Kirkland, Washington
98033
tel: (425) 605-8500
fax: (801) 912-2645
sales@OrbOptronix.com
LED Eye Safety Testing and Evaluation
- Evaluation to IEC 60825-1 for extended sources
- Evaluation to ANSI/IESNA RP.27, Recommended Practice for Photobiological Safety for Lamps
- Report validating traceable testing procedures
- Recommendations for appropriate product classifications and labeling
LED Eye Safety
Orb Optronix has conducted its own research and has applied ANSI and IESNA recommended practices for LED eye safety testing and evaluation.
Can Light Emitting Diodes (LED's) used in today's consumer electronics cause eyestrain, headaches, and increased risk of eye damage? Such questions may seem alarmist, but research is increasingly proving these hazards to be of concern.
With the advent of ever increasingly powerful Light Emitting Diodes (LED's), the consumer market is now being exposed to narrow spectrums of intense light never before possible. This is especially true in the case of white LEDs with significantly more blue light than other lighting technologies. This should be a concern for both manufactures of products employing LEDs and consumers alike.
Product Testing
When it comes to product safety and hazard assessments, the responsibility usually falls on the end-product manufacturer. Component manufacturers, such as the manufacturers of LEDs, have no control over how their products will be used. Not all hazards can be universally determined and this is especially true when dealing with optics. A system determined to be safe may fall into a different classification with the addition of an optic as simple as a lens. This means that manufacturers of products using LEDs should test their products and not rely on test data for the bare LEDs.
All worst-case fault conditions must also be considered when making a hazard assessment. For instance consider conditions where a transistor driving an LED, shorts out. This condition may drive current through the device, beyond its intended design. The resulting luminous intensities may put the product in a higher classification for this worst-fault condition.
The primary motivation for product testing is consumer safety. Resellers often will not sell products that do not have proper labeling or that do not meet requirements for the economic area in which the product will be sold.
Proper hazard assessment of LED sources is measured in spectral radiance (W m-1 sr-1). This is necessary for correctly assessing the effects of the source on different structures of the eye. Orb Optronix’ performs such tests in its in-house LED Test & Measurement Laboratory.
The Future of LED Eye Safety
Currently, only the European Union declares that LED sources are subject to testing and classification under EC 60825-1 for products being sold under that economic body. New standards for the US are under development, but this does not abstain the manufacturer of products using LEDs of responsibility. LED technology is evolving to a point where the consumer and manufacturer’s best interest is to understand the spectral hazards a product may contain and how proper labeling and design hazard mitigation will improve the safety and quality of the product.
Please call or contact us for information on how we can help in assessing LED eye safety for your products.
or email sales@orboptronix.com
