Here’s another reason to be worried about your kids staying in front of their screens too much during the day – the habit might just make them blind. A study, conducted at University Complutense of Madrid in Spain with lead researcher Dr. Celia Sanchez-Ramos has found that the high energy light that is emitted from the digital screens will cause irreversible damage to the eyes through the deterioration of the retina.
This study actually studied the results of two previous studies. In one of them, the retinas of rats that were evaluated to tablet screens with white LED light was evaluated. One group had filtered light and the other group did not. After three months of exposure, the rat group that did not have filters had a 23% increase in retinal cell death. Those rats that had a filter experienced no cell death.
As Dr. Ranchez-Ramos explained, “These results are important because LED screens are being used by the majority of the population, adults and children, for work, school and entertainment.”
In the second study, the amount of light that entered the eye was evaluated based on the device being used, the user, the diameter of the pupil and how far the device was from the eye. The results found that children receive more light of shore wavelengths than do adults because they have shorter arms and have the devices closer to them.
There is certainly more research that needs to be done. But parents should take note of these findings. Experts recommend, as well, that you use the 20-20-20 rules. For every 20 minutes that you are looking at a screen, you should then look 20 feet away for 20 seconds to let your eyes relax.
