Saturday, September 22, 2012

How Marine LED Lights Help Prevent Vision Problems At Night

By Casandra Newton


The use of marine LED lights can help improve night vision and decrease the typical blind spots. This includes their appearance in instruments, running lights, steaming lights, and anchor lights. The sharp, clear glow can be seen for greater distances without the glare problems of incandescent bulbs. These are clean burning bulbs.

Thanks to the reduction in glare the clarity is like a pinpoint of light. Back lighting of instruments is commonly done with LED bulbs because it is easy to see the necessary information without losing the ability to see the vessel's surroundings. Navigation without retinal distortion is vital to the safety of everyone. Staying on course and avoiding collisions is obviously much more difficult when you cannot see where you are going.

The same can be said for hand held instruments. The use of hand held devices that have LED bulbs is easier on the eyes regardless of who is using it. Even someone with a bright light that is sitting beyond the cockpit can be enough to cause visual distress. The individual at the helm may have some significant issues in tight navigational conditions.

Another common reason for their use is that they draw less power. They last much longer than incandescent bulbs and they do not drain the boat's batteries with the same ferocity. Safe operation throughout the night is easier when you are not consistently worried about how much energy is being used.

The component of safety cannot be overlooked. When the proper combination of lights is displayed it is an effective form of communication to other vessels. They can tell whether you are moving under power or sail, which direction you are heading, and gather some inclination of the speed you are moving. If you are at anchor, this information is also clear and you can be avoided.

Instrumentation is a component of safety for you as well. It creates a combination of vital statistics that helps you understand exactly where you are, what hazards are around you, and how much water is left to navigate. You can avoid things like running aground, collisions with objects, and ending up in the wrong place.

There is one potential drawback for those who are used to having incandescent bulbs. Today's manufacturing practices of equipment allows for the continual replacement of bulbs when necessary. Older versions require that the entire housing is changed. A running light that has finally burnt out may require an entire new running light housing rather than just a bulb. This is fine provided you are prepared and have a spare with you or can gain easy access to a spare.

The ease and reliability of marine LED lights is so far greater than the use of incandescent bulbs that most manufacturers of marine supplies, boats, and instruments only use the LED version. This creates uniformity in the products that have come out over the past couple of decades and adds an element of safety for those who are taking to the water in the darkness. Clearer night vision helps to avoid accidents and creates greater energy efficiency on board.




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