Healthe and Dell Collaborate with Leaders in Healthcare to Protect From High-Energy Blue Light 

At CES 2019, Dell and Healthe previewed innovative protection from high-energy blue light – In the span of a decade, technology has transformed our daily lives. Computers, smartphones and tablets are not just work tools, but constant links to work, entertainment and virtual spaces. Today average screen time is 10.6 hours per day (1). With our increasing use of digital devices, some concerns arise about the effects of this lighting technology on the eyes and overall health.

With the transformation of light consumption, Dell has collaborated with Healthe, leading eye doctors and health care professionals to develop Dell Eyesafe® technology, providing integrated protection from high-energy visible blue light with beautiful color. Along with screen time growth has been an increase in blue light consumption, especially among children (3, 4). Research shows that prolonged exposure to the blue light emitted from electronics can result in a variety of health concerns for adults and children, including computer vision syndrome, (5) eye strain, (6) sleep cycle disruption (7, 8) and a variety of other ocular health concerns (9, 10).

“The blue light spectrum is an especially intense band of light energy reaching the retina of the eye,” explains Dr. David Friess, OD, FAAO. Dr. Friess leads the Vision Health Advisory Group. “A large and growing body of research shows that cumulative exposure to blue light can result in circadian rhythm sleep disruption, digital eye strain and dry eye, and other ocular health concerns. The protection provided by Eyesafe is beneficial, especially given how much we use our digital devices daily.”

According to the research, Progress in Retinal and Eye Research study by Behar-Cohen, children’s eyes absorb more blue light than adults from digital device screens, which is a growing concern as the popularity of cell phones, computers and tablets for school reading and personal use continues to grow each year. Increasing public health data and scientific research describes the eye health effects linked to exposure to digital device light emissions, including Computer Vision Syndrome, eye strain, and sleep cycle disruptions.

Ideally considering the number of hours spent looking at digital screens, our devices should be made with our health in mind, providing protection by filtering the harmful wavelengths while maintaining the overall color. Integrated directly in to the display, Dell Eyesafe® provides an uncompromised user experience focusing on the toxic region, selectively filtering blue light, while maintaining crisp and vivid color from the display:

  •  Blue Light Protection – designed to protect from the harmful high-energy blue light.
  • Beautiful Color – unparalleled color quality accuracy while filtering the blue spectrum.
  • Developed with Doctors – developed with input from leaders in the healthcare community.

Developed in Collaboration with Eye Care Professionals

Dell Eyesafe® was developed with health in mind, with input from world-leading eye care professionals. The Eyesafe Vision Health Advisory Board is made up of eye care professionals across ophthalmology and optometry, collaborating with Dell to provide the latest guiding research, implications to eye and human health for the display industry and development of display standards which take in to account human health and safety. They help to define and shape the future of eye health and vision care delivery through innovation, continuous education, and collaboration.

Others Impact Color and Brightness

Filters for devices and other digital displays typically provide an overall amber or yellow tint. Some filters claim blue light filtering without altering the color gamut of the displays, although the specificities of these filters have to be carefully examined as some do not actually block efficiently the harmful spectrum from 415-455nm. The solution can help users receive less blue light emission from the device, however, the downside effect is a major loss of color integrity and clarity. Users can turn on and off the function per the different applications; however, this remains uncomfortable for many users as a result of color distortion. Comparatively, Dell Eyesafe® selectively filters the harmful blue light spectrum, while maintaining crisp and vivid color transmission from the display.

About Healthe & Eyesafe TechnologyIn partnership with the eye and healthcare community, electronic manufacturers and standards organizations, Healthe develops health-first technologies, standards and products. Healthe is a global supplier of Eyesafe® blue light filtering technology for the world’s leading device manufacturers. Eyesafe and the associated intellectual property portfolio was developed by world-class engineers and a team with decades in electronics, display materials, and light management to selectively filter UV and high-energy visible (HEV) blue light while maintaining color quality. Similar to sunscreen, Eyesafe has an RPF® or Retina Protection Factor rating which corresponds to the amount of blue light energy filtered. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Healthe works to develop technologies and standards in conjunction with the Eyesafe Vision Health Advisory Board including leading ophthalmologists and optometrists. To learn more about Healthe and Eyesafe® technology, please visit Eyesafe.com.

Sources

  1. 1. Actual results may vary.
  2. 2. 2016 Nielsen Audience Report, 1Q Report, http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports/2016/the-total-audience-report-q1-2016.html, June 27, 2016.
  3. 3. American Psychological Association, Children and Electronic Media: How Much is Too Much? http://www.apa.org/pi/about/newsletter/2015/06/electronic-media.aspx, June 2015.
  4. 4. Progress in Retinal and Eye Research, Light-emitting diodes, (LED) for domestic lighting: Any risks for the eye? F. Behar-Cohen, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21600300, May 14, 2011.
  5. 5. American Optometric Association, The 21st Century Child: Increased Technology Use May Lead to Future Eye Health and Vision Issues www.aoa.org/newsroom/the-21st-century-child-increased-technology-use-may-lead-to-future-eye-health-and-vision-issues, July 28, 2015.
  6. 6. Eyesafe.com/Research.
  7. 7. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness, Chang AM, Aeschbach D, Duffy JF, Czeisler CA, http://www.pnas.org/content/112/4/1232.abstract, November 26, 2014.
  8. 8. NPJ Aging Mechanisms of Disease, Hatori M, et al. Global rise of potential health hazards caused by blue light-induced circadian disruption in modern aging societies. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41514-017-0010-2, June 16, 2017.
  9. 9. Gianluca T, Ian F, Kazuo T, Effects of Blue Light on The Circadian System and Eye Physiology, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734149/, January 24, 2016.
  10. 10. PLOS One, Phototoxic Action Spectrum on a Retinal Pigment Epithelium Model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Exposed to Sunlight Normalized Conditions, http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0071398, August 23, 2016
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