When deciding projector vs TV, eye health is a major consideration. Screens like TVs produce eye-damaging direct blue light. A projector’s Indirect light – even its indirect blue light – is much gentler on the eyes. Along with other safety features – which you can learn about below – projectors are the best option based strictly on eye health.
Read more on which display option is best for you and your eyes or go right to some home theater projectors.
Projectors vs. TVs, which should you choose for your next home entertainment setup? There are many important factors to consider such as cost, screen size, and image quality, but those are features of the product itself. What about consideration to effects of the product on the user, in this case, you and your family, who will be spending hours enjoying TV programs, movies and streaming content on your new home entertainment system? If selecting a solution that will have the least effect on your health, especially your eyes, there are some issues you may not have considered before.
Avoid Blue Light Eye Damage
Blue light should be the first concern for people addicted to screen time. We spend hours at work, school, and home with our eyes glued to screens, and the largest screens we have are our TVs. LCD, LED, and all the other TV varieties emit blue light, which especially at night has detrimental effects on our health. With the average adult in the US watching live TV for over 4.5 hours a day according to research firm Nielsen, the amount of blue light we are receiving from our TV is pretty high.
According to www.bluelightexposed.com blue light is a cause of digital eye strain, a medical issue with serious symptoms including blurry vision, difficulty focusing, dry and irritated eyes, headaches, and neck and back pain. Additionally, long-term effects show that high levels of long-term blue light exposure may cause permanent eye damage and contribute to the destruction of the retina and macular degeneration.
How Does Blue Light Damage Your Eyes?
Blue light is a wavelength of light found in natural sunlight and artificially from things that emit light such as lightbulbs, computer screens, and TVs. Although most of the wavelengths in blue light are safe for your eyes, high-energy blue-violet light in the 415-455nm band is more damaging to the eyes, especially the lens and retina. This range of blue light falls under UV intensity, which is widely known to be harmful to the human body if overexposed (one of the reasons we get sunburns). Sadly, wearing UV blocking sunglasses would not be ideal when trying to watch your favorite movie or show.
Learn more about blue light here.
What Can We Do to Cut Back on Blue Light Exposure?
One way to cut back on blue light exposure is to cut back on your screen addiction. The likelihood of this happening is slim. The same Nielsen report indicated that the average American adult spends more than 10 hours a day consuming media on the screen. Cutting back is very unlikely or impossible for most people, especially if people have to work with a computer then spend the rest of the day checking their smartphones and watching a favorite TV show when they get home.
An alternative to blue light-emitting TVs is projectors. Projectors do produce blue light but since you will not be staring straight at the light source while viewing this light does not hit your eye directly. The light bounces off another surface (a projector screen or wall) before hitting your eyes; this surface absorbs some of those damaging wavelengths, reducing the amount of blue light that actually reaches your eyes.
Projectors also have some other advantages over TVs such as indirect lighting, adjustable screen size, and built-in safety features.
The Effects of Direct or Indirect Light Sources to Eye Health
Light sources can be divided into two kinds based on the path taken to your eyes: direct and indirect light. Most of the light sources we encounter daily from the fluorescent lamps above your heads to the TV screens in your living rooms are direct light emitters. This means these items produce light and it is traveling directly to your eyes. Direct light sources are harsher on your eyes in comparison to indirect light. To illustrate, staring at a flashlight beam directly is a lot more uncomfortable than staring at that light bouncing off a wall. Projectors utilize reflected light, which is less invasive to your sight and reduces eyestrain and other negative effects of prolonged viewing.
Screen Size – Bigger Is Better
Projectors screen size can readily create images larger than what is possible for TVs; a screen of over 100 inches or even 200 inches can be produced easily. For those looking for eye comfort, projectors’ large screens are even better. Larger screens create images that are bigger and more comfortable for the eyes to view. Cutting down the need to strain your eyes to see details. For text, like subtitles, it is even more beneficial. Larger letters make things a lot easier to read. Altogether, projectors offer larger screens, reduce blue light, bypass direct light, and utilize reflective light, which equals a much more comfortable viewing experience compared to TVs.
Smart Safety Features to Save Your Eyes
Lastly, some modern projectors nowadays come with the added benefit of having built-in safety features to help prevent accidental eye injury. Smart projectors like the ViewSonic X10-4K have an Eye Protection feature which temporarily turns off the lens when objects are detected too close to the projector beam. Features like these are great for peace of mind if there are kids and elderly in the family. Everyone can now enjoy bright and enjoyable home entertainment without worrying about ever having problems from direct projector-beam exposure.
Learn more about the benefits of buying a smart projector for your home theater.
The Bottom Line: Projectors Are Better for Your Eyes
To summarize, in the comparison of TVs vs. projectors, the projector offers much more flexibility while being much safer for viewers’ eye health. Projectors reduce the effects of blue light and direct light while also offering adjustable screen projection size, and newer projectors have smart safety features to avoid accidental eye injury.
If you are considering a new TV or projector, consider the effects they have on your eyes. Take a break from the many screens in your life and try a projector. Learn more about ViewSonic projectors here.
Still need help on how to choose a projector? Check out our helpful guide: The Quick, Easy, No-Fuss Projector Buying Guide.
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