A sight for sore eyes: ‘Safe’ screens for those glued to smartphones

As it gets harder to tear our eyes away from smartphones, televisions, tablets or computers, concerns are growing over a blue light emitted by their screens, blamed for harming the retina and causing interrupted sleep. Electronics giants are turning crisis into an opportunity - quickly declaring that their latest products feature “safe” screens. At the IFA mega consumer electronics show in Berlin, Dutch company Philips is showcasing a new technology for its computer screens called “SoftBlue,” which it claims is gentler on the retina. Other brands like Asus and BenQ, along with American company ViewSonic, have also seized on “safe” screens as a new selling point.

We are shifting the harmful blue light frequencies, which are below 450 nanometers, to above 460 nanometers.

Philips’ marketing director Stefan Sommer

“We’ve been told from a very early age by parents that too much screen time, in front of a TV or a computer, is bad. So a 'safe’ screen might resonate with consumers,” said Paul Gray, an analyst at IHS Global Insight. Because it generates a relatively high intensity of light from just a low amount of energy, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used to light up smartphones, televisions or computers. But the problem is the blue ray emitted at the same time, which is feared to pose potentially serious health consequences.

We should not be so afraid that we bin all our screens.

Serge Picaud, a researcher at the Institute of Sight in Paris

Technology safe screens