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Author Topic: LED monitors, going blind  (Read 2349 times)

sgwrx

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LED monitors, going blind
« on: January 25, 2017, 08:39:31 am »

i'm starting to hear a news story about a study which showed blindness from exposure to LED screens,  high energy blue light the cause.  seems that reticare is the only company that makes a filter for phone, desktop monitors, tablets based on science.  convenient for them that there's only one solution based on science.  that aside, i've also seen and read about apps for tablets and phones that knock out (blue i'm guessing) for free.  another story that ties into this are studies that talk about trouble sleeping due to looking at devices just before bedtime.

we all stare at our monitors 10 hours or more per day, so i'm wondering if a calibrated monitor is a defense against these problems.  for example a monitor calibrated to 5500k or 6500k and brightness of 80-120cd?
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Otto Phocus

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2017, 09:07:47 am »

I have read that the colour of the light can affect sleep, which is why some people recommend not reading off your tablet if you are trying to read yourself to sleep.  But I have not read any sources that indicate that it can cause blindness.

Of course if you visit some of "those" sites, you will go blind, but that is not because of the display.   ;D ;D
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Bart_van_der_Wolf

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2017, 10:35:15 am »

i'm starting to hear a news story about a study which showed blindness from exposure to LED screens,  high energy blue light the cause.  seems that reticare is the only company that makes a filter for phone, desktop monitors, tablets based on science.  convenient for them that there's only one solution based on science.

Hi,

Sounds mostly like marketing nonsense, unless we are talking about excessive amounts of UV and Blue light (like in Snow-covered surroundings or on water). While Blue light has a higher energy than longer wavelengths (and shorter wavelengths like UV and X-rays have a higher energy), there is nothing special about the level of Blue light in 'White' LEDs that are used for backlighting or for RGB displays. Most systems use Red Green and Blue emitting diodes, and/or White diodes that generate near UV that excites a yellow/white phosphor.

LCD panels absorb parts of the backlighting.

Quote
that aside, i've also seen and read about apps for tablets and phones that knock out (blue i'm guessing) for free.  another story that ties into this are studies that talk about trouble sleeping due to looking at devices just before bedtime.

we all stare at our monitors 10 hours or more per day, so i'm wondering if a calibrated monitor is a defense against these problems.  for example a monitor calibrated to 5500k or 6500k and brightness of 80-120cd?

The native color of most displays can be a bit bluish, but after calibration or using a preset, that will be gone and look more like outdoor light. Blue wavelengths negatively affect the production of hormones that are used to sleep (it helps us to stay awake during the day), but Blue and near-UV light can also be used positively in light therapy.

So avoiding excessive amounts (by wearing UV absorbing sunglasses during the sunny days) is good for our eyes, but the hourly outdoor levels are perhaps 30x higher than an hour of looking at our dim displays. Not really something to worry about with regular use of our displays/phones/tablets. Companies like Zeiss do offer optional Blue absorbing coatings, but in practice these actually do affect accurate colorvision.

Cheers,
Bart

P.S. I'm wearing selfcoloring PhotoFusion glasses by Zeiss, and they do not darken when I'm looking at my display or when I shine my very bright 1600 Lumen LED torch on them, but they do darken when in outdoors and especially in sunshine. So I guess I'm okay when looking at my computer display ...
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Jim Kasson

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2017, 10:50:22 am »

i'm starting to hear a news story about a study which showed blindness from exposure to LED screens,  high energy blue light the cause.  seems that reticare is the only company that makes a filter for phone, desktop monitors, tablets based on science.  convenient for them that there's only one solution based on science.  that aside, i've also seen and read about apps for tablets and phones that knock out (blue i'm guessing) for free.  another story that ties into this are studies that talk about trouble sleeping due to looking at devices just before bedtime.

we all stare at our monitors 10 hours or more per day, so i'm wondering if a calibrated monitor is a defense against these problems.  for example a monitor calibrated to 5500k or 6500k and brightness of 80-120cd?

Can you give us a reference to this "science"?

The per-photon energy of light is determined by its wavelength. You say blue light, so that limits the lowest wavelength to 380 or 400 nm. Are you sure you're not taking about UV light? BTW, most all prescription glasses and contact lenses have UV-blocking filters.

Jim

Jeremy Roussak

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2017, 01:02:45 pm »

i'm starting to hear a news story about a study which showed blindness from exposure to LED screens,  high energy blue light the cause.  seems that reticare is the only company that makes a filter for phone, desktop monitors, tablets based on science

I wonder if they sponsored the study (if it exists), too.

Jeremy
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PeterAit

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2017, 05:45:22 pm »


we all stare at our monitors 10 hours or more per day


Nope.
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sgwrx

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2017, 10:13:42 pm »

if not supposed to post links, i apologize, here is one of the reports. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4149734/Global-epidemic-blindness-screen-time-blinding-kids-adults.html

it's in the dailymail.co.uk arena, searching google news for "led blindness" brings it up.

yeah, i mean it's crazy how much brighter daylight can be than what we experience indoors.  ok maybe not 10 hours a day for me, but i'll bet i'm pretty close: 9-10hrs at work with 1 hour lunch a few breaks, then home to research or fool around on the net. haha, so according to this study, kids should watch more tv and not use smart phones or tablets! cuz you know, reading a book... and certainly don't send them outside in the daylight!
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #7 on: January 27, 2017, 03:46:57 am »

if not supposed to post links, i apologize, here is one of the reports. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4149734/Global-epidemic-blindness-screen-time-blinding-kids-adults.html

When you begin to rely on the Daily Mail for news, particularly news on health, you are in deep, deep trouble.

Jeremy
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Bart_van_der_Wolf

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #8 on: January 27, 2017, 04:04:56 am »

When you begin to rely on the Daily Mail for news, particularly news on health, you are in deep, deep trouble.

While that may be true, the article refers to existing medical studies, e.g. this one. Since the article is not available without payment, it's unclear what "high levels of natural and artificial lights of different spectra and intensities along lifetime" actually means.

Cheers,
Bart
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Alan Goldhammer

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #9 on: January 27, 2017, 08:43:42 am »

Over a decade ago there were stories circulating about cell phones causing brain cancer if you used them regularly.  This prompted a large market in plug in head sets and ear buds with a small speaker attached so the cell phone would not be up against one's head during use.  Good scare story but at odds with the epidemiological data.  A study of the US cancer registry at the time (maybe 2005) should the number of cases of brain cancer going down at the same time the use of cell phones was rising exponentially.  I believe that studies since have not shown any change in this pattern. 

It's easy to scare a non-suspecting public who seldom try to find out the science behind the story.
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #10 on: January 27, 2017, 09:20:58 am »

... Of course if you visit some of "those" sites, you will go blind, but that is not because of the display.   ;D ;D

Not to mention the activity is life-threatening: http://thesmokinggun.com/buster/car-crash/pantless-man-in-fatal-crash-639205 - Cops: Pantsless Motorist Killed In Crash Was Masturbating While Watching Porn Flick On His Phone  ;D

Jeremy Roussak

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Re: LED monitors, going blind
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2017, 01:07:26 pm »

Not to mention the activity is life-threatening: http://thesmokinggun.com/buster/car-crash/pantless-man-in-fatal-crash-639205 - Cops: Pantsless Motorist Killed In Crash Was Masturbating While Watching Porn Flick On His Phone  ;D

Sadly, at 58, he was probably too old for a Darwin Award.

Jeremy
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