Which LED light is the best for the eyes?

LED light is in the hype. Light diodes can now be found in virtually every modern German household. If not on the ceiling or as light sources in floor lamps, then at least as light sources in smartphone, TV and PC screens.

And yes, LEDs have their justification. With their excellent energy balance, they are in line with the spirit of the times, which cries out for resource-conserving behavior. The fact is: LEDs consume up to 80% less energy than lighting solutions from the sixties.

But there is a problem.

As beautiful as LED light is, it can be harmful. Especially for the eyes. This is because the blue light from LEDs is supposed to pass through the cornea of the human eye almost unhindered. And that in turn can set inflammatory processes in motion.

Blue light hits the eye

But there is a solution that can be less harmful to the eyes: Glasses with integrated blue light filters. Or even special computer glasses.

Study: Is LED light harmful?

That LED light should not be ideal for the eyes, scientists from the Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris wanted to find out. They implemented a study with three groups of rats. The first group was exposed to the light of LED light sources. The second group was exposed to conventional incandescent lamps - the kind you might remember from your childhood. And the third group moved in the light of fluorescent tubes.

The results are astonishing - and sobering. At a high light intensity of 6,000 lux, all three light sources led to inflammatory processes in the rats. These inflammations are said to have promoted the death of the photoreceptors.

Fortunately, such bright lighting conditions do not usually prevail in our interiors. Here, a light intensity of 500 lux is common. So the study was also conducted with all three light sources at a light intensity of 500 lux. The result here: only the LED lamps affected the rats' retinas.

Tests with humans are still pending. Nevertheless, there are already findings that allow LED light to be better classified: The blue light from an LED passes through the cornea unimpeded. This in turn can lead to an overproduction of proteins. The overproduction can in turn trigger an inflammatory process in the macula. You probably know it by the name "yellow spot". It is located in the back of the eye in the center of the retina.

Normal eye and eye with macular degeneration

So far. So bad. But what happens then?

In the worst case, the inflammation leads to the death of photoreceptor cells and loss of vision. But the pigment cells of the retina are also damaged. In old age, such processes are indeed common. The only problem is that LED light can accelerate these processes - and set them in motion unnecessarily early. This is especially possible if the people affected sit a lot in front of a computer screen, which is also set extremely bright.

One solution: filter out the blue light component

The blue light from LEDs can therefore lead to inflammation in the eye and loss of vision in the worst case. Cold-white LED light seems to be particularly harmful. In contrast, warm-white light from an LED source is said to be less harmful to the eyes. So a targeted switch to warm-white LEDs is a first measure. And an option for you if you want to reduce blue light in your environment.

But what about the screens of smartphones and PCs? Here, the permanently installed LEDs cannot simply be replaced with warm white LEDs.

Filter blue light with blueblocker glasses

The solution here can be Blueblocker glasses or Blueblocker clip-ons or glasses with blue light filters. They can reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration at an early stage. We have two different Blueblocker glasses for you in our assortment. Have a look at them.

LED light is everywhere - what you can do

LED lighting has become an indispensable part of our lives. So you won't be able to escape it. However, you can take a few steps to save your eyes.

LED Spectrum - Tablet, Smartphone, TV, LCD

First, always prefer natural daylight over artificial light. Instead of turning on an LED in your room, just open the curtains and let sunlight in. It's much more economical than any LED - it's free. And the daylight corresponds to your natural biorhythm. Because your body is set to the natural day-night rhythm. And the best way to correspond to this is through natural light.

In the evening or at night, you cannot fall back on natural light. Artificial lighting must be used here. Ideally, use warm white LEDs that contain less blue light than other LEDs.

If you spend a lot of time on your PC or smartphone - especially in the evening and before going to bed - activate the night mode of your devices. This mode deactivates part of the blue light and makes the display appear more yellow. If you want to go one step further, wear blueblocker glasses in the evening. They can filter up to 100 percent of the blue light from your environment. And also from the LED displays.

Last but not least: When buying lamps, pay attention to their Kelvin value. Okay, that may sound like physics, but it's easy to explain. So pay attention. The Kelvin value indicates the color temperature of a light source. The rule of thumb is: the higher the Kelvin value, the higher the blue light content in the lamp. Warm white LEDs, for example, can be recognized by a Kelvin value below 3,300.

Exciting to know: Red light can be good for the eyes

Warm white light can be the best light for your eyes. But so can red light, a 2020 study suggests. Neuroscientist Glen Jeffery, a professor at the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London, and his team found evidence that looking at red light for a few minutes a day can counteract vision loss.

The research results suggest that regular irradiation of the eyes with deep red light can improve vision in people over 40. A three-minute irradiation of the eyes per day could be ideal - preferably directly in the morning after getting up. But be careful: don't replicate the experiment by randomly looking into any red lights. There is red light that is not suitable for this. For example, the red light that you know from laser pointers. LED flashlights with red light of wavelength 670 nanometers were used for the experiment.