If your one of millions of Americans who end their night laying in bed staring at their phone or tablet, here is another warning...
The blue light beaming from smartphones and tablets is changing cells in our eyes that could accelerate blindness, according to a study.
Researchers from The University of Toledo studied the impact blue light — which comes from the sun as well as digital devices — on our eyes.
The study found blue light triggers "toxic" reactions in retinal, molecules that sense light and signal the brain. The retinal used by photoreceptors in our eyes is what allows people to see.
Results showed blue light helps generate poisonous chemical reactions killing photoreceptors, which cannot be restored once they die off.
This leads to macular degeneration, an incurable eye disease that causes blindness starting in your 50s or 60s, researchers said.
"It’s no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye’s retina," said Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the University of Toledo's department of chemistry and biochemistry, and one of the study's authors, in a statement. "Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop."
The study was published on July 5 in the journal Scientific Reports.