Narrative
Regulation of our sleep-wake cycle is crucial to health and well-being. The quality (intensity and spectral distribution) of artificial light is currently described according to its ability to activate rod and cone photoreceptors in the human eye. This approach ignores the discovery of a third photoreceptor that Lucas and his group have shown to be responsible for a range of sub-conscious neurophysiological and neurobehavioural responses to light, which together strongly contribute to health, productivity and well-being. Their research has established ways of measuring light that predict its effect on these newly discovered photoreceptors. They have partnered with industrial and public policy (various) organisations to translate this knowledge into improved artificial light sources and updated international standards for architectural lighting, for use in a wide range of domestic, public and industrial settings.| Impact date | 2003 → 2014 |
|---|---|
| Category of impact | Health impacts, Technological impacts |
| Impact level | Benefit |
Documents & Links
Related content
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Research output
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Addition of human melanopsin renders mammalian cells photoresponsive
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Multiple hypothalamic cell populations encoding distinct visual information
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Melanopsin contributions to irradiance coding in the thalamo-cortical visual system
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Melanopsin cells are the principal conduits for rod-cone input to non-image-forming vision
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Distinct contributions of rod, cone, and melanopsin photoreceptors to encoding irradiance
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A "melanopic" spectral efficiency function predicts the sensitivity of melanopsin photoreceptors to polychromatic lights
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Impacts
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A new international measurement standard and guidelines for healthy lighting
Impact: Society and culture, Policy, Economic, Awareness and understanding, Health and wellbeing
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A new international lighting standard that meets our biological needs
Impact: Technological impacts, Health and wellbeing, Society and culture, Economic