Fluorescent Lights Vs. Vision Health

Fluorescent lights.  Those things have always given me the creeps.

They belong in horror movies and movies about sitting in an office cubicle all day, and in mental institution abandoned hallways.  They have that creepy noise too, especially when the ballast is less than new.  Everything about fluorescents, just feels like they were invented by the same people who formulate fast food artificial flavors.

Why this, today?   Because Kellee posted this comment in the forum:

I’ve been thinking a lot about feelings and eyes, because taking note of the emotions and frustrations that come up gives me a reason to keep progressing on this journey. Tonight (a couple of hours ago) I was sitting on a train brightly lit with fluorescent lights. I’ve always hated the way those lights make me feel, especially in the evening. As I was sitting there, I was trying to get to the root of why I get so uncomfortable and even anxious under that type of lighting, especially during a certain time of day (nighttime). 

I sort of realized that on a subconscious level I always felt that I couldn’t see and that things weren’t clear and there was confusion. It never mattered if I was wearing glasses or contacts, or even if my vision was 20/20 in them, I have always gotten this vague feeling that I cannot see things clearly (even if I technically can) and then panic sets in. I wonder if I was able to see clearly without glasses or contacts, would it improve the feeling? I’m not sure yet, but I thought it was worth noting. 

It’s not just fluorescent lighting that this happens in (although I really really hate it), but it’s always in bad or low lighting that makes me feel anxious, even if I can see clearly with the aid of glasses or contacts. It’s always in this type of lighting that I really find myself wishing I didn’t need those aids in order to see. 

So I thought that was worth sharing and wonder if anyone else can relate to this? For me, personally, I think that there is a significant anxiety component to my myopia- not sure if it’s a chicken or an egg, which came first, type of thing but it’s worth exploring further.

If you’re sitting under a quietly buzzing bunch of fluorescent lights right now, reading this, you probably know just how Kellee feels.

Here’s my comment in her forum thread:

I’m not a fan of fluorescents either. Soul sucking, I think of them as.

What may contribute to your unease is the reduced acuity, no matter how good your eyesight is. Less light always means reduced distance vision. Fluorescents are interesting since they appear to be much brighter than they actually are. So it “seems” bright enough but between the actual lower LUX and the narrow spectrum of light, you notice your eyes focusing slower and less far (if you’re sensitive to this). With natural light you subconsciously anticipate your vision being slightly affected and the progression of less light = less acuity feels “right”. This doesn’t happen with a lot of artificial rights, for reasons stated above.

For that reason I really don’t like to be in malls or grocery stores for any extended period. It a looks bright but the effect is a bit surreal when you’re tuned in to your own vision.