Blue light: how harmful is it really?

We encounter blue light primarily in LED screens and energy-saving LED light bulbs. But how harmful is blue light really? We have some answers to that.

We encounter blue light every day without our being aware of it: Many smartphones, televisions and LED lamps, whether at home or in public spaces, contain blue light. It has long been discussed whether blue light affects sleep and whether it can be responsible for retinal damage to the eye.

We have compiled all the important facts for you and at the end we will give you some tips on how to handle blue light gently.

That is “blue light”

• Blue light includes loud Stiftung Warentest high-energy, short-wave light waves. In the natural way we experience blue light especially in the light of the Midday sun. It stimulates our circulation to stay awake and not to tire.
• Blue light can be found in electronic devices that use LEDs. LED stands for L.ight E.mitting D.iodes, in German “light emitting diodes”. These can be tablets, smartphones or LED lamps. LED lamps have been successfully on the market since the 1990s because they are considered very energy-efficient.

Stephan Degle, professor of ophthalmic optics and optometry at the University of Jena, sees the problem in the blue light in the LED lamps, he said MDR: In the midday sun, the bright light would automatically force us to squint our eyes or put on sunglasses. In contrast, we are exposed to the bright light for hours under an LED lamp without protection.

This damage could cause blue light

There are two main concerns about blue light:

1. Blue light could be responsible for damage to the retina on the eye.

The Pharmacy magazine writes that according to scientists, blue light could damage the retina of the eye. Because when blue, compact light hits the retina, the blue light reacts with the oxygen, so that toxic compounds can arise that ultimately damage the cells and lead to myopia being able to lead.

Nearsightedness (myopia) is now much more pronounced among the 25 to 29-year-olds than among the 55 to 59-year-olds, and more among university graduates than among people without training or a higher school education. Scientists suspect that the age group in question spends a lot of time with books, in front of screens and indoors, and that this could damage the eye in the long term.

But: A scientific study on humans is hardly feasible, also for ethical reasons.

2. Blue light could dampen the release of melatonin.

In the evening the proportion of blue light is much lower than during the day. The soft evening light prepares the body for the sleep hormone Melantonin to build. The Havard Medical School published a study according to which the LED light can strongly attenuate the release of melatonin.

But: Stiftung Warentest tested LED lamps and found that the LED lamps had no more impact than ordinary light bulbs. Only LED daylight lamps have a higher proportion of blue light and could therefore have a strong influence on the release of melatonin.

Conclusion and tips on how to deal with blue light correctly

Ultimately, more studies are needed on the extent to which blue light can damage our health. Neither Stiftung Warentest nor that EU Scientific Committee on Health are currently seeing alarming levels of exposure to blue light with normal use of screens and LED bulbs.

If you still have the impression that the screen light or brightness is too a headache, sleep disorders or dry eyes think about what you can change about your lifestyle:

• Make sure that in the evening on your computer and smartphone screen the Night mode is switched on, which bathes the screen in an orange light.
• If you do not have this function, make sure that you do not use your electronic devices in the dark, but rather one additional light source in the room. In the dark, the pupils dilate and so bright light can fall more strongly on the retina.
• Avoid in the last few hours before bed LED daylight lamps.
• Do you need glasses to work in front of the screen? You can buy glasses with lenses that absorb UV light more than normal lenses.

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