The quickest answer is: No, colored E-ink as good for your eyes as black and white e-ink displays are.
Color e-ink works more or less like black-and-white e-ink, but with a colored filter thing on top. The issue is that contrast is lower when compared to traditional e-ink. It means that you are more likely to turn on the frontlight at night, on dim lights, which defeats the purpose of having an e-ink display.
All e-ink displays are as safe to the eyes as a piece of paper, as long as you don’t turn on the front light or you don’t squint because of the bad light. Even with the front light on, if it is of a warm color, it is better than a classic screen.
- Use the front light to balance the ambient/lamp light when necessary.
- Do not squint your eyes just because “light is bad”.
- Find a balance that makes it comfortable to read.
- Turning on the bedside lamp and keeping the frontlight on a low power just for that bit of extra oomph if needed is perfectly valid.
- Just don’t turn it on if you can comfortably read and keep it as low otherwise, as long as you can comfortably read.
- Again, if you have to squint or have trouble reading because it is too dim, it is worse.
A study focused on learning the effects of displays on human retinal cells, done by the T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health, found that displays with brighter, bluer (or cooler) light cause higher levels of stress on retinal cells. Commissioned by E Ink, the research backs up what the e-paper manufacturer has long been saying about its product versus more conventional display technology.
The average adult spends about 13 hours a day behind a screen, according to Nielsen. All of this screen time comes with a price: high-energy blue light, found in standard liquid crystal displays (LCD) and LED screens, is potentially harmful when emitted into the eyes for hours at a time.
Blue light poses a hazard to retinal cells in the eye, and exposure to blue light near bedtime reduces levels of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, disrupting the circadian rhythm and restorative sleep.
The key takeaways from the Harvard study include:
- Spectra of light from displays is a leading trigger for stress on retinal cells.
- Retinal cells stressed by blue light produce “reactive oxidative species” (ROS), which can accumulate during prolonged times of viewing, thereby leading to photo-oxidative retinal damage.
- Devices including E Ink’s ComfortGaze front light were up to three times less stressful for retinal cells than LCD devices.
- Color temperature settings can impact stress levels on retinal cells, but LCD color adjustments to day or night mode are less effective than using lighting solutions with spectra engineered for eye safety.
- E Ink devices without a front light do not emit any blue light to stress retinal cells.
The biggest eyestrain factor there is is the difference in brightness between the thing you are focused on and the surrounding environment. Eyes like having uniform light projected on them. Of course, during the night you also have the considerations for the brightness and blueness of light, which are not an issue with e-ink.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.
