L.E.D. Out the Unknowing Frustration

    This season, we find our hero looking to the future. A very bright future. Oh wait, that's just one of the various LED lighted screens in the hero's possession. Maybe that explains why his vision has gotten a little worse over the past few years.

    Something has overtaken the homes of nearly every American family in the US. The screen. It's exposure to the good people's eyes, with a grand increase since the spread of COVID, has brought on various schools of thought regarding the health of its consumer. According to Peep Algvere, in "Age-related maculopathy and the impact of blue light hazard," from Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica, age-related maculopathy, also known as ARM, leads the pack in regard to vision impairment or complete loss of sight. It's something that effects a fair amount people over the age of sixty. The authors' conducted study questions the over-use of LED lights, since the blue lights are used in most screens, but just on different levels. Phones, tablets, and computers, usually have a small level of blue light, which can aid in the progression of ARM.

    I think it's prevalent to society to consider their own exposure to LED lights, or in this case blue lights, because limited consumption can really help preserve one's eyesight well into their latter years.

    On the other hand, I found a set of research that does help the case of the blue light. For instance, the light from the sun can be harmful to the eye as well, which is why there are several such items as UV protective sunglasses and car window tinting. In the case of LED lights versus the sun, the sun win always take the cake on damaging the eyes. It's sad to think, but UV protection isn't just for the eyes, it can also be for skin and even hair. This information leads me to the last important source for this post; the research from David Baeza Moyano et al., in "Blue-Light Levels Emitted from Portable Electronic Devices Compared to Sunlight," from Energies, is that the sun, even on an overcast day, is more detrimental to your health, compared to an average use of blue lit screens. So, even the overuse of screens in our COVID lives isn't quite as bad as the harmful rays of the sun, making the danger a little less scary. The exposure could still be a harm to one's health, but maybe this information has given you a little more perspective by way of choosing to adjust the screen time of yourself or your family.

    When thinking about the future, isn't it wise to also think of the present? I think so, but what do I know. I'm the type of person to usually eat way too much at the local pizza shack, which causes me to immediately regret my decision. The future is an impending era that can be altered by our choices, so wouldn't it be sagacious to consider the events and our participation in the present? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I think these questions are worth giving some thought.