Avatar's Blog

So, I was in Victoria, BC where I learned that the human eye has four receptors, not three. Until the year 2000, we knew about only three. That we should find a receptor in the human body we knew nothing about for all of recorded history is newsworthy enough, but take a look at what this receptor does!

The three light receptors we already knew existed, receive light and are used to 'see'. This fourth receptor isn't used for 'seeing'; it receives information from the kinds of light it is exposed to and send messages to the parts of our body that release melatonin. Assuming a natural exposure to the light of day (sun), we are exposed to a bluish light in the morning, something else midday and warmer yellow light toward the end of the day. We already know that our melatonin release schedule is tied to our ability to rise, shine, and sleep at night. Now we know a little more about how the release schedule is triggered.

Until the past century, almost everyone was exposed to the right kind of light at the right times of day. With the invention and spread of electricity and the development of large office and factory buildings with rooms that have no exposure to the outside light, things changed. With the small amount of information available to date, researchers already know that exposure to the wrong light or even the right light at the wrong time of day increases all manner of ailments, including for example, breast cancer. It is possible that over a million women a year can be spared this disease simply by exposing their eyes to the natural light of the sun. So far, we don't know how much light (lumens), exactly when and how long the exposure needs to be for optimal effects. What we do know is that this discovery is going to have serious impacts on lighting in commercial structures – and soon!

Commercial buildings with this new kind of lighting installed will be providing a significantly healthier working environment for the people who spend most of their waking hours on the premises.