The problem is, our generation takes a bright nocturnal lifestyle for granted; we conduct our lives forgetting the incredibly obvious fact that with nighttime comes darkness.

Moreover, we are creating the first environment in 3.8 billion years of life showering us nightly with signals from light as bright as the morning sun. This new situation has arisen through the explosive spread of blue light-infused LED lighting and computers, smartphones, tablets and similar devices hosting LED-backlit liquid crystal (LCD) displays.

As a result, we now face two hazards that even our own genes surely never expected.



The first is a threat to our health triggered by the disruption of our circadian rhythm. A disrupted circadian rhythm not only invites sleep disorders and depression, it also elevates the risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other ailments related to metabolic syndrome, increases the risk of cancer, and advances the aging process unnecessarily.



The other blue light hazard is the impact on our eyes.



In this ultra-aging society, damage to the eye is caused by extended exposure to blue light embedded in natural sunlight and also to prolonged usage of LED displays.

The amount of blue light emitted from LED lighting or LCD displays is of course minimal compared to that emitted from the sun. However, as damage is calculated as “amount” x “time,” even minimal amounts can wreak damage if sustained. In addition, prolonged gazing at a display screen increases the risk of various ophthalmic diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, which can result from sustained use of the macular area, the central part of the retina and the region of the eye responsible for focusing.

Now, people remain fixated on their visual display terminals at home, at work, and en route everywhere, with the trend reaching children-whose vision is still developing-and the elderly.