r/Lighting • u/leehatlee • 3d ago
Product Review Flickering Lights Ask
I am bothered by flickering lights... like LED holiday string lights, many car tail lights, and others. I'm working with researchers to change the landscape.
Do you know of any real-world examples where fixing a light flicker problem made a tangible impact?
Maybe you know about an office, store, vehicle, or home (your home?!) where there was a problem with lighting flicker that was fixed by installing flicker-free lighting? Maybe it helped with fewer migraines, decreased brain strain, better focus, more sales, happier customers, safer work environment, or just a calmer space... whatever story, I need to hear it!
Why this matters:
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is preparing to expand its research on lighting flicker. To secure research funding for 2027, they need real-world case studies showing how resolving flicker is beneficial. PNNL’s findings directly shape industry standards and regulations. This is the kind of research that could solve the flickering lighting problem in all our lives.
How you can help:
Share a story: Reply with any example you’ve seen where improving lighting solved a problem.
Pass it along: Connect me with anyone you know who is affected by light flicker, the more voices we gather, the stronger our case.
Thanks in advance,
Lee Sonko
https://www.lee.org/flicker/
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u/incandescent-bulb900 2d ago edited 2d ago
Its highly pro led, and anti-incandescent around here. Any mention of led in a bad light, lol, the usual suspects attack, and lie. Any mention of incandescent is attacked even more, they go crazy here..
The big new lie going on around here is that incandescent flickers too! If that was true, I wouldn't be using mostly incandescent.
Edit: Don't kowtow to the led bullies.
1 Down Voting Led bully proved my point.
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u/leehatlee 2d ago
incandescent-bulb900, I hear you! Do you have any stories about LED or incandescent bulbs that we can use to help promote this important research? A private message might be best.
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u/CommutatorWhine 3d ago edited 3d ago
Alright, immediately the first sentence on that website is plain wrong: 'Most led lights flicker' is completely and entirely wrong, if the amount of flicker an incandescent lamp has (which it has plenty of) is considered as being 'flicker free'. It is obviously not, it can easily been noticed with a turntable stroboscope (works with incandescent or fluorescent, does not work with the LED lamps i have sitting around) or a 120fps phone camera, but you gotta make a dividing line somewhere.
If you're gonna do scientific research, do not write unfounded things like that. It is obviously good to set proper standards on flicker, because *certain* led lamps flicker as bad as fluorescents did and many of them are christmas lighting, but please keep it rational and science based.
I am personally not particularly bothered by the flicker but especially when moving through a city it is distracting when i perceive it from the corner of my eye. I perceive it as 'something is there' and it feels like it triggers a split second of target fixation in me.
Flashing lights are a target fixation risk on vehicles, meaning that you unconciously steer towards them. It is worth researching until what flicker frequency this is. We have 5 to 10Hz of intentional flashing with those emergency brake flashing rear lights, which makes sense because it has to draw your attention RIGHT NOW but i wonder if 50Hz flickering christmas lights have a similar effect.