Prolonged exposure to blue light from our phones, computers, and many other household appliances can negatively affect a person's life expectancy. Scientists speculate that the blue waves emitted by LEDs damage the cells of the brain and retina of the eye, even in the absence of direct light rays. Scientists have conducted a series of studies on the common fruit fly, as a result of which it was found that the light waves emitted by the burning of LEDs accelerate the aging process.
Is blue light harmful?
Light is electromagnetic radiation, each color of which has its own specific amount of energy. At the beginning of the light spectrum, red is located, which has low energy and is easily perceived by the human eye; closer to the top of the spectrum, blue light is located, which has the highest energy and is able to penetrate into the retina of the eye, quickly fatiguing our visual organs.
The artificial blue light that comes from modern gadgets and devices occupies the most “harmful” part of the spectrum, the wavelength of which is between 380 and 500 nm. Light waves in this range are the shortest of visible radiation and are most actively scattered.
Scientists have long confirmed the negative effect of blue light on humans, but they still continue to conduct more detailed studies on its effect on the human body and do not plan to dwell on the information received. Thus, scientists from the University of Oregon published the results of new research in the journal Aging and Mechanisms of Disease.
During the experiment, the researchers used the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, whose organism, due to its cellular mechanisms of development, is similar to other animals and humans.
The flies were exposed to daily light cycles of 12 hours.
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During the study, the researchers used 3 groups of flies. The first group was subjected to daily 12-hour cycles: 12 hours in the light and 12 hours in the dark. The second group was kept in the dark at all times and used as a control, and the third group was exposed to filtered blue light. According to the results of the study, it was found that flies from the first group had a shorter lifespan. A study of flies exposed to 12 hours of blue light showed damage to retinal cells and even neurons in the brain, reducing the flies' ability to climb fences.
In the experiment, mutants of fruit flies were also used, some of which did not have developed organs of vision, but even eyeless flies were found to have brain damage and impaired coordination. Thus, flies did not need to see light in order for it to cause disturbances in the body. Also, researchers noted an interesting fact that flies try to avoid blue light when given a choice.
Scientists are interested in creating and developing a new and healthier spectrum of light in order to increase the lifespan of users of modern electronics.
Scientists note that the presence of natural light is essential for the body's circadian rhythm - a cycle in which a number of physiological processes take place, such as brain activity, hormone secretion, cell regeneration, etc. However, the increased exposure to artificial light, which is increasing in the modern world, is one of the risk factors for sleep disruption and a variety of other circadian disorders.
The use of LED lighting, various gadgets and devices is exposing people to more and more light in the blue spectrum. But due to the fact that these technologies are quite new, it is not possible to find out about their influence on a person throughout his life.
Daria Eletskaya