January 9, 2017.
According to a study conducted by a team of researchers from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs could be dangerous for our eyes. Explanations.
Blisters that damage the retina
If you are looking to replace a light bulb and go to a DIY store, you will hardly find anything but LED bulbs. These bulbs, which reduce electricity consumption, have become widespread in most homes. Gold, they seem to be dangerous for the eyes. In any case, this is what Inserm researchers reveal in a study.
According to this work, the rays emitted by these bulbs would have a toxic impact. To reach this conclusion, the researchers exposed rats to high light (6000 lux) for 24 hours. The result: the rodents’ retina was damaged and their pupil dilated. And when the light intensity was medium (500 lux), only LED bulbs had adverse effects on the eyes of rats.
Watch out for blue light
” With these bulbs, the retina of the animals shows less signs of damage but similar to those observed under high exposure. The authors of the study said in a statement. ” This is not observed with other types of bulbs. This could be explained by the presence of blue light which can degrade vision in the long term.
” The light emitted by the LEDs generates two parallel toxic phenomena: apoptosis, but also a second form of cell death, necrosis », Adds Prof. Alicia Torriglia, who took part in the work. This risk is the same for everyone ” who performs work on a screen, looks directly at the light source for a long time, sometimes during all his working time », Adds the Official Prevention organization on its site. If you spend your day in front of a screen, consider taking breaks!
Read also: Screens: the harmful effects for toddlers
