This is not the first time that light emitting diodes (more commonly known as LEDs) have come under fire for their health effects. Due to their low power consumption and high efficiency, lighting using LEDs have found their place thanks to their energy saving, but the proportion of blue light necessary for good lighting “leads to toxic stress for the retina” explained the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) in its 2010 expert report.
More recently, a Spanish study has shown that UV rays emitted by LED lamps can irreversibly destroy retinal cells and lead to blindness those who spend a lot of time with their eyes riveted on TV screens, computers or smartphones.
This study, conducted by Dr Celia Sanchez-Ramos of the Complutense University of Madrid, shows that diodes placed on the market for lighting purposes are mainly characterized by the large proportion of blue in the white light emitted. This energetic blue light emitted in short waves can cause irreversible damage to the retina and retinal pigmented epithelium. “This problem is not to be taken lightly because we spend more and more time in front of backlit screens and children are even starting to use these electronic devices from an early age” explains Dr Sanchez-Ramos whose work has been published in the journal Photochemistry & Photobiology.
The researchers, who calculated that our eyes were open for around 6,000 hours a year and were most often exposed to artificial light, therefore recommend that LED lamps be equipped with filters that would not let blue light through, in order to reduce the perceived light intensities.
