ABSTRACT
Background: Over the past few years, there have been serious concerns regarding the negative sequelae of exposure to blue light especially during an extended period in the case of adolescents due to their increased use of digital devices. The blue light has also been associated with the disruption of the circadian rhythm and the development of retinal strain and degeneration; the latter occurs by the use of blue-coloured light-emitting screens, including smartphones, tablets, and computers. With a general increase in screen time in adolescents, there was a need to assess the degree of such effects on ocular and sleep wellbeing.
Objective: The objective of the study was to determine how a long-term exposure of blue light emitted by digital devices impacts the health of the retina and sleep habits in adolescence.
Methods: This is a prospective observational study done at PHQ Teaching Hospital Gilgit between May 2024 and April 2025. One hundred adolescents between the ages of 13-18 have participated. Structured questionnaires were used to assess participants on screen time related habits and sleeping patterns and ocular examination assessments based on optical coherence tomography (OCT), retinal imaging and general eye examinations were carried out with the view towards identifying any subclinical symptoms of retinal changes. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to measure sleep quality and exposure to blue light was estimated on the basis of duration of screen use and type of devices used.
Results: The researchers discovered that 68 percent of the respondents had established that they spend more than 6 hours of their time on screens daily. Of these, 61.8 percent had digital eye symptoms, 42 percent early signs of retinal thinning, on OCT. Furthermore, participants belonging to the high exposures group scored worse on sleep quality (74%) in accordance with PSQI with a strong delay in the onset of sleep and a shorter duration of sleep (p < 0.01). Screen time and sleep disturbances were found to be statistically significantly associated (r = 0.64, p > 0.001). Keep 8 plus hours daily screen time in adolescents was most dangerous in risking retinal changes and poor sleep.
Conclusion: extreme exposure to blue light emitted by digital devices produced a significant adverse effect on retina functions but also sleep quality in adolescents. The results stated the importance of awareness campaigns, limiting the use of screens, and encouraging protective measures as blue light filtration and screen breaks to alleviate such risks.
Keywords: Blue light, adolescents, digital devices, retinal health, sleep patterns, screen time, optical coherence tomography.