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Blue Light & Your Vision (and more!)

We have written extensively about how excess exposure to blue light can, over time, negatively affect vision. Not only does it affect our vision and ability to fall asleep, but it can also harm skin health, and neural pathways in the brain are affected in various ways.

Blue Light Sources

Blue light is emitted from all handheld electronic devices, desktop and laptop computers, and televisions. It is emitted from the little LED lights above your stove, fluorescent lighting and LED bulbs.  And, of course, blue light comes from sunlight.

A digital display must either have a backlight or be self-luminous (such as LED lights) to produce a visible image. To get this white light background, white light is combined with blue light, which has the effect of producing a light that appears white but which has a spectral distribution that peaks in the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Blue Light and Vision

Blue light is the shortest wavelength in the visible spectrum and causes significant damage to many parts of the eye, seriously impacting present and future vision capacity. Smartphones are often used in dim light and close to the eyes. Therefore, blue light from smartphones is particularly important. Unlike ordinary computer vision fatigue, damage from blue light is serious, cumulative, and irreversible.

Photoreceptor and pigment cell damage. Though the amount of blue light emitted from a computer is relatively low, given the many hours people spend daily on computers and mobile devices, this extensive ongoing exposure can eventually cause damage to the retina, partly due to increasing the production of reactive oxygen (free radicals) in photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium cells1 2 and other ocular structures.

Macular degeneration. Repeated low-illuminance blue light exposure, such as that from digital displays, may contribute to age-related macular degeneration.  Cumulative sun exposure is another risk factor for macular degeneration.3

Cell death. In mice studies, there are indications that extensive exposure to blue light can accelerate cell death (apoptosis), resulting in damage to the cornea 4 and result in the production of free radicals observed after exposing human corneal and conjunctival to blue light.5

Dry eye. It may also aggravate dry eye symptoms associated with dry eye disease 6 and may contribute to eye strain due to the altered blinking and eye movements.

Visual performance. Blue light emitted from digital devices could influence visual performance by stimulating melanopsin. Melanopsin contributes to our ability to interpret the arrangement of, distance to/between, placement, etc. of things we see7 and our ability to perceive contrast8 over a wide range of light intensities. In addition, blue light appears to alter dopamine in the retina, which affects how the retina adapts to light change and contrast9 and perhaps myopia development.10

How to Protect Your Eyes

      1. Use blue light filtering glasses and/or screen protectors.
      2. Most mobile devices and computer settings allow you to reduce blue light exposure.
      3. Do not look at digital devices later in the evening, particularly at bedtime. Read a book instead.
      4. Eat a healthy diet with plenty of green leafy vegetables and colored fruit and vegetables.
      5. Get regular exercise.
      6. Take targeted supplements such as lutein, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin, and black currant seed oil. These nutrients help block out UV and blue light — like a pair of internal sunglasses — help reduce eyestrain, and provide potent antioxidant activity.

Blue Light Affects Your Skin

A 2021 research review finds that blue light is helpful and harmful to the skin. Short exposures to blue light help prevent skin disorders and help protect the skin barrier, the tough outer layer of skin cells called corneocytes.11  However, extended exposure increases DNA damage, cell death, cell injury, damage to the skin barrier, and skin aging.12 13

Blue Light Affects Your Sleep

windows blue light filterExposure to blue light (think being on your smartphone right before bed or watching a movie on your TV) can affect sleep by altering one’s normal circadian rhythm.14 15 affects an individual’s sleep-wake cycle, sleep quality, and next-morning alertness.16

Blue Light Affects Your Brain

Studies on aging also need to consider how blue light affects neural pathways and various non-vision-related brain functions. These neural pathways react to blue light differently but are very sensitive to blue light wavelengths.  Our body temperature, secreted hormones, cognitive performance, and the sleep-wake cycle are all linked to neural pathways sensitive to blue light.17

New Supplements and Packages

Lightbody® Total Eye Health + Blue Light Filter Supplement

Lightbody® Total Eye Health + Blue Light Filter Package 1

Lightbody® Total Eye Health + Blue Light Filter Package 2

Recommended Supplements

Advanced Eye & Vision Support Formula (whole food) 60 vcaps

Dr. Grossman’s Meso Plus Retinal Support and Computer Eye Strain Formula with Astaxanthin 90 vcaps

ReVision Formula (wild-crafted herbal formula) 2 oz

Footnotes

  1. Moon J, Yun J, Yoon YD, Il Park S, Seo YJ, et al. (2017). Blue light effect on retinal pigment epithelial cells by display devices. Integr Biol. (United Kingdom). 2017;9:436–443. ↩
  2.  Lin CW, Yang CM, Yang CH. (2019). Effects of the emitted light spectrum of liquid crystal displays on light-induced retinal photoreceptor cell damage. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20:2318. ↩
  3. Wang L, Yu X, Zhang D, Wen Y, Zhang L, et al. (2023). Long-term blue light exposure impairs mitochondrial dynamics in the retina in light-induced retinal degeneration in vivo and in vitro. J Photochem Photobiol B. Mar;240:112654. ↩
  4. Lee HS, Cui L, Li Y, Choi JSJH, Li Z, et al. (2016). Influence of light emitting diode-derived blue light overexposure on mouse ocular surface. PLoS One. 2016;11 ↩
  5. Marek V, Mélik-Parsadaniantz S, Villette T, Montoya F, Baudouin C, Brignole-Baudouin F, Denoyer A. (2018). Blue light phototoxicity toward human corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells in basal and hyperosmolar conditions. Free Radic Biol Med. 2018;126:27–40. ↩
  6. Marek V, Reboussin E, Dégardin-Chicaud J, Charbonnier A, Domínguez-López A, et al. (2019). Implication of melanopsin and trigeminal neural pathways in blue light photosensitivity in vivo. Front Neurosci. 2019;13:1–20. ↩
  7. Allen AE, Storchi R, Martial FP, Bedford RA, Lucas RJ. (2017). Melanopsin contributions to the representation of images in the early visual system. Curr Biol. 2017;27:1623–1632 ↩
  8. Allen AE, Martial FP, Lucas RJ. (2019). Form vision from melanopsin in humans. Nat. Commun. 2019;10:1–10. ↩
  9. Zhang DQ, Wong KY, Sollars PJ, Berson DM, Pickard GE, et al. (2008). Intraretinal signaling by ganglion cell photoreceptors to dopaminergic amacrine neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2008;105:14181–14186. ↩
  10. Feldkaemper M, Schaeffel F. (2013). An updated view on the role of dopamine in myopia. Exp Eye Res. 2013;114:106–119. ↩
  11. Falcone D, Uzunbajakava NE, van Abeelen F, Oversluizen G, Peppelman M, et al. (2018). Effects of blue light on inflammation and skin barrier recovery following acute perturbation. Pilot study results in healthy human subjects. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. May;34(3):184-193. ↩
  12. Coats JG, Maktabi B, Abou-Dahech MS, Baki G. Blue Light Protection, Part I-Effects of blue light on the skin. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2021 Mar;20(3):714-717. ↩
  13. Nakashima Y, Ohta S, Wolf AM. (2017). Blue light-induced oxidative stress in live skin. Free Radic Biol Med. Jul;108:300-310. ↩
  14. Phillips AJK, Vidafar P, Burns AC, McGlashan EM, Anderson C, (2019). High sensitivity and interindividual variability in the response of the human circadian system to evening light. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. Jun 11;116(24):12019-12024. ↩
  15.  Wahl S, Engelhardt M, Schaupp P, Lappe C, Ivanov IV. (2019). The inner clock—blue light sets the human rhythm. J Biophot. 2019;12:1–14. ↩
  16. Chang AM, Aeschbach D, Duffy JF, Czeisler CA. (2015). Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2015;112:1232–1237. ↩
  17. Daneault V, Dumont M, Massé É, Vandewalle G, Carrier J. (2016) Light-sensitive brain pathways and aging. J Physiol Anthropol. Mar 15;35:9. ↩