Eye Protection and COB's

[Quintessence]

Hello all,

I'm happy to say that I've recently completed my DIY project and I'm stoked! Especially over the fact that I didn't fork over silly amounts of $ on a retail panel. It's all going well more or less, I'm still testing temps and making slight adjustments here and there. The light consists of 4 CXB3590's @ 3500K in a GGT 3x3. I knew they were going to be bright but holy hell! I can't wait to see how they perform. Thank you to all the awesome members here who have offered advice and shared their ideas etc.

Okay okay. My question to all you COB DIY folks is: What are you doing about your eyes?

Because I'm having problems already and I'm only into day 2 or so of having this thing on. I started wearing some pretty dark uv sunglasses, but even still I'm getting headaches vision problems after 10-20 minutes near this thing. Granted I've got temperature probes on my heatsink's and I'm hitting them with a laser thermometer every now and then to check on my passive cooling set up, so I'm probably looking at the fixture a lot more than normal at the moment. I'm also running it dimmed down as far as the HLG-185H-C1400A will go. I've looked at Method Seven and after reading through their FAQ my initial thought was to grab a pair of the MH ones, but my 3500k's are fairly warm which made me think HPS would offer better color correction. I had also considered grabbing a pair of welders glasses as a cheap alternative.

Thoughts?

 

[torontoke]

Great looking light man.
If the light is giving you migraines etc maybe get one of those green headlamps from a grow shop and only service them ladies in the dark.

 

[Abiqua]

The headache/discomfort might be from the PWM dimming which has a flicker and is noticeable by some and not related to covering your eyes....although you should wear eye protection regardless especially if looking directly at diodes for whatever reason.

 

[hyroot]

Always wear eye protection in any indoor garden whether it's led, hid, or induction.

I used to wear method 7's but I lost them. So expensive to replace I ended up getting a couple pair of grow 1 gruve glasses from amazon. They work just as good as method 7's. And they are comfortable. Only around $20 a pair on amazon. I wear them outside too. They filter the light instead of blocking out light.

 

[Quintessence]

The headache/discomfort might be from the PWM dimming which has a flicker and is noticeable by some and not related to covering your eyes....although you should wear eye protection regardless especially if looking directly at diodes for whatever reason.

Great point.I do tend to be affected by strobe and fast flicker rates. It's more of a pain behind the eyes kind of thing. So if I crank it up to full that flicker will be gone right?

 

[Quintessence]

Always wear eye protection in any indoor garden whether it's led, hid, or induction.

I used to wear method 7's but I lost them. So expensive to replace I ended up getting a couple pair of grow 1 gruve glasses from amazon. They work just as good as method 7's. And they are comfortable. Only around $20 a pair on amazon. I wear them outside too. They filter the light instead of blocking out light.

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Gotcha thanks!

 

[Quintessence]

Beautiful garden by the way.

 

[Abiqua]

Great point.I do tend to be affected by strobe and fast flicker rates. It's more of a pain behind the eyes kind of thing. So if I crank it up to full that flicker will be gone right?

My guess mind you... is that yes at 100% Duty cycle it would be normal imperceptible flicker at 60hz....

 

[alesh]

The headache/discomfort might be from the PWM dimming which has a flicker and is noticeable by some and not related to covering your eyes....although you should wear eye protection regardless especially if looking directly at diodes for whatever reason.

There's no PWM involved in the output.

 

[Quintessence]

There's no PWM involved in the output.

Is that so?.Then I'm guessing the headache is just from eye strain from UV and color distortion. I'm still unsure which Method Seven's to order. I know they all offer UV A, B and C protection but I'd also like to take advantage of whatever color distortion this light creates. I contacted customer support and they weren't as helpful as I had hoped, of course the rep I spoke to suggested I buy their top of the line pair... I know MH bulbs come in varying color temperatures but at 3500k, the 3590's seem to be somewhere in the middle of HPS and MH. So to rephrase my question, is anyone here using Method Seven glasses and these type of LED's and if so which ones do you use?

 

[PurpleBuz]

Is that so?.Then I'm guessing the headache is just from eye strain from UV and color distortion. I'm still unsure which Method Seven's to order. I know they all offer UV A, B and C protection but I'd also like to take advantage of whatever color distortion this light creates. I contacted customer support and they weren't as helpful as I had hoped, of course the rep I spoke to suggested I buy their top of the line pair... I know MH bulbs come in varying color temperatures but at 3500k, the 3590's seem to be somewhere in the middle of HPS and MH. So to rephrase my question, is anyone here using Method Seven glasses and these type of LED's and if so which ones do you use?

led cob lights have no UV, and is basically a very human friendly warm white light. no color correction needed.

just get a good pair of polarized sunglasses and stop looking at the lights when they are on.

you wouldn't look directly at sun to take its temp, right ?

 

[Quintessence]

Gotcha...Thank you for that information. I initially thought that but someone on another forum told me that they do put out UVC. As someone with sensitive eyes, I'm not sure I'd call them totally human friendly. Even the reflection from the lining of my tent causes me eye strain and headaches and I have already been wearing a dark pair of Oakley's which don't seem to put much of a dent in the brightness. And to clarify I'm not looking into the COB to check it's temperature, I'm standing in front of the tent, I'm not a complete buffoon.

 

[PurpleBuz]

Gotcha...Thank you for that information. I initially thought that but someone on another forum told me that they do put out UVC. As someone with sensitive eyes, I'm not sure I'd call them totally human friendly. Even the reflection from the lining of my tent causes me eye strain and headaches and I have already been wearing a dark pair of Oakley's which don't seem to put much of a dent in the brightness. And to clarify I'm not looking into the COB to check it's temperature, I'm standing in front of the tent, I'm not a complete buffoon.

didn't mean to imply anything... I'm always checking temp of heatsinks and have forced myself to be careful and avoid direct glances.

my oakleys aren't all that dark, not really dark enough to work around the lights.

 

[Michael Huntherz]

led cob lights have no UV, and is basically a very human friendly warm white light. no color correction needed.

just get a good pair of polarized sunglasses and stop looking at the lights when they are on.

you wouldn't look directly at sun to take its temp, right ?

Not necessarily accurate, COBs can have UV, but I agree some good polarized shades should do fine and dandy, even if there's UV involved. I like SunCloud brand, $60 will get you some nice dark polarized uv-blocking shades.

 

[cdgmoney250]

Is that so?.Then I'm guessing the headache is just from eye strain from UV and color distortion. I'm still unsure which Method Seven's to order. I know they all offer UV A, B and C protection but I'd also like to take advantage of whatever color distortion this light creates. I contacted customer support and they weren't as helpful as I had hoped, of course the rep I spoke to suggested I buy their top of the line pair... I know MH bulbs come in varying color temperatures but at 3500k, the 3590's seem to be somewhere in the middle of HPS and MH. So to rephrase my question, is anyone here using Method Seven glasses and these type of LED's and if so which ones do you use?

I'm currently using the M7 rendition hps+. They help out quite a bit with strain on the eyes.

 

[alesh]

Not necessarily accurate, COBs can have UV, but I agree some good polarized shades should do fine and dandy, even if there's UV involved. I like SunCloud brand, $60 will get you some nice dark polarized uv-blocking shades.

We're talking about CXB3590 3500K/80CRI which has no UV.

I totally believe that the COBs can cause some issues but it's just a very bright light. Don't look for something which isn't there.

 

[stardustsailor]

Let us focus at the visible spectrum ...
Most (if not all ) of phosphor conversion ,chip-on-board white LEDs do not radiate UV light (at all ).
But blue & violet wavelengths can be also harmful,under certain conditions ...

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

http://global-off-grid-lighting-association.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Issue_2_LEDLightsandEyeSafety_EcoNotes_final.pdf

http://www.lightingeurope.org/uploads/files/CELMA_ELC_LED_WG(SM)011_ELC_CELMA_position_paper_optical_safety_LED_lighting_Final_1st_Edition_July2011.pdf

Still ...I would like to add a note here ,BTW ...
...
Some recreational drugs can dilate the pupils in such degree,
( especially hallucinogens : LSD or mescaline )
that can lead to permanent eye damage ( retinal thermal or photochemical damage ),
if the drug usage is done during the daytime ,
even worse at summer and at worst at bright / reflective surroundings/environment ...
Trust me ,I know all about it and believe me , it can be quite serious ..

As a general rule ,attending the COB LED garden ,if eyes are kept low ,is quite safe for vision ...
In case of sensitive eyes ,then ordinary sunglasses will do a fine job ....

But ,if working / servicing / checking the light with COBs switched ON ,better use
some welding goggles or a piece of " welders mask " glass ...



Cheers

 

[salmonetin]

glases?... nahhh... better for cob powered...

...with uv... better more protection...

...on this extremist days... take care bros....

...just for the smiles...

...I told you Wilson...its friday againnn..



Saludos

 

[sanjuan]

I'd be more worried about the blue spike in a high-powered COB veg room. (But not as much as when I had a 1,000W MH in there; cheap welding goggles were not comfortable.)

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

"To date, the testing shows that Cree’s blue and royal blue LED components (450-485 nm dominant wavelengths) pose a higher potential eye safety hazard than its white LED components. Other colors of LED components, such as green and red LED components, do not pose as significant of an eye safety risk. Regardless of LED color, Cree advises users to not look directly at any operating LED component. Further, Cree recommends that any manufacturer that is incorporating Cree® LED components into its lighting products make an assessment of how these components could create a light exposure risk to its employees during the manufacturing process. Such risks can be minimized by using engineering controls (e.g., light-blocking screens or filters, or current‑limiting resistors in a test apparatus) or personnel protection equipment (e.g., light‑filtering or blocking eyewear)."

 

[PurpleBuz]

I'd be more worried about the blue spike in a high-powered COB veg room. (But not as much as when I had a 1,000W MH in there; cheap welding goggles were not comfortable.)

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

"To date, the testing shows that Cree’s blue and royal blue LED components (450-485 nm dominant wavelengths) pose a higher potential eye safety hazard than its white LED components. Other colors of LED components, such as green and red LED components, do not pose as significant of an eye safety risk. Regardless of LED color, Cree advises users to not look directly at any operating LED component. Further, Cree recommends that any manufacturer that is incorporating Cree® LED components into its lighting products make an assessment of how these components could create a light exposure risk to its employees during the manufacturing process. Such risks can be minimized by using engineering controls (e.g., light-blocking screens or filters, or current‑limiting resistors in a test apparatus) or personnel protection equipment (e.g., light‑filtering or blocking eyewear)."

warm white phosphor cobs (3.5K, 3K etc.) have a fairly small blue spike.