 |
 |
Doug, thanks for the information, it certainly makes sense to me, and now we should consider the effects on PWP's who are exposed to flourescent, or neon lighting, as well as computer monitors, or TV screens, which I believe use the same frequencies, or multiples of them, right?? We have had discussions here of using the audible frequencies of a metronome to help PWPs walk better, and marking periodic stripes 18" apart on a floor, to aid their walking strides, I am wondering if the input to the brain via the eyes, I am wondering how, or IF these factors relate to each other. Could a device which controls the frequency of light seen by the PWP help to alleviate symtoms? Have any studies been done on any of these factors? Rita weeks made mention of light with pink or red hues afecting her, and blue glasses helping her. Is the effect of ultra violet light, or infrared light of any benefit, or should they be filtered out, to avoid symptoms?? Any one have anything to add to this? [OO] LOOKING FOR RADIOS! Ken Becker [log in to unmask] On Thu, 10 Oct 1996, Doug McCorkle wrote: > On Mon, 7 Oct 1996 22:09:23 -0400 Ken Becker > <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > >> I have a theory about the effect of artificial light, which runs on an > >> alternating current power supply (our normal power lines in the US run > >> at 60 Hertz, actually turning all lights run from it on and off 60 times > >> per second. ) > ... > >> Does anyone else have any inside info on this phenomenon? > > Ken: > > It's not "inside info", but I do have a few barely connected thoughts on > the subject. > > The 60 Hz "flicker" is much more pronounced in flourescent and "neon" > lights than in incandescent ones. I'm tempted to say that it's completely > absent in incandescent bulbs. > > The reason is that the incandescent light comes from a "white hot" > filament, that's heated by the current. It's true that the filament > receives zero current at 120 points during each second (in the U.S., at > least), and somewhat reduced current for about 1/2 of each second in all, > but the "switch-ons and switch-offs" come too fast for the filament to cool > down very much, so its light output doesn't really fluctuate. > > The electrochemical mechanisms of the flourescents respond a lot more > quickly to the electrical fluctuations, so you can perceive the flicker > more easily. > > It might be interesting to compare the effects of incandescent and > flourescent light sources. (One confounding factor: Flourescents give off > light that's "bluer" than incandescents. If the color of the light is a > factor, this would be a problem.) > > For what it's worth your computer screen also flickers at something closer > to 30 times per second. > > (I also know that flickering lights can also produce seizures in > epileptics, though I don't think the happens in the 30-60 Hz range.) > > Thanks for indulging me, everyone. Hope someone found this interesting. >