Most of us grew up in a time when anecdotal evidence was enough to demonstrate whether a myth was right or wrong, we didn’t need quantitative research or scientific studies to determine if something was true or false. Today this has radically changed and almost everything can be proven, so in this article we are going to dismantle many of the myths that exist around PC monitors and the supposed risks they have for health.
In the past, people were very credulous, and it was enough for your brother-in-law to tell you that something was in a certain way for you to believe it. Today things are different, most people are skeptical and need verified and truthful information to believe things. With everything and with that, myths, rumors and urban legends about almost everything continue to abound, so today we are going to see some “truths” and some “fables” about PC monitors : which of them are a reality?
Screen light reduces sleep quality
In general, artificial light does affect the quality and duration of sleep, and since digital screens emit artificial light, we can say that they do impact sleep quality. But many other objects also produce that artificial light, such as light bulbs, lampposts, television, etc … so what is the difference?
The natural sleep / wake cycle of the human body is known as the circadian rhythm , and is affected by bright artificial light, especially that which is in the blue and white part of the spectrum . Warmer light tones, such as yellow and orange, also have an effect on sleep quality but definitely less than blues and whites. For this reason, warm lights are recommended at home, and cold lights in a workplace – to keep us awake.
The use of bright screens, especially in low ambient light environments, interrupts the circadian rhythm, making the brain believe that it is still daylight, stopping the release of melatonin (the hormone that numbs it and prepares it for the night). For this reason, many screens have filters such as Low Blue Light, or applications have “night mode” or Apple‘s well-known Night Shift, to reduce this effect.
Verdict: It is true.
Monitors can cause cancer
This is a perfect example where causality is not equal to correlation. In recent years, several empirical studies have used faulty methodologies and bad science to try to prove a link between the use of screens and diseases that threaten health, such as cancer.
To be clear, these studies found an alleged correlation between people who spend more time in front of a screen and cancer cases, but the studies also ignore other factors such as the fact that today there are many more people with cancer than before for the simple fact that we have better methods to detect it .
At the same time, people increasingly spend more time in front of the screens, and yet life expectancy is increasing. By simple statistics, the longer you live, the more likely you are to suffer cancer, among other things. On the other hand, the human being is now more sedentary than ever, we eat processed foods and a long list of examples of other possible causes that can also promote cancer .
The fact is, there is absolutely no empirical study that can show that being in front of PC screens or monitors too long causes cancer. Not even a single one.
Verdict: false.
Screens cause diabetes and depression
As with the previous example, this is yet another attempt to try to find a single cause for the problems caused by the lifestyle changes of people that have been going on for several decades, and there is no serious scientific study that relate one thing to the other.
People who spend a significant amount of time in front of PC monitors have higher cases of illness such as diabetes, obesity and depression, and yet screens are not the cause, but a combination of their sedentary lifestyle and A bad diet. If you spend a lot of time sitting and not exercising, you are likely to gain weight and have health problems, and people with health problems are more likely to have depression or diabetes. This is a fact.
Verdict: false.
PC monitors harm eyesight
Most ophthalmologists agree that spending too much time looking at a screen is “not good” for the eyes, but depending on who you ask you will get different answers regarding how much damage it causes, or how damaging it is.
The biggest fear they have is that the screens cause macular degeneration, which is one of the main causes of blindness. However, there is no convincing evidence that these long-term damages are real and, in any case, more and more PC monitors have technologies that do not harm the individual’s visual health.
Verdict: true … halfway.
Sitting too close to the screen damages your eyesight
Many think that this is a myth merely because of the proliferation of anecdotal evidence, bad science and old wives’ tales, but it turns out that in this case there are signs of truth: in 1967 it was discovered that color televisions broadcast between 10 and 100.0900 times the amount of radiation considered safe. To combat this, it was suggested that we sit further away from the TV to minimize the impact.
But this problem no longer exists, since televisions, screens and of course PC monitors no longer emit radiation, that was on CRT monitors, so that is not a problem now. Of course, if you look too closely at a screen you will have to force your eyes and that, of course, will end up causing at least a headache, shoulders and neck pain.
In other words, it does not matter if you sit far or near the monitor as long as the distance is optimal so that you can see well and without straining your eyes or your neck, neither more nor less.
Verdict: false.
Darkness causes vision problems
We have all been given “advice” that using the PC in a dimly lit room is bad for the eyes, but this really has no scientific basis to prove it. It started as always, with an old wives tale, and that’s where it should stay, but unfortunately this unfounded myth continues to circulate in the Internet.
However, in fairness, if you look at a bright screen in a dark room it will have an impact on the eyestrain of your eyes, but it has no impact on vision. In fact, doing this causes us to blink less, thereby drying our eyes, and dryness causing irritation and pain. But what is vision, there is nothing to show that it is damaged at all.
Verdict: false.