A closer look
Curing a jaundiced baby requires blasting them with blue light, but it comes with a glaring chronobiological cost. The intense phototherapy lamps used in neonatal incubators efficiently break down toxic bilirubin in the blood, but they also absolutely obliterate a newborn's fragile developing circadian rhythm. Shielding their eyes prevents retinal damage, yet the relentless clinical glow tricks their tiny, confused brains into thinking it is permanently high noon, turning the NICU into a localized insomnia factory.
