LED strips are a popular choice within homes, and can often be found under kitchen cabinets to add gentle lighting as well as a modern touch. LED strips (or LED ribbon as they’re also known) are available in a vast range of colours, and many are able to be programmed to change colours through a remote.
LEDs are also much better for the environment, as around 95% of the energy within LEDs is converted into light, with only 5% wasted as heat. Less energy use in turn reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions into the environment.
Supermarkets are now opting for LED lighting, due to it being an incredibly efficient light source, as well as having less of an effect on the foods within the store. Traditional filament lighting gives off quite a bit of heat when on, which can spoil the foods on display within supermarkets.
However, it’s not just within homes and supermarkets that LED lighting is gaining popularity. Recently, scientists at the Heriot-Watt University in Scotland have utilised LED technology to be able to detect and diagnose cataracts within individuals.
The LED technology is able to measure cataracts at a molecular level, which then informs clinicians on whether patients require eye surgery. Clinicians are able to observe a fluorescence signal from proteins within the eye lens.
This is a huge advancement, as it means a diagnosis can be made before the often debilitating conditions appear. This allows for preventative measure to be taken early on, limiting the symptoms that those with early signs of cataracts would normally acquire over time.
Cataract treatments are often quite invasive, and so this new research is paving the way to a painless and efficient treatment of this eye disorder.