Psychological and physiological assessment of visual fatigue caused by flickering light

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25820288
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Architectural environment/Equipment
• Research Institution: Kansai University (2014); National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (2013)
• Principal Investigator: OKAMOTO Yosuke 関西大学, 先端科学技術推進機構, 客員研究員 (80612184)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 点滅光 / 眼疲労 / 脳磁界 / 瞳孔

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study sought to investigate how flickering light affect visual fatigue. Subjective scores of visual fatigue, visual reaction time, pupil diameters and brain responses were measured while participants engaged in visual tasks under different light conditions.
The results suggest that the light with narrow spectral distribution may increase visual fatigue, compared to light with broad spectral distribution. Also, when participant engaged in visual task under the exposure to the short-wavelength flickering light with 50 Hz and rectangular waveform induced greater brain responses throughout the task. This fact might result in increasing visual fatigue.

Free Research Field

環境心理生理学