Re: LCD TVs and ultraviolet (UV) light

[Guest guest]

Found this website: http://www.mdsupport.org/library/hazard.html

Discusses warnings of both UV and blue light on people with retinal disease and

risk of AMD macular degeneration. I suppose you could get a special sunglass

for AMD to block UV + bluelight.

CCFL-lit LCD carries some emissions detectable via AM radio, and I'm guessing it

would have UV too, like the CFL bulbs have.

LED-lit LCD's may have lower digital harmonics than CCFL. However, they could

potentially carry the blue light danger, and be a problem to the eyes long-term.

Not sure if it applies the same way in a TV vs. a lamp. I suspect LED-edgelit

LCD may be even lower on digital harmonics than full array LED.

> Is it correct that LED lights and backlights do *not* produce UV light? Would

a LED-backlighted TV or monitor be a " healthier " choice - at least for some

people - for this reason?

>

> For some reason I have in my head that a LED-backlighted TV could be the

lesser of the evils for me. I'm not sure if this notion is actually correct,

though.

>

> One thing that might contradict my notion is that - based on what I've read

and my limited exposure - LED-backlighted LCD TVs are brighter and have more

vivid colors than CCFL-backlighted LCD TVs. Since I'm quite light-sensitive,

the brightness and color of CCFL TVs are more than enough for me.

>

> But I was still wondering if LED TVs put out a " healthier " spectrum of light -

despite their higher brightness levels.

>

> In addition to UV light, I've recently learned that the " blue " spectrum of

light can be unhealthy too - since it suppresses melatonin production. (Blue

light is a high-frequency, short-wavelength type of light. Only the violet and

UV spectrums are higher-frequency, I think.)

>

> Would LED-backlighted TVs/monitors put out less blue light than

CCFL-backlighted TVs/monitors?

>

>

> As usual, thanks for any " light " you guys can shed.

>

> ~Svetaswan

>

[Guest guest]

BTW, another solution would be to use a UV-blocking protective

filter/screen/film on the TV itself.

[Guest guest]

Svetaswan,

This is a very interesting topic. There must be some way we can obtain more info

about this from some manufacturers.

~ Ole

>

> Hi guys,

>

> There are some awesomely smart people here, so I was wondering if anyone could

answer this question. I've tried Googling this, but I have not really been able

to find much definitive information on this topic.

>

> Supposedly, the fluorescent backligting of LCD TVs and monitors(CCFL

backlights) produce UV light/rays. As I'm sure you know, exposure to UV light

is mostly something we want to avoid. So I was wondering if the UV light

produced by LCD screens is something to be concerned about.

>

> Is the UV light produced by LCDs contained enough that it doesn't reach the

consumer? Or are we actually exposed to this UV light, in a similar way that we

are exposed to the sun's harmful UV light?

>

> Is it possible that sensitive people (or even not-so-sensitive people) could

- at least over time - react to the UV light that could be emanating from these

devices?

>

> Is it correct that LED lights and backlights do *not* produce UV light? Would

a LED-backlighted TV or monitor be a " healthier " choice - at least for some

people - for this reason?

>

> For some reason I have in my head that a LED-backlighted TV could be the

lesser of the evils for me. I'm not sure if this notion is actually correct,

though.

>

> One thing that might contradict my notion is that - based on what I've read

and my limited exposure - LED-backlighted LCD TVs are brighter and have more

vivid colors than CCFL-backlighted LCD TVs. Since I'm quite light-sensitive,

the brightness and color of CCFL TVs are more than enough for me.

>

> But I was still wondering if LED TVs put out a " healthier " spectrum of light -

despite their higher brightness levels.

>

> In addition to UV light, I've recently learned that the " blue " spectrum of

light can be unhealthy too - since it suppresses melatonin production. (Blue

light is a high-frequency, short-wavelength type of light. Only the violet and

UV spectrums are higher-frequency, I think.)

>

> Would LED-backlighted TVs/monitors put out less blue light than

CCFL-backlighted TVs/monitors?

>

>

> As usual, thanks for any " light " you guys can shed.

>

> ~Svetaswan

>

[Guest guest]

BTW, checked with my eye doctor on this question of blue light and ultraviolet.

He said he had done some research on LED-lit LCD TV's, and said the blue

spectrum here is not the same as the kind of blue that damages one's eyes.

I also asked him about UV from CCFL-lit LCD TV. He said that it's not much, and

that you would get more UV from standing outside in bright sunlight.

Thus, I went with LCD TV to replace former plasma TV. Much smaller footprint on

the AM radio.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the responses, emraware (and sorry for being way late). Good info

you got from your doctor, there.

Yeah - several months back, I came across a website that was a resource for

people who suffer from a clinical health condition (it may have been

scleroderma) in which avoidance of UV light (as much as possible) is critical

for controlling the condition. There was a blurb on that site, that cited a

good source - which concluded that LCD TVs are " safe " for this population - that

the UV light output isn't really significant. It seemed to be a pretty

convincing piece of info. I wish I could find the link - but our Dell laptop

pretty much died a couple of months ago (ding dong the witch is dead!) - and all

of the useful " Favorites " that I had collected over the past few years weren't

salvaged.

As far as blue light - well, I'm now fairly " satisfied " with the idea that -

depending on the specific model LCD TV that you have - a good bit of the blue

light produced by a CCFL or LED backlight is filtered by the LCD pixels, and

then one can adjust the settings (like change the color temperature to the

" warmest " setting - if the TV comes with that option - and turning the

brightness to as low as one can stand) to filter out more of it. The blue light

coming from a t.v. screen might not damage one's eyes - but it still may

" subconsciously register " and produce reactions for some people, and affect

melatonin production. I think I'm just sensitive to this type of stuff for some

reason. Part of the reason may be that I have the TV on way too much for my

good - not to mention the fact that I haven't managed to get my Internet

addiction under control...so I spend a lot of time in front of or in the

proximity of screens.

And if I feel the need for further filtering, I can buy an " amber gel " -like

filter like you suggested. I " discovered " those filters several months back - I

decided to buy gel filters of various " hues " and try them out on my Dell laptop.

I noticed a certain relief almost right away - less eye-strain, and even less

" head stress " . The filters seemed to lessen the effects of my

electrosensitivity - at least for awhile. Oh, and I noticed more " yawning " and

" sleepiness " when I used the filters - confirming for me that filtering out the

blue light does increase melatonin production.

The filters also seemed to lessen the effects of the flicker-sensitivity that I

may have.

I even decided to try out the filters on my TV screen. It may distort to colors

a little - but I don't mind.

I bought the filters from here:

http://www.northernsound.net/Sales/Filters/frame.html

I haven't felt the need/urgency to use the filters on my new eMachines laptop -

the screen doesn't seem as " offensive " as the Dell screen. But I may try out a

filter on this screen anyway (maybe a " lighter " one).

~Svetawan

>

> BTW, checked with my eye doctor on this question of blue light and

ultraviolet.

>

> He said he had done some research on LED-lit LCD TV's, and said the blue

spectrum here is not the same as the kind of blue that damages one's eyes.

>

> I also asked him about UV from CCFL-lit LCD TV. He said that it's not much,

and that you would get more UV from standing outside in bright sunlight.

>

> Thus, I went with LCD TV to replace former plasma TV. Much smaller footprint

on the AM radio.

>

[Guest guest]

> And if I feel the need for further filtering, I can buy an " amber gel " -like

filter like you suggested.

I never suggested " amber gel " filters before, maybe it was someone else. Good

if it helps you though.

[Guest guest]

You're right, it wasn't you. In fact, I didn't get that idea from here at all.

I think I Googled it up one day - it may have been on someone's blog.

~Svetaswan

>

> > And if I feel the need for further filtering, I can buy an " amber gel " -like

filter like you suggested.

>

> I never suggested " amber gel " filters before, maybe it was someone else. Good

if it helps you though.

>