2026-10-11T05:00:32Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33997864 2026-09-25T17:24:54Z category_12 category_15 category_16 category_24 category_873 category_39 category_734 category_122 portal_5 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

<p>Data set used in analysis.</p> Mark Robinson (210259) Edward Barrett (11399408) Glen Jeffery (352802) Cell Biology Neuroscience Physiology Evolutionary Biology Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Mental Health visual ability may tested colour discrimination public health warrant highest metabolic rate colour performance scores colour discrimination ability 700nm ), eliminating 650 &# 8211 420 &# 8211 400 &# 8211 200 &# 8211 light impacts life led lighting continues led lights supplemented incandescent lighting led group visible light modern light light environment blue light widely adopted standard farnsworth solar spectrum significant reductions significant improvements narrow band munsell 100 mitochondrial modulation longer red infrared wavelengths improve metabolism hue test greatest density emitting diodes ageing patterns 55 subjects 4000nm ). 3000nm ). <div><p>Life evolved under sunlight (200–4000nm). Incandescent lighting was similar (200–3000nm). But modern light-emitting diodes (LED) produce only a narrow band of visible light (400–700nm), eliminating >90% of the solar spectrum. Light impacts life, partly through mitochondrial modulation with different wavelengths triggering opposing metabolic responses. Longer red/infrared wavelengths (650–1000nm) improve metabolism and ageing patterns, while blue light (420–450nm) undermines these processes. The retina has the highest metabolic rate in the body and the greatest density of mitochondria. Hence, visual ability may be vulnerable to changes in the light environment which negatively affects mitochondrial performance. We ask if standard LED lighting reduces visual performance in terms of colour discrimination ability, and whether adding 850nm infrared improves it. We tested colour discrimination with a standard Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue test in 55 subjects then divided them into those exposed to standard LED desk lighting or LED lights supplemented with 850nm infrared for a week. Controls were unexposed. There were no changes in controls but significant reductions of 33% in colour performance scores in the LED group and significant improvements of 23% in colour performance scores in those supplemented with 850nm. The implications for public health warrant further investigation as LED lighting continues to be widely adopted in the built environment.</p></div> 2026-09-25T17:24:52Z Dataset Dataset 10.1371/journal.pone.0345340.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_p_Data_set_used_in_analysis_p_/33997864 CC BY 4.0