Does an Eye Protection LED Lamp Really Protect your Kid’s Eyes?

Nowadays, children’s schoolwork is getting heavier and heavier, and they have all kinds of homework to do every night. Over time, they will face the problem of overuse of their eyes and will easily become dizzy and tired after reading and writing for a long time, which will affect their eyesight. To the children fighting in the homework to choose a lamp to protect the eyes is a must for every parent to do things. In the current market, many LED table lamps are still marked with the word “eye protection”. The main selling point of these eye lamps are two, one is “no strobe “, the second is “no blue light”. But it can really protect our eyes? Let’s continue to look at the contents of the article below.

Can “strobe-free” really protect your eyes?

Many of us may have experienced some “strobe” brought about by the discomfort. For example, if you look at the flashing police lights for a long time, your eyes will not be comfortable. The reason for this is that the police lights attract attention, the light emitted is very easy for the human eye to detect the low frequency of flickering. In fact, the lights of ordinary lamps are also flashing, but the frequency of flashing is much higher than the frequency of warning lights, 100Hz, that is, about 100 times per second flashing. At this frequency, the vast majority of our eyes can no longer see the strobe.

Eye protection lights emphasize the “no strobe” is to raise the light flashing frequency to a higher level. Some eye lamps by installing an electronic inverter, the light flashing frequency increased to tens of thousands of times per second, far beyond the human optic nerve response speed, the human eye naturally does not feel the light change, about the same as the realization of the “strobe-free”. There are also eye-protection lamps with rectifiers to the grid supply of alternating current into direct. Businesses put forward the “no strobe” behind the concept of eye protection, in fact, there is an assumption that: “ordinary lamps and lanterns light source will hurt the eyes. The world’s residential current supply is basically at 50 to 60 Hz, the direct use of this alternating current lamps and lanterns, flicker frequency of 100 times per second ~ 120 times. As just mentioned, the vast majority of us will not notice the flicker of light at this frequency. This unperceived strobe does not make our eyes uncomfortable. Moreover, there is no evidence that this frequency of the light source will cause damage to the human eye or vision. In other words, as long as the purchase of qualified products, there is no need to worry about strobe. Since the light source of ordinary lamps does not hurt the eyes, there is naturally no “no strobe” that can protect the eyes of the statement. If one day we find that the lights at home flicker irregularly, we can all solve it by replacing the relevant parts

 

Does “blue light” need to be filtered?

Blue light is part of visible light, with wavelengths ranging from 400~500 nm, purple and blue, and is the most energetic part of visible light, closest to Ultraviolet rays. We are often exposed to blue light in our daily lives, such as TV, sunlight, computer, tablet, cell phone, LED lights, etc. All these light sources have blue light release. The wavelength of blue light that is harmful to the retina is the high short-wavelength blue light that is mainly concentrated between 415~455nm.

           

Indeed, a study found that prolonged, high-intensity blue light exposure in an experimental setting may lead to damage to the eye’s photoreceptor cells and retinal pigment epithelium. The French Agency for Food, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) also issued a report in 2019 warning that LED blue light can damage vision and harm eye health, including increasing the risk of age-related macular degeneration.

However, note that this does not mean we have to rush to throw away the electronics in our hands or remove the LED lights at home.

For the potential hazards of LED blue light, IEC 62471, developed by the International Electro technical Commission (IEC ), classifies the safety level of blue light hazards of LED light source products：

• RGO (exempt, the lamp does not cause any harm even under the limit conditions defined by the standard. The blue light hazard component included is defined as not causing harm to the retina within 10,000s)；
• RG1 (type Ⅰ, low hazard, no additional requirements, the blue light hazard component included is defined as not causing harm to the retina within 100s)；
• RG2 (typeⅡ, medium hazard, the blue light hazard component included is defined as not causing harm to the retina within 25s),
• RG3 (typeⅢ,high hazard, the light source causes harm in a short instant)。

Anti-blue light hazard assessment results
Hazard group rating	Name of hazard group	Corresponding range of Tmax (S)
RG0	Exemptions	＞10000
RG1	low risk	100-10000
RG2	medium risk	0.25-100
RG3	high risk	＜0.25

When we buy LED table lamps, their anti-blue light hazard assessment must be RG1 and RG0 (RG0 is recommended for children), the color rendering index must be greater than 80 and the color temperature should preferably be around 4000K. So, as long as the LED desk lamp we buy meets certain safety levels, blue light will not cause us any problems.

ANSES also recommends that everyone, especially children, reduce their use of cell phones, tablets and other devices at night or before bedtime to avoid having their biological clocks and sleep disrupted by the blue light emitted by the screens. However, ANSES does not recommend blue light glasses and blue light filtering screens, which is a concern for everyone, as the effectiveness of these products has not been proven.

There are no medical reports that show that normal use of quality lamps can damage the eyes. Many countries have never had the term “eye protection lamps” and you will not find products labeled “eye protection lamps” in shopping malls. So most businesses promote “eye protection lamps” may be exaggerated, but nevertheless, the standard and quality of desk lamps are also uneven, and it is still necessary to choose a good quality lamp.

How to choose a good Led desk lamp?

The human eye develops and grows in natural light. The best source of light for a human being is diffused natural light. A really good table lamp is one in which the light emitted by the lamp is as close as possible to the characteristics of natural light. In general, the choice of a good table lamp is recommended in the following 3 ways:

• Suitable illumination level.
• A natural color temperature.
• Realistic color rendering

Suitable illumination level

Illuminance (in lux, lux) is the amount of light flux per unit area of the subject’s surface. The choice of light intensity is crucial. If the illuminance is too strong it will be strongly blinding and make the eyes tired quickly; if it is too weak it will reduce the visual function and the reader will be forced to get closer to what he or she is reading and writing, which will also increase eye fatigue and make the ciliary muscle of the eye spasm and make the eye axis change thus forming myopia. The appropriate light intensity for learning is about 500-750lux, so that the brightness is clear and the light is not too strong.

It is also important to pay attention to the evenness of the light. If some areas are bright and some are dark, it can also be very tiring for the eyes to constantly adjust their pupils in order to adapt to this change in light and dark.

A natural color temperature

Color temperature is a unit of measurement that indicates the color component contained in light. Theoretically, blackbody temperature refers to the color that an absolute blackbody appears to be when it is heated from absolute zero (-273°C). When heated, a blackbody gradually changes from black to red, turns yellow, glows white and finally emits blue light. When heated to a certain temperature, the spectral composition of the light emitted by a black body is known as the color temperature at this temperature and is measured in ‘K’ (Kelvin). The most intuitive understanding of this is the color temperature at different times in nature. Low color temperature light is warm yellow and looks more comfortable, less fatiguing to the human eye but easily hypnotic, while high color temperature light is cool blue, more refreshing but easily fatiguing to the eye. This requires us to choose a suitable color temperature to achieve a balance between the two. The general color temperature of light around 4000K is soft with a touch of yellow, which is more suitable for reading. At present, many eye lamps on the market have a multi-speed adjustment function, which allows you to adjust the right light according to different times of the day. Smart eye lamps even automatically sense their surroundings to adjust the light without parents having to worry about it

 

 

Realistic color rendering

Color rendering refers to the degree to which a lamp reproduces the color of an object. The more correctly the light shows the original color of a substance, the higher the color rendering index. The color rendering index is an important indicator of color rendering and ranges from 1 to 100, the higher the value, the better the color reproduction of the object. For parents buying a lamp for their children, the color rendering index should generally be greater than 80. If you want to do something with high color requirements like painting under the lamp, it is recommended that the color rendering index of the lamp should be at least 90

 

Furthermore, to avoid blue light damage, try to pick the RG0 safety level of eye protection lamps without blue light hazards when buying. As stated above. for RG1, RG2, and RG3, they represent a low risk, medium risk, and high risk respectively

 

Here are 11 tips on how to prevent myopia:

1. Have proper lighting.

Try to use ceiling-mounted overhead lights when reading, as it is easier to achieve an even lighting effect; at the same time, ensure that there is proper brightness and no harsh glare. If using a desk lamp, it is important to choose the right lamp in addition to how it is used. For children who write with a pen in their right hand, the light should shine from the top left corner, but not directly into the eyes.

When looking at a computer or electronic screen, the light intensity in the room should be about half that of when reading or writing. Also, try not to let the light source shine directly onto the screen to reduce glare. Many desk lamps now have a lighting intensity adjustment function, so you can choose the right lighting intensity for different usage environments.

2. Do not use shoddy printing.

Books with poor printing quality are more likely to strain the eyes. Books should be printed clearly, with the right font size and sufficient line spacing between words.

3. Don’t choose paper with reflections.

Reflective paper produces glare and is also likely to cause eye fatigue over long periods of time; of course, dark paper is also best avoided, as dark paper tends to affect the clarity of the type and make reading more difficult.

    4.Develop good eye habits.

Avoid prolonged close use of the eyes.

5. Do not lie on the bed to read.

It is easy to unconsciously move the book to the eyes when lying down.

    6.”20-20-20″ principle.

Follow the “20-20-20” rule when using electronic screen devices, reading, and writing, which means “turn your eyes away from the screen for at least 20 feet for at least 20 seconds every 20 minutes”. It is also a good idea for children to step away from the screen or desk for at least 10 minutes every hour to move around.

7. Children under 18 months of age should not look at any electronic screen products.

For the rest of the age group, children should not use electronic products for more than 1-2 hours a day.

8. When using electronic screens, be aware of the placement.

Make sure that the height of the computer screen is slightly below the child’s eye level. This is because if you look up at the screen, it will make your child’s eyes open wider and they will be more prone to dryness.

9. Adequate time outdoors.

If you can do more than 2-3 hours of outdoor activities every day, it can delay the onset and deterioration of myopia in your child.

10. Adequate sleep time.

Adequate sleep is also good for resting the eyes.

   11.Reasonable diet

There are healthy foods you can feed your children to help maintain good eye health, such as:

• Green vegetables that have vitamins A, B12, C, and calcium, all of which are crucial for eye health. These are found in broccoli, collard greens, kale, and spinach
• Avocado is a fruit with more lutein compared to other fruits, which is something linked to better eye health
• Eggs have proteins that benefit eyes’ lenses, while fish and nuts have Omega-3 fatty acids that are good for the eyes, especially salmon and tuna
• Carrots have beta-carotene that is good for our retina and protects us against sun damage.

 

Wrapping It Up

When children read or do their homework under a desk lamp, if the quality of the lamp is not up to scratch, it can affect their eyesight in the long run. But are there any so-called eye-care lamps? As long as they meet the relevant quality standards, they will not have negative impact on your child’s eyesight. For children to have bright eyes, the most important thing is to develop good study and living habits.