Blue light Exposure And Long-Term Deficits In Visual Function

1980 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Blue Light ◽  
Visual Function ◽  
Light Exposure

scholarly journals The dark side of artificial light

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 32-35
Author(s):  
Jun Yang ◽  
David A Hendrix ◽  
Jadwiga M Giebultowicz
Keyword(s):  
Blue Light ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light Emitting ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Ambient Lighting

Light is necessary for life, but increasing exposure to artificial light may be detrimental to human health. With prevalent use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in ambient lighting and electronic devices, humans are increasingly exposed to blue light that appears white due to addition of other colours. Excessive blue light can damage eyes, but it is not known whether daily LED exposure across lifespan may have other adverse health effects. A recent study in short-lived model organism Drosophila melanogaster revealed that cumulative, long-term exposure to blue light impacts brain function, accelerates the aging process and significantly shortens lifespan compared to flies maintained in constant darkness or in white light with blue wavelengths blocked. Increased mortality and brain neurodegeneration was also observed in flies with genetically ablated eyes, demonstrating damage to non-retinal cells. As molecular responses to light are similar in the cells of both fruit flies and humans, these studies suggest that lifelong daily blue light exposure may impair cellular health in humans.

scholarly journals Long-term Blue Light Effects on the Histology of Lettuce and Soybean Leaves and Stems

2004 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy A.O. Dougher ◽  
Bruce Bugbee
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Blue Light ◽  
Cell Expansion ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Stem Elongation ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Light Fraction ◽  
Short Term

Blue light (320 to 496 nm) alters hypocotyl and stem elongation and leaf expansion in short-term, cell-level experiments, but histological effects of blue light in long-term studies of whole plants have not been described. We measured cell size and number in stems of soybean (Glycine max L.) and leaves of soybean and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), at two blue light fractions. Short-term studies have shown that cell expansion in stems is rapidly inhibited when etiolated tissue is exposed to blue light. However, under long-term light exposure, an increase in the blue light fraction from <0.1% to 26% decreased internode length, specifically by inhibiting soybean cell division in stems. In contrast, an increase in blue light fraction from 6% to 26% reduced soybean leaf area by decreasing cell expansion. Surprisingly, lettuce leaf area increased with increasing blue light fraction (0% to 6%), which was attributed to a 3.1-fold increase in cell expansion and a 1.6-fold increase in cell division.

scholarly journals Daily blue-light exposure shortens lifespan and causes brain neurodegeneration in Drosophila

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor R. Nash ◽  
Eileen S. Chow ◽  
Alexander D. Law ◽  
Samuel D. Fu ◽  
Elzbieta Fuszara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blue Light ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Accelerated Aging ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Light Emitting

Abstract Light is necessary for life, but prolonged exposure to artificial light is a matter of increasing health concern. Humans are exposed to increased amounts of light in the blue spectrum produced by light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which can interfere with normal sleep cycles. The LED technologies are relatively new; therefore, the long-term effects of exposure to blue light across the lifespan are not understood. We investigated the effects of light in the model organism, Drosophila melanogaster, and determined that flies maintained in daily cycles of 12-h blue LED and 12-h darkness had significantly reduced longevity compared with flies maintained in constant darkness or in white light with blue wavelengths blocked. Exposure of adult flies to 12 h of blue light per day accelerated aging phenotypes causing damage to retinal cells, brain neurodegeneration, and impaired locomotion. We report that brain damage and locomotor impairments do not depend on the degeneration in the retina, as these phenotypes were evident under blue light in flies with genetically ablated eyes. Blue light induces expression of stress-responsive genes in old flies but not in young, suggesting that cumulative light exposure acts as a stressor during aging. We also determined that several known blue-light-sensitive proteins are not acting in pathways mediating detrimental light effects. Our study reveals the unexpected effects of blue light on fly brain and establishes Drosophila as a model in which to investigate long-term effects of blue light at the cellular and organismal level.

scholarly journals A 12-week lutein supplementation improves visual function in Chinese people with long-term computer display light exposure

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Ma ◽  
Xiao-Ming Lin ◽  
Zhi-Yong Zou ◽  
Xian-Rong Xu ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Contrast Sensitivity ◽  
Visual Function ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Visual Performance ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Glare Sensitivity

We aimed to examine the effect of different doses of lutein supplementation on visual function in subjects with long-term computer display light exposure. Thirty-seven healthy subjects with long-term computer display light exposure ranging in age from 22 to 30 years were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Group L6 (6 mg lutein/d, n 12); Group L12 (12 mg lutein/d, n 13); and Group Placebo (maltodextrin placebo, n 12). Levels of serum lutein and visual performance indices such as visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and glare sensitivity were measured at weeks 0 and 12. After 12-week lutein supplementation, serum lutein concentrations of Groups L6 and L12 increased from 0·356 (sd 0·117) to 0·607 (sd 0·176) μmol/l, and from 0·328 (sd 0·120) to 0·733 (sd 0·354) μmol/l, respectively. No statistical changes from baseline were observed in uncorrected visual acuity and best-spectacle corrected visual acuity, whereas there was a trend toward increase in visual acuity in Group L12. Contrast sensitivity in Groups L6 and L12 increased with supplementation, and statistical significance was reached at most visual angles of Group L12. No significant change was observed in glare sensitivity over time. Visual function in healthy subjects who received the lutein supplement improved, especially in contrast sensitivity, suggesting that a higher intake of lutein may have beneficial effects on the visual performance.

Nighttime Blue Light Exposure and Breast Cancer

2021 ◽  
pp. 30-33
Author(s):  
David Jaynes ◽  
Paul Switzer
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Blue Light ◽  
Shift Work ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Night Shift ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Night Shift Work

The purpose of this article is to provide background information and the current understanding of a less familiar cause of female breast cancer; exposure to ultraviolet light at night. Breast cancer is a common disease that causes significant morbidity and mortality in women. There are several risk factors for breast cancer, most of which are genetic and environmental in nature. An often-overlooked risk factor is exposure to blue light during night shift work, which decreases melatonin production. One of the many cancer-preventing properties of melatonin is to limit estrogen production. Increased lifetime exposure to estrogen is a well-known cause of breast cancer. Awareness of nighttime blue light exposure as a breast cancer risk factor by women doing night shift work and those exposed to nighttime light via smartphones and laptops, is essential information to know so that protective measures can be taken.

Effects of pre-bedtime blue-light exposure on ratio of deep sleep in healthy young men

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masao Ishizawa ◽  
Takuya Uchiumi ◽  
Miki Takahata ◽  
Michiyasu Yamaki ◽  
Toshiaki Sato
Keyword(s):  
Blue Light ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Deep Sleep

scholarly journals Assessment of visual function and retinal structure following acute light exposure in the light sensitive T4R rhodopsin mutant dog

2016 ◽  
Vol 146 ◽  
pp. 341-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Iwabe ◽  
Gui-Shuang Ying ◽  
Gustavo D. Aguirre ◽  
William A. Beltran
Keyword(s):  
Visual Function ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Retinal Structure

Blue light-induced retinal damage: a brief review and a proposal for examining the hypothetical causal link between person digital device use and retinal injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-134
Author(s):  
Michael R. Kozlowski
Keyword(s):  
Blue Light ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Retinal Damage ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Retinal Injury ◽  
Device Use ◽  
Harmful Effects

Background: There is growing concern that the increased use of personal digital devices, which emit a high proportion of their light in the blue wavelengths, may have harmful effects on the retina. Extensive historical as well as current research demonstrates that exposure to high energy visible light (blue light) can damage the retina under certain circumstances. There are, however, no studies that directly address whether blue light at the intensities emitted by digital devices can potentially cause such harm. The present review aimed to examine whether blue light exposure from computers, tablets, and cell phones can, when used habitually over a prolonged period of time, be harmful to the retinal. Methods: A search of the literature on blue light-induced retinal damage was performed using a number of scientific search engines, including BioOne Complete™, Google Scholar™, Paperity™, PubMed™, and ScienceOpen™. Studies most significant for addressing the question of possible harmful effects of blue light emitted by personal digital devices were selected from this search and reviewed. Results: The data from the selected studies were summarized and their limitations in addressing the question of whether the blue light from personal digital devices is capable of producing retinal damage were addressed. Based on these limitations, a practical experimental protocol for collecting the additional data needed was proposed. Data from pilot experiments are presented that indicate the practicality of this approach. Conclusions: The currently available data on the effects of blue light on the retina are not sufficient to refute the hypothesis that the use of personal digital devices could, over a lifetime, produce retinal damage. Additional studies, such as those proposed in this article, are needed to resolve this issue.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document