Glasses for LED lights?

RedzoneFL

Active Member
I turned on my LED lights last night and I found my self blind very fast. couldnt adjust after I looked away and gave me a horrible headace. Whats your suggestion for some eye wear? DARK black glasses or something designed for LED growing?
 

BeastGrow

Well-Known Member
just get some sunglasses... polarized would probably be best because of the glare off the leaves.
 

Sativa Dragon

Active Member
Ya LED's contrary to popular belief do kick out a fair amount of UV depending on the NM of the spectrums, LED's are nearly classified as lasers, they are somewhere between lasers and HID's if you stare at them you WILL, damage your sight. It's Called a cumulative injury that happens over a long peroid of repeated exposures.

Be Safe
 

RedzoneFL

Active Member
Ya LED's contrary to popular belief do kick out a fair amount of UV depending on the NM of the spectrums, LED's are nearly classified as lasers, they are somewhere between lasers and HID's if you stare at them you WILL, damage your sight. It's Called a cumulative injury that happens over a long peroid of repeated exposures.

Be Safe
What would you suggest that I use then for glasses, what you mention is scary.
 

iblazetoomuch

Active Member
I have cheap 135w ufo, does mess with your eyes pretty good in a matter of seconds, whites on screens look grey and dull, alot of colors mesh lol. I have mine directed into a box with a few leaks but it doesnt bother me atm like it did before I rigged up a box for my first grow, I think its only direct exposure but I can imagine the hue of the purplish isn't good, Mine makes lil tint on back wall where I put a hole for air intake into the box, and lil out on otherside with light leaks around the fan, doesn't bother my eyes but def. will be looking forward to actual leakproof box.

No ,you only need glasses with min 1000w hid and usually vertical.


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1,000w I doubt it, just the 135w cheap ufos mess with your eyes lol.. I noticed everything turn grey/green with the light not directed into makeshift box, I def. couldn't rock a normal LED light without glasses, nor would I want to on my skin ect lol.
 

PurpleBuz

Well-Known Member
Ya LED's contrary to popular belief do kick out a fair amount of UV depending on the NM of the spectrums, LED's are nearly classified as lasers, they are somewhere between lasers and HID's if you stare at them you WILL, damage your sight. It's Called a cumulative injury that happens over a long peroid of repeated exposures.

Be Safe
well your half right. Most of the leds out there have no significant UV light in them (UVA UVB, UVC). Most of them have blues above 400nm.

On the other hand the intense bands of relatively monchromatic light fools the irises and are VERY dangerous.

I keep a pair of polarized wrap around safety glasses with some blue metallic reflection. works great a little bit of color correction, UV protection (I have a bunch of T5s with actinic blues) and dims enough I can briefly look at the leds and T5 tubes without issue). On top of that they also double as safety glasses.
 

Sativa Dragon

Active Member
What would you suggest that I use then for glasses, what you mention is scary.
It really should scare ya, thats the proper response to anyone losing there sight, really it is not the darkness of the tinit just ensure it is UV protected, the safety glasses I wear are clear but the are sufficient to protect against welding flash which is industry standard, So any Safety glasses as long as they are rated UV, you can really find some neat tinted ones or mirror ones for fairly cheap.

http://www.google.ca/search?q=cool+safety+glasses&biw=1382&bih=675&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=LtRpUdnSDY6u0AGptIDQCQ&ved=0CFEQsAQ

have a look but you can get away with some fairly cheap ones, I get mine from work, and I have worked around welders and they really do protect.

Peace
 

Sativa Dragon

Active Member
No ,you only need glasses with min 1000w hid and usually vertical.
B.S. your not even suppose to look at those reptile lights and HPS 150 watt light puts out more UV than that.

And how does the light beam change from vertical to horizontal?

Peace
 

budman111

Well-Known Member
I turned on my LED lights last night and I found my self blind very fast. couldnt adjust after I looked away and gave me a horrible headace. Whats your suggestion for some eye wear? DARK black glasses or something designed for LED growing?
Any sunglasses will do, NEVER look directly at LED.
 

Sativa Dragon

Active Member
well your half right. Most of the leds out there have no significant UV light in them (UVA UVB, UVC). Most of them have blues above 400nm.

On the other hand the intense bands of relatively monchromatic light fools the irises and are VERY dangerous.

I keep a pair of polarized wrap around safety glasses with some blue metallic reflection. works great a little bit of color correction, UV protection (I have a bunch of T5s with actinic blues) and dims enough I can briefly look at the leds and T5 tubes without issue). On top of that they also double as safety glasses.
I am full on right actually, I have built some LED fixtures and have been warned by the vendors about the 430nm LED UV lights that I was buying, this is the same NM of light dentists use to cure and kill bacteria while doing a filling, and ontop of the rig they shove in your mouth with the purple 430nm LED is a shield to protect the assitant from the rays.

If you think you are safe you havent done enough reading and you are fooling yourself, you will feel no pain when you damage your eyes, even a welding flash doesn't burn till much later as the mucous membrane has been burnt off the eye.

Better safe than sorry, any light you eye sees especially blues affect your eyesight.

http://www.electronicsweekly.com/articles/08/11/2012/54949/ensuring-safety-in-led-lighting.htm

Blue light hazard

Without UV, blue is left as the most destructive part of the visible spectrum, causing damage to the retina through photo-chemical action rather than heating.
And occasionally damaging UV reaches the retina as well - this happens in young children and those whose eye lens has been removed for medical reasons, for example.
Our faces owe something to the power of blue light.
"We have evolved to be protected from sun exposure when sun is high in the sky - it is why we have eye brows and brow ridges. When the sun is low, it tends to be redder," Dr John O'Hagan, head of the UK Health Protection Agency's laser and optical radiation dosimetry group told Electronics Weekly.
The science of blue light damage at high intensity is well studied, and it is known to be cumulative over durations up to hours.
The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) is a body which gathers scientific evidence as it is revealed and, through expert review, produces best-practice guidelines. As such, its guidelines are well respected and are the basis for global standards in light safety.
ICNIRP suggests the "use of hats, eye protectors, clothing, and sun-shading structures" to protect the eyes and skin from the harmful effects of sunlight UV.
Long-term eye heath

There is a possibility that levels of blue light exposure which do not cause damage in hours, may cause cumulative damage over years, and a link has been proposed to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
This said, there is yet no strong evidence either way on blue light and AMD.
"Recent studies suggest that the blue end of the light spectrum may also contribute to retinal damage and possibly lead to AMD," said the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. "The retina can be harmed by high-energy visible radiation of blue/violet light that penetrates the macular pigment found in the eye. According to a study by The Schepens Eye Institute, a low density of macular pigment may represent a risk factor for AMD by permitting greater blue light damage."

The eye is particularly vulnerable between 420 and 470nm, which is exactly the range the InGaN die of 'white' lighting LEDs emit: blue indigo and violet.
This is true of lighting LEDs from all manufacturers, and it is also true of many fluorescent lights and HID (high-intensity discharge) lamps.


Good LED makers do it right

Responsible lighting LED makers issue information on the safe use of their devices.
For example: LED maker Cree has safety tested its LEDs, including the type that has most potential to do damage the retina - blue power LEDs.
According to Cree's LED eye safety document: "The results of this testing show significant health risks from some of Cree’s visible light LED lamps when viewed without diffusers or secondary optical devices. These risks warrant an advisory notice to indicate the potential for eye injury caused by prolonged viewing of blue light from these devices. To date, the testing shows that Cree’s blue and royal blue LEDs (450-485 nm dominant wavelengths) pose a higher potential eye safety hazard than its white LEDs. Other colours of LED lamps, such as green and red LED lamps, do not pose as significant of an eye safety risk."

At a recent LEDs workshop in the UK, Andrew Dennington of Carclo Technical Plastics, presenting a series of optical design tips, also included a word of caution; “The latest generation of LEDs is not safe, and someone will have their eyes damaged by a high-power LED product,” he warned. “Check your products to the relevant standards.”
One ongoing issue with LED safety is the problem of whether to classify an LED as a laser or a lamp – both have merits and both present problems, depending on how the LEDs are arranged and used.

SO....

Where your safety glasses.


Peace
 

PurpleBuz

Well-Known Member
I am full on right actually, I have built some LED fixtures and have been warned by the vendors about the 430nm LED UV lights that I was buying, this is the same NM of light dentists use to cure and kill bacteria while doing a filling, and ontop of the rig they shove in your mouth with the purple 430nm LED is a shield to protect the assitant from the rays.
No you are wrong most of the LED units do not have leds below 400nm thats the range for UV light. Only a few are incorporating leds below 400, usually 380- 390 nm leds.

You are right that led lights are dangerous BUT most of IT IS NOT UV light.

from wikpedia:
Ultraviolet (UV) light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, that is, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, corresponding to photon energies from 3 eV to 124 eV. It is so-named because the spectrum consists of electromagnetic waves with frequencies higher than those that humans identify as the color violet. These frequencies are invisible to humans, but visible to a number of insects and birds.
 

Sativa Dragon

Active Member
No you are wrong most of the LED units do not have leds below 400nm thats the range for UV light. Only a few are incorporating leds below 400, usually 380- 390 nm leds.

You are right that led lights are dangerous BUT most of IT IS NOT UV light.

from wikpedia:
Ultraviolet (UV) light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, that is, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, corresponding to photon energies from 3 eV to 124 eV. It is so-named because the spectrum consists of electromagnetic waves with frequencies higher than those that humans identify as the color violet. These frequencies are invisible to humans, but visible to a number of insects and birds.
Okay man ! you win go ahead and look at them all you want.
 

Sativa Dragon

Active Member
Since we can use Wiki as a reliable source of info, here is a section from a wiki page on safety, Anyone trying to grow with class one LED's will be disappointented thats why most if not all LED fixtures will contain class 2 if they are any good, I used cree with my projects the 430nm violets came with a warning that they do indeed emit ultraviolet radiation by nature of the elemental contents. So believew what you will. I will err on the side of safety and wear some cool shades in my area, you however can live on the edge and err on the side of ignorance and gamble with your eyesight.

Peace


Safety and healthThe vast majority of devices containing LEDs are "safe under all conditions of normal use", and so are classified as "Class 1 LED product"/"LED Klasse 1". At present, only a few LEDs—extremely bright LEDs that also have a tightly focused viewing angle of 8° or less—could, in theory, cause temporary blindness, and so are classified as "Class 2".[SUP][101][/SUP] The Opinion of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) of 2010, on the health issues concerning LEDs, suggested banning public use of lamps which were in the moderate Risk Group 2, especially those with a high blue component in places frequented by children.[SUP][102][/SUP] In general, laser safety regulations—and the "Class 1", "Class 2", etc. system—also apply to LEDs.[SUP][103][/SUP]
While LEDs have the advantage over fluorescent lamps that they do not contain mercury, they may contain other hazardous metals such as lead and arsenic. A study published in 2011 states: "According to federal standards, LEDs are not hazardous except for low-intensity red LEDs, which leached Pb [lead] at levels exceeding regulatory limits (186 mg/L; regulatory limit: 5). However, according to California regulations, excessive levels of copper (up to 3892 mg/kg; limit: 2500), lead (up to 8103 mg/kg; limit: 1000), nickel (up to 4797 mg/kg; limit: 2000), or silver (up to 721 mg/kg; limit: 500) render all except low-intensity yellow LEDs hazardous."[SUP][104]

[/SUP]
 
I turned on my LED lights last night and I found my self blind very fast. couldnt adjust after I looked away and gave me a horrible headace. Whats your suggestion for some eye wear? DARK black glasses or something designed for LED growing?
Method7 just released some LED glasses that work wonders!1
 

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
This. The pigment in your eyes responsible deciding when to open/close your pupil is very sensitive to blue, but not sensitive to red. With monochromatic light sources, you don't have to worry about UV unless you're using an LED with a band centered very close to the UV range. The bandwidth of monochromatic LED's is too narrow to extend far from it's center wavelength.

Also, wavelengths closer to green appear brighter to the human eye. Red and blue will not appear as bright to us, but the photons are still just as powerful even if you can't see them as well. Be careful with narrow band emitters (LEDs). They can trick you into thinking they're weaker than they really are.

I nearly blinded myself many years ago not understanding this. I woke up with eyes that felt like sandpaper and it took a day to heal.

On the other hand the intense bands of relatively monchromatic light fools the irises and are VERY dangerous.
 
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