Smartphones have become a staple item in everyday life, with 80% of UK consumers owning one in 2018. This number is sure to continue rising as the years go by, and smartphones become more affordable and therefore more accessible. They’re useful for just about everything; checking train times, snapping a quick photo, getting involved in the family group chat, or even – as the mobile was first intended for – making a phone call. All of this has resulted in the average adult spending 8 hours and 41 minutes on digital devices each day. For some individuals, however, this number is likely to be far greater. Many jobs require people to be sat in front of computer screens for 35-40 hours a week, even without your own personal use of a smartphone outside of work hours. While this is great for staying connected with people, arranging transportation, and getting work completed quickly and efficiently, what is the impact on our health?
What is blue light?
As the 2010s have been dubbed “the decade of the smartphone”, it’s no surprise that extensive research has been conducted in this area. One finding which seems to be mentioned everywhere is “blue light”. This is the light which is emitted from our phones, tablets and laptops and, sadly, it has been found to have negative effects on our eye health. Studies suggest that it has “a potential to lead to macular degeneration”, bypassing the pupil and cornea to beam directly into the retina. The blue light is thought to affect your central vision as it kills off photoreceptor cells in the retina. Unlike some other cells in your body, once these cells die, they cannot regenerate. This means that any damage done to them is permanent.
Mobile phone eye strain may cause dry eye and irritation, painful throbbing headaches
around the eye region, and even blurred vision. However, we use our phones differently to
computers. With computers, we may spend hours looking at a screen.
Smartphones Can Make Your Brain “Lazy”
Research shows this overreliance on your smartphone can lead to mental laziness. “If you give people the ability to store information remotely, outside of their brain, they become more dependent on that, which actually can have a negative effect on people's memory,”
"SO WE SOULD USE OUR PHONE LESS"
