People are so addicted to their phones these days that scientists are now studying the impact of electromagnetic waves that they produce on our eyes. Scary enough, many studies in this area are pointing towards increased damage with prolonged exposure. So if you’re using your phone all day, every day, then chances are your cell phone might just be your eyes’ number one enemy. Don’t believe us? Here are just a few ways that your eyes may be impacted by excessive use.
Macular Degeneration
Did you know that your cell phone emits potentially dangerous light? HEV Light, otherwise known as high-energy visible light, may be part of the natural light spectrum, but it carries the greatest potential to damage living tissue. Excessive exposure to this blue light can damage the tissue in the retina of the eye and also lead to macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness. So if you’re staring at your phone all day long, you may want to cut back so that you don’t run the risk of long-term damage to your eyes.
Cataracts
Your eyes have the ability to absorb electromagnetic energy very quickly. This wouldn’t be such a bad thing if the radio waves coming from your phone didn’t emit high levels of heat. But when you’re reading your favourite texts or tweets, you’re absorbing high levels of energy into your body. And where your blood normally carries excess heat away from your organs, your eyes don’t have a lot of vessels, so the heat does not get properly transmitted out of the body. This is not good news for your eyes because excessive and long-term exposure to heat has shown to increase your chances of cataracts.
Eye Strain & Headaches
Digital eye strain is also on the rise. With people staring at a screen for on average six hours a day, squinting the eyes is becoming more common in order to read from the small screen. When you’re reading from your phone, it forces your eyes to focus in ways that they’re not use to. Prolonged use eventually changes how you focus on both near and far objects as your eyes become accustomed to reading close up. This problem eventually leads to digital strain that can cause red and itchy eyes, increased fatigue, blurry vision, and the worst of all – headaches and migraines.
If you’ve started to notice changes to your vision, it could be a result of your cell phone usage. If your eye doctor has recommended that you get glasses, come visit us at Laurier Optical. We offer a large, stylish collection of glasses, along with the most innovative designs to provide you with crystal clear vision.