The fact that blue light is natural and beneficial doesn’t exempt it from the accusation of its harmful effects. Numerous studies point to a link between a host of eye problems and the blue light emitted by your iPhone, laptop, and other devices.
One study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism shows that blue light hinders the production of melatonin by tricking the brain into thinking it’s still daytime. This, in turn, leads to issues relating to the quality/quantity of sleep, glucose homeostasis, blood pressure, and thermoregulation.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) also asserts that staring at your screen for hours leads to digital eye strain and dry eyes—which increases your risk of eye problems. The medical association of eye surgeons and physicians goes on to draw a link between excess screen time in children and health issues such as ADHD, Myopia, and Obesity. Please note that an article by David Ramsey (MD, PhD, MPH) appearing in the Harvard Medical School blog insists that “blue light from electronic devices is not going to increase the risk of macular degeneration or harm any other part of the eye.”
The takeaway is that blue is not bad for you! The issue is in our level/type of exposure – i.e., increasingly relying on devices that emit artificial after the sun goes down.