How does artificial lighting affect our well-being? The influence of illumination on the human body

Is LED lighting harmful to human health, what effect does such light have on the retina of the eye, why is cold light dangerous for children, and which LED lamps are safe? You will find answers to all these questions in our review.

Cool or warm light?

It has long been known that LED lamps, LED panels, spotlights and other LED-based devices consume energy sparingly and have an extremely long service life. Many people also know about such advantages of new lighting devices as no need for maintenance and repair, operation without heating, excellent light contrast and high index color rendition. But as for eye safety, which is claimed by manufacturers and sellers, everything is somewhat more complicated.

Over the hundred-year history of using an incandescent lamp (Il), no damaging effect on the eyes of the artificial light produced by this device has ever been detected. LN created an acceptable level of lighting in the evening and night hours, which did not cause noticeable discomfort.

But time dictated the need to find more economical light sources, since electricity tariffs always tended to increase, and saving on lighting was inconvenient and harmful to vision. Thus, fluorescent lamps appeared in commercial, industrial, and later residential premises, and in last years and light-emitting diodes (LED).

At first, few people paid attention to such an indicator as color temperature. Moreover, it was believed that the so-called daylight white light was as close as possible to midday sunlight on a cloudless day, and therefore good for the eyes. As it turned out later, this is not so, or rather not entirely so. Users of fluorescent and LED “white” lamps themselves began to notice that in the evenings this lighting irritates the eyes and causes noticeable discomfort. Why?

It's all about the wavelength!

A study of lighting parameters with LED lamps showed that white LED lamps have a pronounced emission band in the blue-blue range with a wavelength of about 450nm. If a person is in the evening or early morning under the influence of short-wave cold white light, the production of melatonin in his body sharply slows down. This does not have the best effect on health, since this hormone affects many functions of the body. In particular, it regulates natural biorhythms, supports normal work immune and hormonal systems. In addition, melatonin has powerful antioxidant properties, influencing the aging process to slow it down.

Scientists have found that melatonin production is most strongly inhibited by lamps with a high color temperature, which shine in the blue-blue spectrum. The use of LED lamps with color temperature 4000K and below is not associated with such harmful action. The lighting created by such lamps is similar to the warm yellowish light of LN.

However, all of the above applies rather to household lighting devices. In industrial and street lighting (main luminaires, lanterns, LED spotlights, etc.) it is allowed to use LEDs with higher values color temperature.

Features of using LEDs for lighting children's rooms

For children's eyes, the short-wave cold light produced by light-emitting diode (LED) lamps is doubly dangerous, since it can potentially cause damage to the retina and sharp drop vision. Reason: lens child's eye twice as transparent as an adult in the blue-blue spectrum.

In this regard, there is a risk of photodamage to the retina under the influence of cold white LED lamps with a large proportion of blue or violet in the spectrum. Research in this area is still underway, but from the results obtained we can already conclude: in children's rooms it is advisable to use only light-emitting diode (LED) lamps, which emit the same warm yellowish light as incandescent lamps. The color temperature of these lighting fixtures should not exceed 3000K.

For adults, cold short-wave light is dangerous only in the evening and night hours, as it interferes with the normal production of melatonin. Experts warn that LEDs with a color temperature of 6500K and above it is better not to use even by adults. In any case, until research data appears that refutes bad influence short-wave light on the human body. In the meantime, when buying household LED lamps, which undoubtedly have many advantages, it is worth paying attention to such an indicator as color temperature. As a rule, it is indicated on the packaging.

Light is natural condition life, providing perception of the surrounding world. In order not to harm your health, you need to know how excessive lighting affects your vision. The artificial light has merged so much with in a modern way life that people simply don’t notice him anymore. However, this is the main factor that affects visual function.

How does lighting affect vision?

Sunny

People see the world using two types of light - natural (solar) and artificial. Illumination from the sun is preferable because it has beneficial influence on human body and organs of vision. Solar radiation is divided into two parts:

• visible - ultraviolet;
• invisible - infrared.

Infrared radiation is thermal. Ultraviolet - has a positive effect on the human body and causes an erythemal effect (tanning). However, if the intensity of the rays is high, burns may occur on the skin. Upon penetration into the eyes, intense ultraviolet radiation can lead to a burn to the retina of the eye, which contributes to deterioration or loss of vision.

Artificial

Ultraviolet rays are also generated during the operation of artificial lighting equipment. These include the following devices and technical factors:

• electric arc;
• quartz lamps;
• electric and gas welding;
• laser installations;
• erythema lamps.

To protect your eyes from ultraviolet rays, it is necessary to use protective glasses in intense lighting.

Fluorescent and incandescent lamps are used for artificial illumination. The properties and condition of the eyes are affected by energy-saving lighting devices. When they are used, an additional load is placed on the organs of vision, causing rapid fatigue eye muscles. When using an energy-saving lamp, it flickers, negatively affecting the eyes and leading to a gradual deterioration of vision. As a result, the eyes become red, dry, or, conversely, watery.

Some sources of artificial lighting contribute to the occurrence of visual illusions. Considerable damage to human vision can be caused by strong light glare that occurs due to glossy surfaces, mirrors and glass. Due to glare, attention is distracted, vision is strained, and it is difficult to focus on a specific object. Therefore, light matte surfaces that reflect radiation are healthier for the eyes.

What lighting is most favorable?

Reading in daylight is most beneficial.

The best condition for the organs of vision there is light from the sun, but not too bright, but slightly diffused. However, it is not always enough due to such factors:

• When staying indoors, the level of illumination of the space changes throughout the day as the sun moves relative to the person’s location.
• In the cold season - from late autumn until mid-spring - natural light is too dim.

Which should it be?

Therefore during the day Sun rays used for the background, which must be supplemented with artificial local illumination. The best option- moderately intense illumination, in which everything is visible and comfortable for the eyes. To achieve the optimal effect, two types of lighting are combined - general and local. The general should be unobtrusive and diffuse, the local should be much more intense.

It is desirable that local lighting be directed and controlled. In general, you can deal with everyday issues, relax, communicate, or do work that does not require straining your eyesight. If an activity requires the involvement of the eyes, you can turn on the local illumination source and select the required intensity - one for working at a PC, another for reading.

For each type of work, the lighting intensity is different.

Intense lighting is recommended to be used only when visual acuity is needed - you need to read something, count, write, etc. In other cases, preference should be given to diffuse general illumination with a natural white-yellowish tint. During the day it is the sun's rays, dark time day - ceiling lamp or other source. Working and living spaces should be properly lit, depending on the type of activity. All these points must be taken into account both for residential premises and for organizing lighting in workplaces.

We all live in a world where life does not stop when the sun goes down, and for some it just begins. Those times when people fell asleep at dusk are a thing of the past with the invention of electricity and the light bulb. Therefore today artificial lighting, which is designed to provide light at night, is an integral part of the life of a modern person.

But many people wonder whether artificial lighting is safe for human eyes or is it harmful to health? And if there is still harm, then you need to know how to get rid of it or at least minimize it. Today's article will help you understand this issue.

What do we know about light

Light for a person is the most important aspect life, since a person perceives up to 80% of information through the visual system. The most optimal lighting for us is considered to be a natural type of lighting.

Note! Natural light refers to the light of the morning, afternoon or evening sun. This also includes the light of a cloudy day.

Natural light indoors

Wearing sunglasses

It was under natural light that our civilization developed for most of its existence. But, despite the fact that the light of the sun is perfect option for the eyes, there are some limitations that any person should know and put into practice. Such nuances include:

• You cannot look at the sun during the day without special sunglasses;
• it is forbidden long time be in natural light in rooms that have large reflective surfaces. In this situation, without special protective glasses, a person may be momentarily blinded.

If these requirements are not met, even natural lighting can harm your eyes. Remember that in fact only diffused daylight will be adequately perceived by your eyes and it will be beneficial, not harmful.

Artificial analogue

In our lives, we often encounter a situation where natural lighting is not enough and we have to use artificial lighting. This light is formed using a variety of lighting devices and light sources: LED, fluorescent, halogen, etc. type. Moreover, lamps allow, by adjusting the necessary light bulbs, to select the optimal level of lighting for any type of room, depending on its purpose.
The need for additional lighting arises not only at night, but also during the day (in some situations). The time for artificial lighting comes at:

• cloudy or rainy day;
• as a result of twilight;
• In spring and autumn, the level of natural light, due to the rotation of the planet around the sun, will change. As a result, natural light will no longer be enough to prevent our eyes from getting tired.

Combined lighting

In such situations it is widely used combined type backlighting, when natural light is supplemented with artificial lighting. But at night and in the evening we can only use lighting devices.
As a result of this need, certain harm may arise due to the fact that not every light source will provide the optimal level of luminous flux.
Because it's better for our eyes sunlight there is nothing, then in order to minimize the harm from artificial lighting, lamp manufacturers strive to make them as similar as possible to natural lighting.

Negative phenomena

Due to the huge role of light in our lives, even minimal deviations in the level of illumination when creating an artificial type of lighting can lead to negative consequences. If the illumination using lighting devices is not built correctly, you can cause the following harm to your body:

• create for work unfavourable conditions, which can lead to decreased attention and, as a result, injury;
• irritability increases;
• performance decreases;
• in poor lighting it is impossible to have a good rest;
• may get worse general state health;
• You may have trouble sleeping. In this situation, insomnia usually manifests itself, nightmares begin to occur, people remain tired and unrested after sleep;
• Nervousness develops, which can develop into disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system.

On greatest harm Incorrect lighting damages the eyes. As a result:

Reaction of the eye to light

• watery eyes appear;
• provides visual acuity;
• possible redness of the eyes. In rare situations, even minor hemorrhage may occur;
• inability to see small details;
• the effect of “flickering and sand” appears.

If nothing changes, the person will soon need the help of an ophthalmologist and glasses. As we can see, artificial lighting can be harmful to the eyes, but only in a situation where the rules of its organization are not followed.

Light parameters

Due to the fact that artificial lighting can negatively affect both the visual system and general health humans, special standards for illumination levels have been developed.

All standards regarding the level of illumination necessary to form the optimal level of artificial light are prescribed in SNiP.

Room lighting level table

Determining the optimal lighting level for our eyes takes into account a number of parameters:

• the dimensions of the room, as well as its purpose;

Note! For a children's room, kitchen and study, the level of illumination should be greater than in other home rooms.

• ceiling height;
• wall decoration. It must be remembered that surfaces such as walls, ceilings and floors may have a certain level of light reflection. If there is a light finish, the reflective ability of surfaces increases, and with dark colors it decreases;
• the number of lamps that will be placed in the room. Here it is necessary to take into account not only their number, but also the transparency of the lampshades;
• number and type of light sources.

All necessary calculations You can do it yourself or use the help of programs. In the second case, you will not only save time, but also get more reliable calculations, since you can make mistakes when doing your own calculations.
If everything was calculated correctly, then it is quite easy to create the required level of illumination in any room (residential or non-residential). At the same time, artificial light will not harm your eyes.

Sources of light

An important step in creating an artificial type of lighting is the choice of light source. The modern lighting market has the following variety of light sources:

• incandescent lamp. This light source is the very first and today is already obsolete. Despite the presence large quantity disadvantages, such light bulbs create a luminous flux that is normal for the eyes. But they often burn out and break, which can cause harm to health through mechanical damage;

Note! Based on the kind of light incandescent lamps create, they are considered the most optimal for the eyes, without having a negative impact on the visual system.

Incandescent lamp

Halogen lamp

• halogen lamps. This is the next type of lamp, which in its own way appearance very similar to the previous light source. The use of this type of lamp may cause significant harm human health due to the fact that there is gas inside the glass flask. It often uses mercury vapor, which is very toxic to the human body;
• fluorescent lamps. Such light sources are better, since they do not have the disadvantages inherent in the above-mentioned light bulbs. But there is another nuance here - during operation, the light source may begin to flicker. This effect is bad for the eyes and can cause them to start watering;

Fluorescent Lamp

LED lamp

• LED light bulbs. LED light sources are considered the best today. This is due to the fact that for LED lighting All the disadvantages that other light sources have are not typical. These bulbs are completely environmentally friendly and do not flicker. At the same time, they are economical in terms of energy consumption.

Whatever type of light source you use to illuminate your home, you can always choose a model that will create a luminous flux that is as close as possible to natural light.

Colorful temperature

One more important criterion The choice of light source for artificial lighting is color temperature. It represents a characteristic of the course of the intensity of radiation emitted by a light bulb.

Colorful temperature

This option comes in three options:

• warm;
• cold;
• neutral.

There is no indication of this in the standards prescribed in SNiP. which color temperature option is considered more optimal for our eyes. Here everything depends on the purely subjective feelings of a person, which light is more pleasant for him to look at - warm or cold.

Note! Many experts prefer white light, since, in their opinion, it is closest to natural light. But others see in the light of the sun yellow and are inclined to this option as the most optimal.

The main thing here is that the light flux is of the correct intensity so as not to cause eye strain.

Light intensity

Moderate lighting intensity is the most comfortable for the eyes. Deviations from the “golden mean” in any direction can harm the visual system of people in a room with this type of lighting. For example, in dim light a person may begin to experience apathy and feel sleepy. But in very bright light, your eyes will very quickly begin to get tired and watery.

At the same time, the biggest harmful influence will produce glare and flicker that may result from malfunction light source or if there are glossy surfaces in the room.

Features of choice

When creating artificial lighting, the following parameters must be taken into account:

• what type of lighting is expected - main, combined, additional, decorative, task, accent, etc.;
• what kind of light flux is needed: diffused or directed. The first option is suitable for general illumination of the entire room, but the second is suitable for illuminating a local area.

If you want to feel comfortable, then mandatory The above selection criteria should be taken into account in order to choose the right lighting for each individual room.
It should be remembered that when creating a working type of illumination with just a lamp and a lamp, it will not be possible to avoid eye fatigue. Therefore, here it is necessary to follow the rules of work (for example, with a computer) and take short breaks every hour.

Conclusion

Any type of artificial lighting, if not designed correctly, can harm human health (especially the visual system). But if you adhere to all recommendations and standards, as well as choosing the right light source, you can minimize or completely eliminate Negative influence artificial light on your body.

Before technological progress, humanity went to bed at sunset and woke up with its first rays. While circadian rhythm people coincided with natural light. Today is the world of light bulbs, lanterns, televisions and other modern devices. The biological clock people have changed radically. Now there is no need to go to bed when the sun goes down. You can walk all night. For long period time, biologists thought about the violation circadian rhythm, the consequences of which are various kinds diseases. Therefore, studies were conducted, the results of which showed that bright lighting is harmful to human health.

According to the data obtained, scientists boldly declare negative manifestation Sveta. Their experimental subjects were constantly under bright lighting, which later led to their depressive state. They treated everything that happened around them completely passively and without interest. Research results also indicated memory impairment. Restore normal condition The subjects of the study were treated with antidepressants. Bright lighting affects the light-sensitive cells in the human retina. The biological clock is specifically associated with these cells. Therefore the harm bright light It is very dangerous for the eyes.

How to protect your eyes from bright light?

By it's nature human eyes designed for distant views. But today you can notice that with the development of civilization, people wear glasses more and more. This is due to the fact that their vision has decreased significantly as they spend more time watching TV, computers, tablets, etc. Everything happens due to heavy load nearby. You can protect your eyesight and relieve stress simple exercises. If you feel tired during work, for example after an hour, you should take a break. A break involves looking at any objects in the distance. You can go to the window and look. What's going on in the neighbor's house or the birds in the trees, etc. While vision is directed into the distance, the eyes rest. In bright sunlight, it is recommended to wear Sunglasses. Do not neglect all methods of protecting your eyes from bright lighting. You must always take care of your health.

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Insufficient lighting affects functioning visual apparatus, that is, it determines visual performance on the human psyche, his emotional condition, causes fatigue in the central nervous system resulting from the effort made to recognize clear or ambiguous signals.

It has been established that light, in addition to providing visual perception, affects the nervous optical-vegetative system, the system of formation immune defense, growth and development of the body and affects many basic life processes, regulating metabolism and resistance to exposure unfavorable factors environment. Comparative assessment natural and artificial lighting, based on its effect on performance, shows the advantage of natural light.

It is important to note that not only light levels, but all aspects of lighting quality play a role in preventing accidents. It may be mentioned that uneven lighting can create adaptation problems, reducing visibility. When working under poor quality or low levels of lighting, people may experience eye fatigue and fatigue, leading to decreased performance. In some cases, this can lead to headaches. The reasons in many cases are too low levels illumination, glare of light sources and brightness ratio. Headaches can also be caused by pulsating lighting. Thus, it is clear that improper lighting poses a significant threat to the health of workers.

To optimize working conditions it has great importance workplace lighting. The objectives of organizing workplace illumination are as follows: ensuring the visibility of the objects in question, reducing stress and fatigue of the visual organs. Industrial lighting must be uniform and stable, have right direction light flux, eliminate the glare of light and the formation of sharp shadows.

There are natural, artificial and combined lighting.

Inspection of lighting conditions consists of measurements, visual assessment or calculation of the following indicators:

1. natural light factor;

2. illumination of the working surface;

3. blindness rate;

4. reflected gloss;

5. illumination pulsation coefficient;

6. lighting at workplaces equipped with PCs;

• illumination on the screen surface
• white field brightness
• uneven brightness of the working field
• contrast for monochrome mode
• spatial unstable image

Irrational artificial lighting may manifest itself in non-compliance with the standards of the following parameters of the light environment: insufficient illumination of the work area, increased pulsation of the light flux (more than 20%), poor spectral composition of light, increased gloss and brightness on the table, keyboard, text, etc. It is known that when long work in low light conditions and in violation of other parameters of the light environment visual perception decreases, myopia develops, eye disease develops, and headaches appear.

Ensuring requirements sanitary standards to the factors of the light environment for workplaces of personnel engaged in visually intense work, and for workplaces in classrooms and auditoriums educational institutions is an important factor in creating comfortable conditions for the organ of vision.

Among the quality indicators of the light environment, very important is illumination pulsation coefficient (Kp). Illumination pulsation coefficient is a criterion for assessing the depth of fluctuations (changes) in illumination created by a lighting installation over time.

The requirements for the light pulsation coefficient are the most stringent for workstations with a PC - no more than 5%. For other types of work, the requirements for the illumination pulsation coefficient (Kp) are less stringent, but the value of Kp should be no more than 15%. Only for the roughest visual work is allowed higher value(Kp), but not more than 20%.

Local lighting (if used) should not create glare on the surface of the screen and increase the illumination of the PC screen by more than 300 lux. Direct and reflected glare from all lighting sources should be limited.

Often the greatest inconvenience for users is the increased reflectivity of monitor screens and low-quality on-screen filters (if they are installed on display screens). This causes additional eye fatigue. To reduce it, in many institutions, users themselves turn off some of the lamps and work with minimal illumination, both at the workplace and on various surfaces.

This type of work should be considered unacceptable, because in this case, the illumination on the retina of the eye from any sign requiring discrimination turns out to be lower than the physiologically necessary value, equal to 6–6.5 lux. The required illumination is regulated by the pupil size from 2 mm (at very high illumination) to 8 mm (at extremely low illumination for the most rough work). It has been established that the optimal brightness levels of surfaces range from 50 to 500 d/m2. The optimal brightness of the display screen is 75–100 cd/m2. With such screen brightness and table surface brightness within the range of 100–150 cd/m2, the productivity of the visual apparatus is ensured at the level of 80–90%, and the pupil size remains constant throughout acceptable level 3–4 mm.

Therefore, by “fighting” the glare on the display screen in the above manner, users simultaneously create other unfavorable conditions for themselves. In particular, the load on the eye muscles increases significantly. It causes increased fatigue organ of vision, and subsequently - the development of myopia.

In reality, non-compliance with lighting and brightness standards occurs in more than 40% of workplaces. Recommendations for meeting the standards are well known. As a rule, it is enough to install an additional number of lamps and slightly change the orientation of the desktops in relation to the light sources. It can be more difficult to meet the requirements of the standards for the pulsation coefficient (hereinafter referred to as Kp) of illumination.

In most rooms (more than 90%), lighting is carried out using lamps that have conventional electromagnetic ballasts (ballasts), and these lamps are connected to one phase of the network. To find out how organizations comply with the requirements for pulsation coefficient standards, using the Argus-07 lux meter-pulse meter and TKA-PKM, measurements of the pulsation coefficient were carried out at many working and educational places in different organizations(including at workplaces with PCs).

Our measurements and analysis of literature data show that in terms of the value of Kp, most of the surveyed places did not meet the requirements of the standards: the actual values ​​of Kp in different rooms for different types lamps with fluorescent lamps range from 22 to 65%, which is significantly higher than the norm. Currently widely used ceiling lamps 4x18 W with a mirrored grille have a pulsation coefficient of 38-49%, for this reason many workers find it difficult to force themselves to work on a PC, as they get tired very quickly, sometimes experience dizziness and other discomfort. The pulsation coefficient of incandescent lamps is 9-11%, of ceiling lamps of the “Kososvet” type - 10–13%, but they are less economical.

An increase in the illumination pulsation coefficient Kp reduces a person’s visual performance and increases fatigue. This is especially evident in students, primarily in schoolchildren under 13–14 years of age, when the visual system is still developing.

Unfortunately, significant non-compliance is overlooked in many organizations. And in vain. It has been established that actually increased pulsation of illumination has negative impact to the central nervous system, and to a greater extent - directly on the nerve elements of the cerebral cortex and photoreceptor elements of the retina.

Research carried out at the Ivanovo Research Institute of Occupational Safety and Health showed that a person’s performance decreases: tension appears in the eyes, fatigue increases, it is more difficult to concentrate on difficult work, memory deteriorates, occurs more often headache. The negative impact of pulsation increases with increasing depth.

For those who work with the display screen, visual work is the most intense and differs significantly from other types of work. According to the Institute of Higher Education nervous activity and neurophysiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences (RAS of Russia), the brain of a PC user is forced to react extremely negatively to two (or more) simultaneous, but different in frequency and non-multiple rhythms of light stimulation. At the same time, pulsations from images on the display screen and pulsations from lighting installations are superimposed on the biorhythms of the brain.

Methods for reducing the light pulsation coefficient.

There are three main ways:

• connection of conventional lamps to different phases three-phase network (two or three lighting fixtures);

• power supply of two lamps in a lamp with a shift (one with a lagging current, the other with a leading current), for which compensating ballasts are installed in the lamp;

• the use of lamps where the lamps must operate on alternating current with a frequency of 400 Hz and higher.

Practice shows that currently in most premises all rows of lamps are connected to one phase of the network, so the implementation of such a technique as “dephasing” lamps is often difficult. Therefore, the most realistic options are often the following:

• dismantling previously installed lamps equipped with electromagnetic ballasts and installing in their place new lamps equipped with electromagnetic ballasts (i.e. electronic ballasts);

• leave the existing lamps (if they comply with the requirements of clauses 6.6, 6.7 and 6.10 of SanPiN 2.2.2/2.4.1340-03), remove electromagnetic ballasts from them and install electronic ballasts in their place); dismantling ballasts and installing electronic ballasts in one luminaire takes an average of 15 – 20 minutes.

Currently, the leaders in the introduction of luminaires with electronic ballasts are Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Germany, then the USA and Japan. The complete transition of all organizations in the world to such lamps in the next 10–15 years will significantly reduce energy consumption in the world, i.e. partially improve the environmental situation.