There are many things' people use technology for. We use it in our daily lives, for work, educational, or entertainment purposes, but the problem arrives when it comes to the way we use these blue ray emitting devices. How does technology affect the eyes?  

Ever since technology was introduced, people have been using technology for extended periods of time, which reaches about 13 hours per day, due to work and other activities. With this huge increase in screen time, young children continue to damage their eyes by holding the screen closer to their eyes than normally, leading to the blue light damaging the tissues. A common symptom known as dry eyes spreads among people as they tend to blink less while using their digital devices.  

With the increase in screen time, doctors begin to learn and meet some other symptoms and diseases which are dangerous, and bad for your eyes. They learned that an increase in screen time can lead to long term effects on the eyes. The blue light emitted by these devices leads to sleep disturbances or insomnia, where the production of sleep hormones which help you go to bed, get disturbed, causing you to be unable to fall asleep, after using a device.  

The biggest issue which comes from the topic of technology and eyes is that our eyes are not good at filtering out the blue, leading to some tissues getting damaged. The problem is that children are at risk, as their eyes are not yet fully developed nor are they good at filtering blue light. This means that if they continue to let their eyes absorb blue light, rather than natural sunlight for more than 2 hours, they can face life threatening symptoms such as myopia (near sight). Children are supposed to spend their time outside in the sun as it plays a role in developing and growing our eyes.  

Many people face issues and serious problems like this. In this project I will research how to reduce these risks.  

   

 

 

For my project How Does Technology Effect the Eyes, I chose to figure out the answer to this question by researching eye-based websites, asking, and interviewing a doctor, and Ophthalmologists with questions, and using the graphs, charts, and images from the websites, I used to research only.  

The websites I mostly aimed for are eye clinics, and universities which focus on medicine. Other areas I researched involve doctors, and health blogs. After I got the basic understanding from these topics, I then researched the same questions, except in a website called PubMed, which an orthodontist who I asked questions to suggested.  

(I quoted the information which I did not put into my own words.)   

To get more detailed answers, I chose to talk to some doctors and an orthodontist, by asking them some questions which would help improve my research and add a variety to the answers I get. I thought that by getting information from the experts, I can avoid writing down any misinformation.  

For representing my research with images, I chose to use the ones that are already on the website, which I researched on. I did this because the information the website gave was based on the images it provided.  

  

 

What are Eyes?  

Our eyes are an organ which works for our vision. Eyes are one of our key senses used in many of our tasks. Like cameras, our eyes function like them, having the power to fucus on an object, blur it, and perform many other features. The eye can only do its job by absorbing the light it reflects/emitted from an object. It helps us see the world around us by letting the light reflected of an object pass through many layers to soon reach the retina where the cones prepare it for the brain to convert to an image    

What are all the Eye Functions?  

Conjunctiva:     

The conjunctiva is a clear thin membrane which covers the inner and outer surface of the eyelid. The Bulbar conjunctiva covers the sclera, the white part of the eye. The Palpebral conjunctiva which covers the inner and outer surface of the upper and lower eyelids to not let any dust or germs enter the inside of the eye. Its job is to keep the eye moist and smooth so that the eyelids can smoothly open and close with no friction.  

Sclera:     

The sclera is the white part of the eye which is to protect and supports the eye's shape. The sclera is made of tough fibrous which protects the eye from severe damage such as ruptures or scratches. It provides a strong surface for the eye muscles to attach to.  

Cornea:     

The cornea is a clear front surface that rests on the surface of the iris and pupil, allowing light to enter the eye. The cornea not only lets light enter the eye but provides 65 - 75% of focus power for the eyes to concentrate on an object or see it clearly. It holds 5 layers which are the corneal epithelium, bowman's layer, corneal stroma, Descemet's, and the corneal endothelium.   

Uvea:     

The uvea is the colored part of the eye found in the middle of the eye, holding the 3 segments which are the iris, ciliary body, and choroid.  

Iris:     

The iris is the pigmented thin circular structure made of connective tissues and muscles surrounding the pupil. The color of an eye depends on the amount of pigment the iris holds.  

Ciliary Body:     

The ciliary body surrounds the iris and is found behind the sclera. Its job is to hold the lens in place with its fibers called the ciliary zonules and makes aqueous fluid. Aqueous fluid supports the eye's shape and its pressure.  

Choroid:     

The choroid is a tissue that lines the walls of the eye, between the outer sclera and retina. The choroid circulates 85% of blood flow in your eyes. It provides nutrients for the retina, macula, and Opti nerves, as well as controlling the temperature of the retina, and eye pressure. The choroids absorb light and limit the number of reflections to avoid any harm to be done to the eyes.  

Pupil:      

The pupil is the black dot found at the center of the iris, which allows light to enter the eye and focuses it on the retina to be able to see. The retina absorbs the light which the pupil takes in.  

Retina:     

The retina lines the inner surface of the back of the eye and is a sensory membrane. It holds several layers, and 2 photoreceptors called cones, and rods. Cones help for central and color vision in medium and high number of lights. Rods detect motion and provide black and white vision in the low light. The photoreceptor cells take light focused by the lens and cornea and convert it into a nervous signal chemical which is transported to the visual senses with the help of the optic nerve.  

Macula / Macula Lutea:     

The macula lutea is the sensitive part of the retina, which helps in visual acuity, central vision, and color vision. The macula is the part of the eye which helps perform tasks which involve detailed vision, such as reading.  

The macula handles sharp visual detail, and color vision as they hold photoreceptors. The retina holds 6-7 million cones where most of them are found in the macula. The macula does not have high color visions, but has 120 million rods in the retina, making it have good function in the darkness where there is low light, and they have peripheral vision catching movement and shades of grey.  

Aqueous Humor:     

The aqueous humor is between the cornea and iris in the anterior and posterior chambers. Its job is to remove any dust and debris from the eyes, and continue perfectly balanced pressure, to avoid any sight threatening conditions.   

Optic Nerve:     

A nerve for sending information to the brain, attached to the retina at the back of the eye. The optic nerve job is to send information often from the eye to the brain, to be processed into what we call our surroundings.  

Fovea:     

A small section in the macula, at the center of the retina. The fovea holds millions of cones which absorb light entering the eye to create sharp, clear images, which you can differentiate the colors, and see three-dimensional depth.  

Optic Chiasm:     

Responsible for registering equal amounts of vision from both eyes. It is in front of the hypothalamus, where two optic nerves from each eye intersect.  

Lens:    

It helps focus on distant objects and make them look sharper and clearer. Because the macula is translucent it helps absorb the light and focus on the retina.  

   

What is Blue Ray Light?  

The blue ray light is a visible HEV (high energy visible) light spectrum that can be viewed by our eyes in everyday life. It has short wavelengths in the light spectrum causing it to have extreme amounts of energy, which the eye cannot filter out properly, allowing it to pass through the eye and retina. This blue light is emitted by the sun, fluorescent lights, phones, laptops, tablets, tv, and a whole lot of other devices which we use for education, entertainment, warnings, and communication.  

Blue light is found everywhere and used all the time, providing benefits to our eyes but when not used properly, it can be concerning for our overall eye health.   

Benefits of blue-ray light: When exposed to a reasonable amount of blue-ray light, it increases our awareness of our surroundings, memory, and cognitive functions. It brightens our mood and can regulate our daily sleep and waking up cycle (circadian rhythm). This light, which can come from the sun, can help with the growth and development of the children's eyes.  

Risks of blue ray light: Blue light exposure from devices is less effective when compared to the sun, but when people place their screens close to their eyes, there is a concern for long-term memory. From the past 20 years screen time had increased to about 13 hours per day, where people would experience vision or eye strain. 65% of Americans say that they experienced digital eye strain, blurred vision, dry irritated eyes, and headaches. 80% of American's state that they use the screen for more than 2 hours, per day. 67% of Americans say that they use two or more devices at once. 59% of Americans face digital eye strain after using the screen for an extended period.  

What Symptoms come from Blue Ray Light?  

Some common symptoms people face when it comes to blue light are:    

Eye strain and discomfort: when the eye feels strained and sensitive to the blue light, resulting in discomfort after a prolonged period in front of the screen.  

Headaches and migraines: When exposed to blue light, they can increase due to the exposure of blue light for a long time.  

Insomnia and sleep disturbances: When exposed to blue light during the evenings or before bed, it can interfere with sleep and can cause insomnia. It can mess up the production of a sleep hormone called melatonin.  

Sensitivity to glare and blurred vision: when your eyes are sensitive to glare and have blurred vision, these are potential signs which show that your eyes are sensitive to blue light.   

Factors which Contribute to Blue Ray light sensitivity:    

There are several factors which contribute to the sensitivity you face caused by blue light. This can make others more vulnerable to symptoms caused by blue light compared to others.   

Age: The lens (found in the eye) can become ineffective when it comes to filtering out the blue light over time. This is often found in older individuals.   

Screen time: extended periods of screen time, with no breaks can worsen the sensitivity to blue light.  

Pre-existing eye conditions: when having symptoms such as dry eyes or astigmatism, can contribute to blue light sensitivity.  

Environmental factors: when having bright indoor lighting, or immense exposure to the sunlight, it can increase your risk of blue light sensitivity.  

Which Parts of an Eye get Effected by Blue Ray Light?  

The parts of an eye harmed by blue ray light are the cornea, lens, and retina. Our eyes are not efficient in filtering out the blue ray light so most of it would end up damaging the retina, lens, and cornea. The blue light passes through the lens soon reaching the cornea which focuses the light on the retina which uses cells to convert the light for our brain to process into images.  

What Damage is caused to these parts of the eyes?  

Continuous exposure to blue light can damage the retina cells, and cause vision problems. The retina is what prevents us from going blind. These problems include age related macular degeneration, which also contributes to cataracts, and eye cancer.   

Macular Degeneration: a disease that damages the central part of the retina and causes it to swell and bend, creating a problem to the central vision. If the disease progresses it creates abnormal blood vessels which enter the eye and cause more problems for vision.  

Cataracts: a lens disease where the lens can cause blurry vision, cloudy vision, or blindness. This disease can prevent the lens from playing its role in focusing on sharp images.  

Eye cancer: occurs in the interior or exterior of the eye and produces cancer cells which start to multiply and spread causing tumors.   

Two common types of eye cancers are:    

Uveal Melanoma: where the uveal melanoma grows from the nevus and is common in adults.  

Retinoblastoma: starts in the retina which is crucial for sight and can occur in children commonly.  

Who is at Risk of Exposure to Blue Ray Light?  

98% of children who range from ages 3-18 all have technology with them or in their household. Children under 6 years of age spend an average or more than 2 hours of screen time. Kids from 8-9 years of age spend 6 hours of screen time per day. The older kids ranging from 11-14 years of age spend 8-10 hours of screen per day.  

Children tend to hold the device closer to their eyes compared to adults as they spend immense amounts of time in front of the screens. People who use screens blink less causing dry eyes. Children's eyes are not as well developed as an adult's eye.  

What Symptoms are Children in Risk of Getting?  

If kids continue to use the screen for extended periods of time, eye care professionals fear that the child would face a risk of a symptom called myopia even known as (nearsightedness).  

This opinion was proven by researchers at the National Eye Institute. The frequency of having nearsightedness among Americans had increased from 25% - 41.6% of the population, from the data collected the past 30 years. The data shows an increase of 66%. From this research children worldwide suffer a significant risk of nearsightedness, due to the significant increase of getting myopia, caused by the number of hours people spend in front of the screens.  

Childhood is where people get myopia, due to screen time, immature age, and other factors.  

What is Myopia?  

Myopia is a common refractive error where the shape of the eye does not bend light properly, leading to blurry distance vision. Myopia is a symptom which often starts during childhood, but can start to worsen each year until adulthood, if not controlled properly. Some factors which play a role in the risk of developing myopia include the child's genes, lifestyle, and habitat which involve vision.  

Nearsightedness can be corrected and controlled by using prescript glasses or contact lenses. These are not as effective when it comes to controlling myopia progression, but it can depend on if the Lense prescription is weak as well. Myopia progression means that the blurry vision keeps getting worse, leading to high myopia where the person is at risk of developing sight threatening, eye diseases, if it is not addressed in childhood. High myopia can lead to other serious vision conditions like blindness.  

If myopia is detected early enough in a child, myopia control strategies can help slow the progression and avoid high myopia. Knowing if a child has myopia is not easy to figure out, which is why going for eye exams can help you know if your child is at risk.  

What Causes Myopia?  

A child can be in the risk of getting myopia according to three factors:    

Genetics: If one parent has myopia, the child's risk for getting myopia is 3 times greater, but if both parents have myopia, the child's risk for getting myopia would increase to 6 times greater the risk.  

Environmental Factors: If the child does not spend much time outdoors, it can increase the progression and risk of getting myopia. 2 hours a day spent outdoors in natural sunlight can help reduce myopia risk and progression.  

Visual Habits: prolonged periods of time used near work could lead to myopia. Near work, a task which involves close visual focus for reading, or digital devices for prolonged time can increase the risk. Following the 20-20-20 rule can help with this.  

How to Reduce the Risk of Getting Myopia?  

Numerous studies prove that spending more time outdoors could prevent and reduce the progression of myopia. Research has also shown that exposure to natural sunlight can help develop the eyes. The reason for blurry vision is because of "The axial length of the eye. This is the length of the eye from front to back, and myopia occurs if it grows too long." The lack of exposure from sunlight can increase the growth of this region, where more exposure to sunlight can decrease its growth.  

To reduce the risk of myopia doctors, suggest having:    

• regular eye exams starting from the age of 6 months    

• spend 1-2 hours doing some outdoor activities per day    

• reduce time spent on un-wanted near work (exception to this is school homework)    

• Follow the 20-20-20 rule    

What Amount of Screen Time Should Adults and Kids Have?  

2 hours of screen time for kids ranging from ages of 6-17, is a healthy and reasonable amount of screen time. 2-4 hours of screen time for adults 18 and above is the actual and reasonable amount of screen to for adults.  

Can the Time of Day You use the Screen Affect Your Eyes?  

Early Day Usage:   

Using technology during the day can disturb Theta waves which is a natural progress the brain goes through to slowly get out of the relaxed, daydreaming feeling, to the creative and learning mood. Using screens at once during the day can disturb this process and lead to you feeling stressed. Immediate exposure to information can overload your cognitive ability leading to your ability to concentrate and make decisions.  

Night Usage:   

Using technology at night can disturb your sleep rhythm and can be distracting. The blue light can affect your sleep as studies show that the circadian rhythm follows, the light and the dark throughout the day, influencing our mood and energy. For instance, When the sun comes up in the morning, we feel energetic, because it is bright outside, however when the sun comes down, we feel more tired and sleepy due to the darkness outside. Hence," The circadian rhythm influences the human mental and physical energy throughout the day and night."  

What is a Good Distance to have from the Screen?  

A healthy distance between the screen and eyes is 20-30 inches or 50-76 cm (about 2.49 ft), because it provides a balance in relaxing your eyes focus muscles and preventing any eye strain, including bad body posture.  

The viewing angle you should have from the screen is having it below eye level as it is known to be comfortable to the eye for many users.  

To reduce the glare, you face from screens you can position the screen to not reflect light from the windows or light sources.  

How can we Protect our Eyes from Blue Light?  

1. Take eye exams and talk to eye care professionals, on how to reduce the exposure to blue light:    

2. Reduce the amount of time you spend in front of the screen    

3. Buy a screen protector with advanced blue light emissions    

4. Use built in technology which the monitor has, to reduce blue light emissions    

5. Follow the 20-20-20 rule where people should take a 20 second break looking at something 20 feet away every 20 minutes you spend in front of the screen.  

6. Anti-reflective lenses can reduce the glare on your face while using screens and reduce blue light from the sun and digital devices.  

7. Use device software like night mode where the screen would display warmer temperature, but the downside is that your screen is tinted.  

8. Computer glasses with yellow tinted lens can be used to reduce blue light and contrast, but the color on the screen can change.  

9. Hold the screen 20-30 inches or 50-76 cm (about 2.49 ft), away from your face to reduce blue light intensity.  

10.  Don't use the screen early in the morning or at night  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

Picture from: https://eyesafe.com/bluelight/  

This graph shows how the blue light emitted from devices, such as phones and laptops have a sudden high spike, for energy wavelength but it slowly goes down, while the blue light emitted by our sun (natural daylight) is slowly supported at a high amount of energy wavelength. The sudden outburst of energy in the wavelength blue light travels in, concerns most Docters, and researchers, as it is not good for our eyes, to absorb so much blue light at once, rather than slowly, as shown in the graph.  

Picture from: https://eyesafe.com/bluelight/  

This image shows how much distance a child and an adult have from the screen when they are using it. The research talks about how children tend to hold the screens closer to their eyes, resulting in more intensity in the exposure of blue light as well as the damage done to the retina, lens, and cornea. Adults would face a great deal less of the effects of blue light when they hold it further away from their eyes.  

   

  

Picture from: https://eyesafe.com/bluelight/  

The chart shown above was a survey from the eye safe website, where people were asked about the symptoms they tend to face when they use the screens. The charts show the common symptoms, dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches, sleep disruption, and reduced productivity where the person is unable to complete tasks quickly. 76% of people face sleep disruption due to the amount of blue light absorbed through our eyes, it effects the production of a sleep hormone, which would disturb your sleep cycle, and quality of sleep, like insomnia. Dry eyes are a common symptom and problem many share due to how people do not blink much when they are using a piece of technology or device, leading to 70% of people facing this problem. Headaches, a symptom caused by too much screen time, are something 63% of people face. Blurred vision is another symptom which 54% of people face because of the distance they have from the screen and the time they spend on it leading to blurred vision. Reduced productivity is 46% because some people say that their exposure to blue light can increase their awareness and caution while others say that it reduces it.  

Quotes from Proffestionals:

"Major effect comes from game controls."  Games are where major amounts of blue light are emitted from and are the most common devices which cause problems to the eye. 

"The light and dark influences, the human mental and physical energy throughout the day and night." 

"At least 3 hours a day is the proper amount of screentime." 

"The proper distance from the screen is in arm length." 

"The increase in prevalence of myopia is from reduced outdoor time, less exposure to natural sunlight, indoors more with more near work activities." 

"Dryness of eyes, Headaches, Watering of eyes are Common problems in children." 

" In homoeopathy we have good medicine for the prevention of cancer. And for eye site, frequently wash the eye with normal water, Eye exercise." 

 "Avoid sunlight, use sunglasses" 

Notes From an Ophthalmologist Voicemails:

Ophthalmologist from India had a recent appointment with a patient who was 8 years old and had been diagnosed to eye cancer, which is Retinoblastoma. This is the following information the ophthalmologist told me about eye cancer, how to control it, and which age group is getting affected by screens. (I wrote the information in my own words) 

• family history is the strong reason people get diagnosed by eye cancer 

• proper medication like vitamin C and A are good for the eyes 

• eye cancer can be diagnosed by a person through genes, passed down from parents or grandparents, who have been diagnosed with some cancer 

• eye cancer is not very common 

• Homeopathy is where the person mental, physical, statice and habits are checked to help control the eye cancer 

• medicine treatment help control blood clots, from growing, but remains the same 

• the symptoms of eye itching, and hands sweating are gone 

• medications are limsy which is vitamin C tablets with homeopathy medicine, to control eye cancer 

• children under the age of 8 years are mostly getting sight problems 

• children are getting eyesight problems due to the use of cell phones and mobiles more 

• some main symptoms are dry eyes, eye itching, and for some patient's watery eyes 

• we should restrict children from watching screens for a long time 

• In eye clinics and hospitals, there are more children than elders at the hospitals, because of the screens 

• in the future there would be more eye problem, complaints and findings compared to eye cancer 

  

Technology affects the eyes in positive and negative ways, when not handled or used properly. Blue light has extreme amounts of energy which easily pass through the eye, leaving people facing common symptoms like eye strain, discomfort, headaches, migraines, insomnia, sleep disturbances, and sensitivity to glare and blurred vision. Using technology can lead to the lens, retina, and cornea to get damaged, leading to symptoms like macular degeneration, cataracts, and eye cancer, where uveal melanoma occurs in adults and retinoblastoma occurs in children.  

Children and adults spend multiple hours in front of the screen, with children holding the screens close to their eyes, causing them to be vulnerable to a serious problem called myopia. Having children getting this eye problem at a young age and not treating it can cause them to be vulnerable to high myopia, or even blindness.  

When myopia gets stronger, prescript glasses and eyedrops can help control the growth of it.  

The increase in all these eye problems lead to a list of many solutions in how to treat it. Professionals suggest that you should always follow to 20-20-20 rule, put the screen at least arm distance away from the screen, limit as much screen time, limit as much un-wanted near work, play 2 hours outdoors per day in the sun, get screen protectors or glasses, and get frequent visits to the eye doctors to know if your eyes are good.   

In conclusion, we should always be aware of how much we use technology, as too much can always be dangerous, leading to life threatening symptoms and diseases. Children should always limit screen time and should spend most of their time outdoors letting their eyes get developed and stronger, rather than making them weaker as they absorb blue light. Following the many activities and rules, when using screens can help us view the world around us happily.  

 

 

 

 

1. https://www.allaboutvision.com/resources/anatomy.htm 

2. https://eyesafe.com/bluelight/

3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6288536/#:~:text=This%20high%20energy%20blue%20light,the%20hormonal%20balance%20and%20directly 

4. https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/blue-light-effects-on-your-eyes-sleep-and-health/2022/08

5. https://www.allaboutvision.com/cvs/children-computer-vision-syndrome.htm

6. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/eyes

7. https://www.slicktext.com/blog/2023/01/30-key-screen-time-statistics-for-2022-2023/#:~:text=Average%20Screen%20Time%20Based%20on%20Age&text=Recommendations%20for%20screen%20time%20are,and%20children%20are%20much%20higher.

8. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/put-the-phone-away-3-reasons-why-looking-at-it-before-bed-is-a-bad-habit

9. https://unplugged.rest/blog/why-you-shouldn-t-use-your-phone-in-the-morning

10. https://ca.zennioptical.com/blog/recommended-screen-distances/#:~:text=When%20we're%20concentrating%20on,(50%2D76%20centimeters).

I would like to thank my science fair coordinator, Ms. Jannessa Bretner, for helping me check my work, giving suggestions, and keeping me on track on the due dates. I appreciate my friends' help and support while I was working on this project.  

I would like to acknowledge my brother for being the inspiration for this project, and for supporting me. Thanks to my dad for helping me edit and shorten paragraphs for my trifolds. I feel special when it comes to my mom, she kept on encouraging me, always being there to support and remind me of what I need to work on my project. She is the person who helped me build my trifold and decorate it. She would take me to local stores and help me choose which decorations to put on my trifold, to make it beautiful. My mom is the only reason why I was able to get information from doctors and researchers, as she would call some of her friends and ask if they know any doctors, then take me to them so that I can ask questions, and they can see if the information I had was correct.  

I give a shout out to all those ophthalmologists, and researchers who helped me with my project explaining things clearly and checking my work so that there is no misinformation. I really appreciate how you sacrificed your free time during workdays to help me with my project. Thank you so much!  

Lastly, I thank all the CYSF workers for taking the time to look at my project and listen to this presentation.  

Thank you!