Chemists Discover How Blue Light Speeds Blindness

Isao writes: It (apparently) has been known that blue light damages eyes and accelerates macular degeneration. A new article on Phys.org may have identified how this happens. It seems that unlike other light colors, blue causes a necessary molecule (retinal) to permanently kill photoreceptor cells. "The researcher found that a molecule called alpha Tocopherol, a Vitamin E derivative and a natural antioxidant in the eye and body, stops the cells from dying," reports Phys.org. "However, as a person ages or the immune system is suppressed, people lose the ability to fight against the attack by retinal and blue light." The authors will continue their research and recommend filtering and blue-light reduction in the meantime. The study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Comments

Gonna really suck for saltwater tanks/ grow lights

[Khyber]

Topic says it all. LED ones are especially blue-heavy (up to 80% of the overall output in saltwater reef tanks) and that's gotta cause some issues.

Re:Blue light isn't the issue, getting old is...

[Khyber]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...

That's from 2006, before I started designing and selling horticultural LED lighting, from the British Journal of Ophthalmology.