OLED and LED Both Toxic to Eyes

K-Moss

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-68565-3

"In conclusion, we propose that, because of its lower blue-wavelength energy, OLED light may be less toxic to eyes than LED light. These results indicate that we might need to switch from LED to OLED lights. In fact, the usage of OLED display devices is rapidly increasing. However, given that OLED light still showed certain ocular toxicity in our study, the threshold limit of OLED light intensity and the detailed mechanistic background of OLED-induced toxicity should be further investigated."

2020 study finding both are toxic, but OLED less so. However, the morphology pictures look to me like LED exposed eyes more closely resemble controls. See Figure 3.

However, the description for Figure 4 says: "Immunoflourescence of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), which is a biomarker for oxidative stress of conjunctiva and cornea after 2000 lx light exposure. The intensity of fluorescence was the highest in the LED group, followed by the OLED group, and fluorescence was hardly visible in the control group."

It does seem the LED eyes were more strongly impacted in those pictures, but the OLED eyes more closely resemble LED than controls.

I'm in no way an expert, and I have not done a deep dive into the study. I'm just sharing and briefly commenting.

A nice thing about LED is that we can wear computer glasses to reduce some of the harmful effects while enjoying a properly DC-dimmed experience. With OLED, there is subconscious flicker we can't do much about.

Meanwhile, AI says:

"A substantial portion of our lives is shaped by the subconscious mind, influencing our decisions, emotions, behaviors, and even physical health in ways we are often unaware of. While the exact percentage is debated among researchers, estimates suggest that the vast majority of our brain activity—as much as 90% to 95%—is unconscious. The subconscious operates as a powerful background processor, constantly filtering and directing information to help us navigate the world efficiently."

Therefore, we need more studies trying to figure out the true effects of subconscious OLED flicker on people's lives. One on Reddit speculated OLED causes depression. Does it? I don't know. It seemed a bit wild, but if staring at something constantly flickering in a way the subconscious registers, many detrimental impacts are possible.

Here is one claiming "severe eye strain" due to OLED PWM dimming: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254749941?sortBy=rank

"i am really unable to use my iphone due to PWM dimming which causes severe migraine and dizziness for me in 5mins."

Are such users canaries in the coalmine? At that page over 700 others said, "Me too."

K-Moss

We investigated the phototoxicity of OLED light on eyes in this study. Overall, our findings indicate that OLED is less toxic than LED, although even OLED might be toxic to eyes.

Because they provide energy-efficient lighting, LEDs are being increasingly positioned as alternative light sources in the lighting market. However, LED-associated phototoxicity in eyes has become an issue. The phototoxicity of LEDs has been studied mainly in the retina, where it causes oxidative stress in photoreceptors and the RPE, resulting in activation of stress-response and cell-death pathways4,9,10,11. Exposure to LEDs can cause damage to not only the retina but also the ocular surface15,16. Overexposure to blue-wavelength LED light attenuates the viability of corneal epithelial cells and increases ROS production and inflammation in the ocular surface of mice15,16.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-68565-3