When the bright moon is in the sky, stars gather in a sea of romantic flowers, and the dazzling night scene is a visual feast that the light brings to people.
The street lights lit up the night and illuminated our way home.
However, a recent hot search on Weibo broke this calm. The content showed that the French Health Agency reported that LED lights would cause permanent damage to the retina, and severe cases could cause blindness! This has aroused great attention from netizens.
According to reports from the French authorities, the main emphasis is on the damage to the retina caused by the blue light emitted by the LED light, which leads to decreased vision, increases age-related macular degeneration, and even induces blindness.
Image source: Screenshot of the official website of the French National Food, Environment and Labor Hygiene Agency
So what is Blu-ray? What are the consequences of blue light hazards? Can LED lights still work? How can we avoid the blue light hazard? Let us have a good chat today.
What is the blue light hazard?
What are the consequences?
Blue light is a high-energy short-wave light with a wavelength between 400nm and 500nm. It has the strongest penetrating power and the highest retinal sensitivity among visible light. The principle of white light emitted by energy-saving LED lamps is different from that of incandescent lamps. It first emits blue light, then excites the phosphor, emits yellow light, and mixes into white light. The blue light component in its spectrum is more.
Excessive blue light radiation can cause oxidative stress in retinal cells, cause irreversible photochemical damage, and aggravate cell damage in the macula. This is what we usually call the "blue light hazard".
The blue light hazard may cause the following consequences:
01
Causes blurred vision and causes visual fatigue
Picture source network
02
Exacerbate macular disease of the retina
Excessive blue light can cause the death of retinal epithelial pigment cells, causing cell death in the light-sensitive area, macular degeneration, and cause fundus disease, decreased vision, and even blindness.
03
Disrupt the body's circadian rhythm
Blue light stimulates the brain, inhibits the secretion of melatonin and increases the production of adrenal cortex hormones, thereby regulating heart rate, alertness, sleep, body temperature, gene expression, etc., disrupting the body's circadian rhythm, increasing the risk of diseases, especially breast and colorectal cancer. Increase.
Blue light affects a large number of people. The World Health Organization (WHO) Eye-loving Association announced that more than 30,000 people worldwide are blinded by blue light and radiation every year.
According to data from the Ophthalmology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, among the 420 million Internet users in China, 63.5% of Internet users have different degrees of eye diseases such as reduced vision, cataracts, and blindness due to blue light and radiation.
The worrying thing is that children are more susceptible to such interference.
From this point of view, the blue light emitted by the LED light is not alarmist because it causes damage to the eyes and even permanent damage.
Can LED lights still work?
Blue light can cause various serious consequences, but "talking about toxicity regardless of dose" is also unreliable. The study also pointed out that the strong lights used in flashlights, car headlights and some devices may damage our eyes, but the LED mobile phones, tablets and laptop screens that we usually use will basically not cause damage to our eyes.
According to current international and domestic standards, blue light retinal hazards can be classified into four types:
No danger (zero class), low danger (first class), medium danger (second class), and high risk (third class).
At present, the basic hazards used as LED lighting are zero and one hazards. If it is a second hazard, there is a mandatory label (eyes cannot be stared at).
The blue light hazard risk of LED lamps listed on the market after national quality inspection is similar to that of other light sources, and they are all within the safety threshold. Therefore, these light sources and lamps used in daily life are used in normal ways and are harmless to human eyes, and we do not need to worry too much.
Who needs to be wary of blue light hazards?
1. People with diabetes. Most diabetic patients have retinopathy, the threshold of light damage to the retina is greatly reduced, and blue light has a greater impact on their vision.
2. Infants and young people. The eyes of infants and young children are not fully developed, and blue light is more likely to act on the retina. In addition, infants and young children lying on their backs can often look directly at the LED lights and cannot filter the blue light, so the impact is greater.
3. People who drive more at night, people with a history of eye surgery, and heavy users of electronic products (more than 10 hours a day looking directly at the LED light source).
How to avoid blue light hazards?
01
Blue light protection
For ordinary people's daily life, using LED lights that have passed the national quality inspection and listed on the market, there is no need to worry about the risk of excessive blue light damaging the retina. Blue light protection should be mainly used in environments with high-brightness light sources and avoid looking directly at high-brightness light sources.
In addition, for people who often face electronic products, blue light will aggravate visual fatigue, and some anti-blue light products can also be considered.
However, it should be noted that blue light is not the only band that can reach the fundus and cause the retina. Unreasonable filtering of blue light may affect human dark vision, circadian rhythm and color balance.
02
Correct use of lights
Consider the use of "warm white" LED lights for home lighting, and pay attention to the method of use:
One is to lower the lampshade to ensure proper lighting for books or desktops, and at the same time to block the light source to avoid glare;
Second, when turning on the desk lamp, it is best to turn on other lights to make the indoor light relatively coordinated, avoid glare, and protect your eyes. Infants and diabetics should use zero-hazard LED lighting products.
03
Develop good eye habits
Avoid using electronic products for a long time, rest for 20 to 30 seconds every 20 to 30 minutes, and look far away regularly;
If you have dry eyes while reading the electronic screen, remember to blink 10-12 times per minute;
Minimize the use of LED screens before going to bed;
It is best to wear sunglasses when outdoors;
Don't look directly at the bright light.
