blue light and eye strain?

[tcoral]

Well reading the articles on blue light after buying a new pair of glasses and they mentioned blue light blocking coatings. An email came from my vision provider that explained more here on the effects of blue light from electronic devises on eyes and macular degeneration:

http://vspblog.com/blue-light-exposure/

They then say that the wavelengths in the 430 to 440 nanometer range, which made me think Whoa, what about the actinic lights on the aquariums? Could they be causing eye damage/strain with them running all day? Always wondered about the UV also.

No longer have my reef tank, but I had a lot of blue lights on it and this news made me stop and think about possible eye strain for having a reef tank in certain rooms. Any thoughts?

more scary stuff on the wavelengths:

http://vspblog.com/good-vs-bad-blue-light/

[Zacktosterone]

I think you're over thinking it.... the sun has those spectrums built in

[theatrus]

I think you're over thinking it.... the sun has those spectrums built in

Basically this.

There is some evidence to support that the cool temperature light shifts the circadian rhythm in humans.

Blue wavelengths also don't cause our pupils to contract as much as green (its visually dimmer yet still the same power), leading to safety concerns when looking directly into them:

http://www.cree.com/~/media/Files/Cree/LED%20Components%20and%20Modules/XLamp/XLamp%20Application%20Notes/XLamp_EyeSafety.pdf

[tcoral]

I commented to one of the vision care blogs asking if it was the act of trying to focus on something backlit with blue light causing the strain or the light itself. Haven't heard anything back yet

[drummerboyevil]

VHO super actinics hurt my eyes and gave me a slight headache for the first few days, but it quickly went away.

[Reef Frog]

This is a good question. I don't think the main danger is eye strain. In theory it would be the exposure to UV rays. The same reason we wear sunglasses and sunscreen as well; to filter it out.

Many fixtures with actinic capability produce some UV light in the sub 400 nm range. I don't know what ranges, intensity and length of exposure are needed to damage human eyesight.

My gut tells me you are at less risk when there is no light spill over and all light is directed downwards into the water where I presume it's filtered and indirect. That would have to cut down on exposure I would think. But I wonder if children playing on the floor & looking up might be susceptible to undesirable exposure.

[Ocelaris]

I remember reading something about blue light affecting the blue receptor cones, but my recollection it was in general relating to the macular degeneration (eye problems) of older people. Basically your eyes see less blue as you age, which may/may not have anything to do with the amount of blue light you see over your life time.

It sounds more like a "your phone is trying to kill you" advertisement than scientifically proven fact to me at this point. Some good articles if anyone is interested in following that lead.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vision/rodcone.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4048889/

[Sounds Fishy]

I know those blue lights are nice to look at but probably not healthy for a long time.Fortunately there are other things available to do in life,than just looking at lights.