should be fine.
How long is too long? According to French ophthalmologist Vincent Gualino, more than 6 hours at a time. That time period drops for children. We all know the general tips about looking at a screen for long periods of time. It’s important that you have the screen setup correctly (not too bright, etc.), take regular breaks, don’t have the screen too close to your face, and if you suffer from eye strain or fatigue then an eye test is required.
Safe screens are currently being demonstrated at IFA Berlin. Philips named its solution SoftBlue and is already using it in some monitors. Asus, BenQ, and ViewSonic are all planning safer screens. I suspect we’ll see many more devices carrying the blue frequency-adjusted panels on the market later this year and they’ll no doubt make an appearance at CES in January.