The development of technology never stops. Various types of gadgets from mobile phones, tablets, to laptops are available now. For you millennials, gadgets are one thing that you can’t leave home without. If you don't want to miss the news, gadget isthe first thing that you see when you wake up. However, did you know that the blue light emitted by the gadget can affect your health?

As we all know, the blue light emitted by the gadget can affect eye health. Not only cause irritation, blue light exposure can also cause blindness in some cases. In a recent study published in NPJ Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, researchers found that prolonged exposure to blue light can affect your lifespan, even though the exposure is not directly hit the eyes.

In their study, the researchers used Drosophila melanogaster, also known as fruit fly as its object. The flies were divided into groups, some of which were placed in a room with exposure to LED lights (which has a similar wavelength to blue light produced by cellphones or tablets) that were filtered for 12 hours. Some others were placed in a dark room, and some others were given the combined treatment of the two.

As a result, fruit flies that receive combined treatment were known to have a shorter lifespan compared to flies placed in a dark room or those that receive only blue light. The researchers also found that flies that were exposed to blue light suffered damage to retinal cells and their brain neurons. Researchers analysed the expression of several genes and found that in stress response, protective genes were expressed when flies were exposed to blue light. Therefore, the researchers hypothesized, blue light could influence the expression of these genes.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay

Source(s):

• Nash, T.T., Chow, E.S., Law, A.D., et all (2019). Daily blue-light exposure shortens lifespan and causes brain neurodegeneration in Drosophila. NPJ Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, DOI: 10.1038 / s41514-019-0038-6.
• Science Daily - Daily exposure to blue light may accelerate aging, even if it doesn't reach your eyes (2019). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191017101253.htm, 23 October 2019.