There has been plenty of discussion about the negative impacts of spending too much time on smart phones and iPads, and a new study from the University of Toledo just adds more fuel to the fire.
The research suggests blue light that is emitted from screens can hurt vision and eventually cause disease and blindness over time.
Why? Researchers say blue light triggers toxic reactions to retinal molecules, killing photo receptors that send light signals to the brain and allow us to see. The bad news is that photo receptors do not regenerate, and when they die it can lead to macular degeneration, a disease that eventually can morph from black spots in the field of vision to blindness.
This could especially pose a big problem for 20 and 30-somethings who grew up spending hours per day in front of screens.
So, what can we do to lessen the chances of this outcome? Experts say wearing sunglasses that filter out blue rays and not using screens in the dark help.