How Your LED Lights and Screens Are Killing You

How Your LED Lights and Screens are Killing You

Back to old school incandescent bulbs, should we? More words.

Comments

  • +2

    Why would I have lights on when I'm trying to sleep?

    • +1

      It is more about time before sleep, they say it'll mess up your sleep if your lights are LEDs.

  • +2

    Oh dear…
    Someone's taken the clickbait.

    1.You can't replace a screen with an incandescent bulb but they do have these cool fancy things call inbuilt blue light filters.

    2.You can get LED lights that can give off a yellow light or even the entire RGB spectrum.

    1. we've been using white/blue lights for years - try fluorescent lights in active areas, kitchens, bathrooms etc.

    2. Bedrooms and living rooms have been specced with yellow downlights/LEDs for some time. Even fluoro lightglobes would output blue light back in the day and i don't see them getting a bad rap.

    • -1

      You can get LED lights that can give off a yellow light

      (quote) "They’re internally blue LEDs with a phosphor coating that shifts some of the energy from blue over to the rest of the spectrum."

      And nasty looking spectrogram with blue spike. I do not have a spectrometer, so cannot confirm it, but he sound legit.

      • They have a coating/filter that removes the light that isnt yellow - hence why the light is yellow and not blue

  • I agree. Let’s get rid of computers, tvs, electric lighting and go back to simpler times :)

    • +2

      Ok, you go first

      • How do you know I’m not?

        • +2

          How else would you access this site?

          • +1

            @spackbace: Would it be safe to use my 286 with the 640x480 CRT? There are few LED indicator lights though, all of which I've covered with Blu tack.

          • +2

            @spackbace: I sent a message to my friend via carrier pigeon to post on my behalf.

    • +1

      You can still have incandescent lighting

      • What , on a pigeon ?

    • Viva La Amish

  • +2

    I mean you don't notice it unless you look through a camera. But LED's and Fluorescent lights are flickering on and off really quickly, we just can't see it because it's so fast.
    I was taking a photo and accidentally switched to video mode. The lighted area was flickering unless I set the shutter speed of the to a specific number, any higher or lower and you would see flickering.

    Anyway that's gotta be doing something to your eyes I reckon. I also think I read somewhere "dimmable" LED's flicker slower the darker you dim them.

    • flickering is time domain, totally different to wavelength spikes at blue, the issue in the article. I don’t think it is bad, our eyes are too slow to notice that.

      • +1

        Actually my eyes can get more tired from bright fluorescents. I've worn sunglasses inside at work, just to reduce strain or headache. Do while it's different, there's still something "assaulting" your eyes(for want of a better word).

  • That is a loooonnnggg article. I got halfway through before I realised I was only halfway through. Got the message though (unless there was a twist coming).

    Luckily according to the author my routine is ok because of intensity and distance.
    My last hour or two of everyday since I can remember is TV without additional light
    .

    • if I got it right, your last hour or two should be lit by incandescent bulbs, like reading a paper book (or eBook without backlight) or whatever. TV they say is bad because LEDs that pump out blue spikes in wavelenghts.

    • But I think his calculus about safe distances/power is off. Just does not click in my brain.

  • Go for it, replace all your bulbs with incandescents and throw away your phone. I'm pretty happy with my LEDs though.

    • :) I just did it, 6 CFLs replaced with 6x halogen bulbs. I'm pretty happy too now.

  • Time to dust of the CR TV.

  • I take it that melatonin supplements don’t address the issue?

    • Is it a thing?

  • this sickens me, not the thread or the article, reading on a oled tv

    • -1

      OLED is not LED, it may be fine.

      • +1

        I'm concerned about what you think the LED part of OLED stands for.

        • -1

          OLED is fundamentally different from LED which is based on a p-n diode structure. In LEDs doping is used to create p- and n- regions by changing the conductivity of the host semiconductor. OLEDs do not employ a p-n structure.

          https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLED

          Maybe next time check yourself before posting?

          • +2

            @nuker: You said:

            OLED is not LED, it may be fine.

            https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLED

            The first line from the Wikipedia article you linked:

            An organic light-emitting diode (OLED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light in response to an electric current.

            So OLED is an LED. It's literally in the name. Maybe next time check yourself before posting? ;)

            I measured my LG C7 OLED TV with my photospectrometer. This is the spectra.

            And this is the spectra for my Philips BDM4350UC which uses a W-LED backlight.

            If 460-490nm is what you're worried about, that OLED TV puts out more of that.

            • @eug: You forgot my disclaimer, I said "it may be fine" :)

              Secondly, OLED is fundamentally different to LED, different emitter material. So my statement "OLED is not LED" is correct as well.

              Your measurements confirm that it indeed no better than LED in regards to levels of blue. And thanks for that.

              • +1

                @nuker:

                You forgot my disclaimer, I said "it may be fine" :)

                Sure, but that was not what I was addressing there.

                Secondly, OLED is fundamentally different to LED, different emitter material. So my statement "OLED is not LED" is correct as well.

                You simply said "OLED is not LED". You then supplied a link that outright says OLED is an LED in the first sentence.

                I think you're misunderstanding or twisting the paragraph that you quoted. Diodes can be made of various materials, e.g. a silicon diode and germanium diode use different materials, but they are both diodes. LEDs and OLED use different materials, but they are both diodes that emit light. That is why LED is in the name.

                I get what you were thinking in your first reply; the only reason I replied is because of the condescending tone of your last sentence… although I guess the post you were replying to had a bit of that too! :)

                Maybe next time check yourself before posting?

                .‎‎‎

                Your measurements confirm that it indeed no better than LED in regards to levels of blue.

                Colours are directly related to wavelength. Any screen based on any technology that is colour-accurate will emit blue light because colours are simply wavelengths of light. If you look at a blue bed sheet, you are looking at blue light.

                Whether or not it matters is still up for debate. I think there still needs to be more research done. Plenty of marketing departments aren't waiting though.

  • But incandescent bulbs are impossible to buy unless I use an old car for lighting. If only I could fit one in my lounge room.
    https://www.canstarblue.com.au/home-garden/incandescent-ligh….

    • quote from you link, it is mad:

      "Are incandescent light bulbs banned in Australia?
      Since 2009, any non-directional incandescent light bulb with an efficiency level of less than 15 lumens per watt have been phased out of production in Australia. According to energyrating.gov.au, the Federal Government has placed an import restriction on incandescent bulbs"

      I'm all hoarding it right now. Just ordered 10x Osram 57W Warm White

  • Meh, I would have wasted my life anyway.

  • +3

    That article is way too long and has an alarmist vibe.

    If your bed sheets are blue, does that mean you won't sleep well? Blue light is blue light after all. If you can see blue under an incandescent bulb, you're seeing blue light.

    • -2

      read it.

  • I have been using f.lux for over a decade and always have my iPhone switch automatically to night mode,

    but have a tv on when I fall asleep which doesn't have either so I dim it,

    I remember using a crt tv long ago but the noise it made was gone when I started using an LCD tv,

    this article makes me think maybe I should switch back

  • +1

    Old news!
    For years my led bulbs have been set cool during the day and warm at night. The blue peak is surely gone.

    The sun does the same thing btw

    It’s why we’ve got blue light filtering built into many devices, isn’t it?

    • The blue peak is surely gone

      Is it? Have a spectrometer? This is the main point of the article. Check the pic with spectrum of Phosphor-based LEDs, which is the most common type of LED bulbs.

      • Not personally but I’ve seen spectrum plots from these bulbs. No blue peak when set to warmer colours. That was the main point of my post.

      • +1

        Is it? Have a spectrometer?

        It won't be gone, but it'll be lower relative to the reds.

        This is an LEDVance 2700k LED bulb.

        This is my Arlec Grid Connect downlight set to warm, and this is it set to cool.

        This is a 50W halogen bulb. There is still blue there - that is how you can still identify something as blue in colour; hence my earlier comment about blue bedsheets affecting your melatonin production if that's what you're concerned about.

        If you really want to eliminate blue light you need a monochromatic light source like a low-pressure sodium lamp.

        • Amazing! Did you generate these?

          • @2025:

            Amazing! Did you generate these?

            Yup. Those are some of the lights I use at home.

        • I found the official LEDvance data, it looks different to your one, much sharper and higher peak. The parent link for the pic.

          Where did you get your pic from? Agree this still looks better than one from wikipedia. But I switched my bulbs anyway, and colour of halogens does look more natural to my eye. My point was to bring the issue up for discussion, nothing more.

          • @nuker:

            I found the official LEDvance data(ledvance.com), it looks different to your one, much sharper and higher peak. The parent link(ledvance.com) for the pic.

            Yes, because that is not the bulb I have. This is my bulb. You can see the official spectra matches my measurement.

            Where did you get your pic from?

            I measured all the above with my spectrophotometer.

            But I switched my bulbs anyway, and colour of halogens does look more natural to my eye.

            A big problem with LED bulbs and fixtures is that many of them use LEDs that prioritise brightness over color fidelity resulting in a low-CRI bulb. Low-cost bulbs are commonly around 80 CRI which means roughly 20% of the light spectrum is missing compared to an incandescent bulb.

            Most people find it perfectly fine depending on exactly what is missing and what they're looking at, but there's definitely something missing. Skin tones can look greenish or purpleish, fruits can look duller, food can look less appetising… but just like how some people are totally satisfied with cheap earphones that came free with their phone in 2014, there are people who care about the difference and are willing to pay more for something better.

            The solution is to buy high-CRI bulbs, e.g. this Philips bulb but not this Philips bulb.

            Brightgreen is an Australian company that makes light fixtures up to 98CRI, but being more 'designer' lighting they'll come with a price tag to match.

            Having a high CRI is a selling point so if the manufacturer doesn't state the CRI it's probably in the 80 range.

            My point was to bring the issue up for discussion, nothing more.

            Sure, but I think providing incomplete information can create unnecessary concern in people.

            • @eug:

              providing incomplete information

              lol! you're welcome :)

              • @nuker: That's the concern with things like ChatGPT. It can be confidently wrong or reliant on old information but still sound plausible so people can be misled with incorrect information or only see one side of the picture.

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