Are OLED TVs Safe for Eyes?

Television has become a way of life. It is no longer a luxury like it was in your childhood but more of a necessity now. Even the television sets have evolved to accommodate that perception. Given the rise in screen time, you need a technology that will enable that screen time without harming your eyesight. This is where OLED comes into play.

What is an OLED?

OLED is short for organic LED with LED standing for Light Emitting Diode. OLED is also known as Organic ELD, which stands for Electro Luminescent Diode. It is a film of organic compound which gives light when hit with an electric current. Typically this organic compound is positioned between two electrodes with at least one transparent electrode. This OLED is then used to create different types of digital displays like:

• Television screens
• Mobile displays
• Computer monitors
• Tablet screen
• Gaming consoles

What Causes Eye Strain?

Eye strain and damage are caused primarily because of:

• Blue Light: This is a high energy visible light. It is known to cause retinal injury and damage. This is because the blue light effortlessly passes through the cornea and the lens of the eye effort to reach the retina cells causing maximum damage.

Apart from eye damage, blue light is also linked with health conditions like cancer, heart diseases, obesity, and diabetes. OLED emits much reduced blue light, unlike LCD making it by far the better option.

• Flickering: Blinking and flickering are different. Blinking causes a change in brightness, whereas flickering of a TV screen caused because of switching light sources. This flickering causes a constant color switch and leads to eye fatigue. OLED uses a very low flickering rate, which is better for your eyes.

Is OLED Safe for Your Eyes?

The main question that now arises is whether this OLED is safe for your eyes. To keep it simple, no display is 100% safe for your eyes. However, an OLED display does not emit any backlight, and its blue light emission is also very minimal. In fact, OLED is said to emit 3.1 times less blue light than your average LCD screens. Further, the flickering factor of the OLED screen is substantially reduced with the display effortless going from one frame to another without much change in the aspect ratio and is a completely green technology. The O in OLED refers to organic, which does not imply organic farming or anything but refers to the use of carbon and hydrogen in its process. Both these metals are completely safe for your health, with no toxicity. You should bear in mind though that any type of light emission will cause eye strain and damage over some time. However, when it comes to displays, OLED is your best and safest bet. They do not cause unnecessary eye damage.

OLED Eye Safety Research

A lot of research has gone into blue light emission and muscular eye damage. OLED technology has significantly reduced blue light emission. Hence a TV with an OLED display will emit significantly reduced blue light promoting your eye health.

OLED Vs. LCD – The OLED Advantage

You must be wondering how the OLED screen is different from the traditional LCD screens. Also, if there is a difference worth the extra strain on your wallet? To keep it simple, yes, there are some marked differences that do warrant the price of an OLED TV. The factors that differentiate OLED from LCD are:

• Display: OLED is an emissive display. This is to say that it does not need a backlight to display the screen. LCD TV, on the other hand, requires a white backlight to function. It is primarily this backlight feature that makes OLED so eye-friendly.

Also, the “organic” component of OLED makes it super flexible and can be folded, rolled, and stretched to make for a better viewing experience.

• Thickness: OLED screens are the thinnest. After this comes the LED TV screen with the LCD TV screen being the thickest of the lot.
• Efficiency: OLED reigns in the efficiency quotient as well. The OLED image quality is way better than the LCD screen. OLED edge over LCD includes:
  • Better Contrast
  • Improved Brightness
  • Faster Refresh Rates
  • A wider range of colors

OLED also has a lower flickering rate, or it moves efficiently from one frame to another for an effortless watch making it less straining and fatiguing for your eyes.

• Power: Your typical LCD TV will have more power consumption per minute than the OLED TV’s
• Durability: OLED’s are also much more durable and can withstand higher temperatures than LCD TV.

Some Common Issues Raised

You would have at one point, or another felt some of the following concerns:

• Focusing is a problem
• The picture seems blurred
• Eyes are twitching and hurting
• Eyes are becoming watery
• There’s a lot of discharge at the corner of the eyes
• Headache

These are some common issues that are raised when there is eye strain due to excessive screen time. These symptoms are even termed as the “LED” symptoms. OLED is a miracle product that will take care of these issues arising from technology. Watching TV constantly or for prolonged periods along with other screen time like mobile and tablet can all lead to eye problems. OLED TVs cannot be held solely responsible for these though they can be a contributing factor. Today the perception has shifted to health consciousness. More and more people are opting for health pro options in the consumer market. For this reason, OLED has become the next big thing. It is being hailed as the eye saver in this age and era of screen time.