“Insufficient light during the day and excessive light exposure during evening and night hours disrupts the human circadian timing system and may cause impaired sleep, immunity, and mood, and it is associated with increased risks of obesity and diabetes as well as breast, prostate, and other neuroendocrine-sensitive cancers. While this may be good for school budgets, it is a detriment to children’s vision.” Review on Optometry “With the push for higher energy efficiency and cost savings in our schools, many school districts are now switching their lighting to LED-based lighting systems. Laboratory studies on rodent and primate models have demonstrated that extended time periods of direct retinal exposure to bright blue light accelerate rates of RPE and photoreceptor death. “Visible blue light may potentially be harmful to the human retina, as it can be absorbed by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and certain photoreceptors, generating localized oxidative and thermal stress. Ultraviolet (UV) light contains more energy than blue light, but is absorbed by the cornea and crystalline lens, limiting retinal exposure.” Commonly encountered light emitted by the sun and personal electronic devices contain significant amounts of high-energy, short- wavelength blue light.
Humans depend on this process for image-formation and regulation of daily sleep-wake cycles.
According to the American Optometric Association “ Blue light can cause retinal damage” because “v isible light passes through the media of the eye to the retina where photoreceptors transform it into an electrochemical signal.
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