Blue light from smartphones and tablets spells danger to eyes, warns Essilor

Essilor has launched a major national media and online campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of exposure to blue light emitted by devices such as tablets, smartphones, TVs and even energy saving light bulbs.

The Seeing Blue initiative was part of Essilor’s wider Think About Your Eyes awareness campaign and highlighted research from the Paris Vision Institute that suggested that ‘bad blue light’ could damage cells within the eye.

To raise the profile of the issue, Essilor conducted a survey which highlighted the extent of the nation’s exposure to blue light. The results revealed the average adult spends nearly seven hours of their day looking at a screen and 55 per cent of the 2,000 people polled said the amount of screen time they’re exposed to affects them – with the most common symptom said to be eye discomfort.