iPhone 6 = Macular deg?
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Hi all. :)
My first post here. I have a mix of health and tech questions and I felt this was a good forum to try and post some of my questions. Sorry if this is not the right place for this kind of post.
My story in brief. Roughly 7 years ago, I had to ditch PC's etc due to physical health problems. I then started solely using touch screen Apple devices (iPod/iPhone). I am now a heavy user of my iPhone. I can spend long long hours on it (making music, watching tv/films, play occasional games etc...).
10 days ago, the sight in my right eye was fine. Since then, things have changed dramatically and I have now been diagnosed with macular degeneration in my right eye. In that short space of time I am now unable to read at any distance with that eye. Every day it is getting a little worse.
I am 38, which my optometrist said was young for this eye problem. I am wondering if blue light from my iPhone could be the cause? For the past few months, while using my phone, I kept getting mild eye strain, and now I have partial blindness in that same eye.
The first I heard about blue light was after my diagnosis. I have been trying to research things that might protect me from further problems.
I have been using flux for iOS which seems good, but it doesn't block 100% of blue light. The minimum setting is 2300k at night and 3400k in the day. Is there anyway to lower these levels even further (maybe in a settings file in the root of my phone)? Even just having 2300k during the day would be an improvement for me. Also, I keep reading conflicting reports on how effective software blue filters are. From what I've read on this forum, flux is just as effective at blocking macular damaging blue light as a comparable physical filter. Is this correct? Can I also ask, are all the fluxometre results taken with a physical spectrometer of each device listed?
I have also recently been trying 'lowbluelights xxx' screen filter but it is very difficult reading my phone outside during the day when it's applied. Has anyone tried a 'pavoscreen blue light blocking screen filter'? It claims 60% blue light reduction but the screen protector looks clear in colour (no orange/yellow tint). I ideally would like to try a combination of flux and a pavoscreen filter (hoping a combination might get me nearer 100% blue blocking with less colour distortion) but I have no confidence that the physical filter will do anything lol. :/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S-kAOJ3uqdU
Currently I have to have my phone quite close to my face to see all the detail in my music software (roughly 10" inches from my face). Im sure this proximity must add to the damage that's being caused. Looking ahead, I still want to be able to make music, so I am thinking about purchasing an iPad mini for its larger screen. Which is better on the eyes, larger or smaller screen devices? I'm thinking I could have the iPad further away from my eyes and still be able to read everything, so would this be easier on the the eyes in relation to blue light exposure?
Thank you for taking the time to read. :)
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@c-t-e I can't really answer many of your questions, but I strongly suggest you use larger screens that are farther away.
You said you had to ditch PCs b/c of health problems. I'm guessing you're suggesting the monitor was to blame. There are several LED monitors that have NO flicker, and you can of course filter down the blue as needed.
What color (warm white, "cool" white like middle of the road between daylight and more neutral (warmer) white, or full daylight white) are your current lights, as they may also be to blame.
I'm going to tag @lorna on this post because I think she's got an eye condition that may be similar to this so I'll let her chime in with more useful information.
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Hi Tungsten_smooth! :)
My other health problems aren't eye related. I have joint hypermobility syndrome which means, for example, I can easily sprain my wrist brushing my teeth if I'm not careful. It affects my finger joints too so using a keyboard and mouse is a recipe for disaster lol. xD
I had not thought about my room lighting. I usually sit in my lounge when I'm on my phone. The lights are quite dim. A soft yellowish glow.
I had planned to purchase a new phone this year. I will definitely look into purchasing an iPad instead. The few times I've used one before, I got eye strain really quickly. I will use it a further distance + add some blue light defence. 8^) Thank you.
