Blue Light Lasting Damage in Children and Adults – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 307
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH.
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By now, we have all heard about the damaging effects of blue light when it comes to more than just our vision. We certainly have seen the long-term studies implicating that blue light exposure can actually accelerate the aging process, so it goes more than just the detrimental effects on the eyes. For many people who maybe have young children or grandchildren, you may have seen that trend that more and more children are spending an awful lot of time in front of their different digital screens. With that emission of that blue light, we have to think long term. What are those effects, not only to adults, but also to children and to teenagers? I want to talk about that in some detail today.
The dangers of blue light
We know that the majority of people in this country spend hours upon hours in front of a screen. It’s estimated that 60% of people spend more than six hours per day in front of a digital device. We know that the light itself is made up of these electromagnetic particles that travel in waves, so when we talk about blue light, we’re talking about the actual waves.
Fending Off Blue Light With Multivitamins – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 208. Listen Now >>
There is a strong correlation between chronic exposure to blue light and the association of developing age-related macular degeneration. We see this in older adults, but you also have to wonder what this is doing to people who have very young eyes. We cannot be immune to this. We can’t turn a blind eye to the real problem that we are seeing.
We know that the way the blue light is actually working is that it penetrates into the retina. This is where they induce this phytochemical stress within the retinal cells themselves and this creates a significant amount of damage. When we have damaged cells, the normal response in the body is to get rid of them. We’re starting to see this greater rate of apoptosis, or programmed cell death, because of that. When we’re dealing with people who are older, clearly that cell rejuvenation doesn’t happen as easily as it does when someone is younger.
We have to at least pay attention to the fact that children are definitely having a significantly higher amount of exposure to blue light than many of us even recognize. There are multiple studies now that are starting to come out showing the harmful effects of that. Much of this is unavoidable for children who are doing virtual schooling right now and they have to sit in front of their computer screens, but even in the in-class setting, so much of this has gone digital.
Learn more about the increased prevalence of screen usage and its impacts on eye health by tuning into the full podcast episode.
How To Fend Of Damage
We know that supplementing with multivitamins at minimum can be very beneficial. Having things like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E on board is very beneficial to the overall health of the eye.
How Vitamin A Benefits Immunity and Vision – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 197. Listen Now >>
We also have to make sure that we are including in those very powerful carotenoids, such as lutein and zeaxanthin. We know that these have a really powerful effect when it comes to fending off the negative, harmful means by which the blue light is actually damaging the eye itself.
Listen to the full podcast episode to learn more about how to help fend off blue light damage.
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