LED lighting can damage eye's retina, disturb natural sleep rhythms

France government-run health watchdog has said, the blue light in LED lighting can damage the eye's retina and disturb natural sleep rhythms. 

The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety has said, new findings confirm earlier concerns that exposure to an intense and powerful LED light is photo-toxic and can lead to irreversible loss of retinal cells and diminished sharpness of vision. 

The agency recommended in a report that the maximum limit for acute exposure be revised, even if such



levels are rarely met in the home or work environments.

The report distinguished between acute exposure of high-intensity LED light, and chronic exposure to lower intensity sources.

Long-lasting, energy efficient and inexpensive, light-emitting diode (LED) technology has gobbled up half of the general lighting market in a decade and will top 60 per cent by the end of next year, according to industry projections.

LED uses only a fifth of the electricity needed for an incandescent bulb of comparable brightness.