Eye damage from UVB/UVA.6 ti lights?

jajeanpierre

jajeanpierre

Chameleon Enthusiast
I've just bought a 48" tall Reptibreeze enclosure. The lights on top are over my head, so when I look up to the chameleon, I inevitably look up into the lights.

Will this cause eye damage to me?

I have a compact Reptisun 5.0, a 60w Zoo Med Daylight Blue for UVA and an infrared spot.
 
Those lights will not cause any issues. Honestly the compact bulbs put off so little UVB when you get 12" or so away from them. They are barely enough for supply your chameleon with enough UVB let alone damage your eyes.
 
jajeanpierre said:
I've just bought a 48" tall Reptibreeze enclosure. The lights on top are over my head, so when I look up to the chameleon, I inevitably look up into the lights.

Will this cause eye damage to me?

I have a compact Reptisun 5.0, a 60w Zoo Med Daylight Blue for UVA and an infrared spot.
Click to expand...

well, all light can cause eye problem, depending how old the chaleon is ( babies have more thinner skin overall) and how the enclosure is, if it is all sterile white with no way no have a shadow then it will pretty soon irritate their eyes.
and I have heard the the new exo terra light tubes been damaging to reptile skin
 
If you put them in an all white enclosure with no place to get into the shade and force them to remain under the bulb, they yes of course it can irritate them.

I use T5 HO lights over all my chameleons and I have zero issues with too intense UVB rays. Nothing artificial will ever compare to natural sunlight so there is no need to worry.

Also, the compact 5.0 with a 48" cage will never reach the bottom of the cage so if they wanted to get out of the rays all they would need to do is drop lower in the cage. I would recommend picking up a Solarmeter and testing the strength for yourself. You will be surprised how low your reading are for the compact bulbs.
 
NHenn said:
If you put them in an all white enclosure with no place to get into the shade and force them to remain under the bulb, they yes of course it can irritate them.

I use T5 HO lights over all my chameleons and I have zero issues with too intense UVB rays. Nothing artificial will ever compare to natural sunlight so there is no need to worry.

Also, the compact 5.0 with a 48" cage will never reach the bottom of the cage so if they wanted to get out of the rays all they would need to do is drop lower in the cage. I would recommend picking up a Solarmeter and testing the strength for yourself. You will be surprised how low your reading are for the compact bulbs.
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For female panthers and veils, I used 10.0 in the 48" cage. I was able to observe pregnant females take advantage right away. They would bask dead center underneath. The non pregnant would situate themselves off to the side a little, but still in the light. It really did change my opinions. For my males, I just use the 5.0 and double up, if needed.
 
I do believe the OP wad asking if the lights would hurt HIS eyes viewing the chameleon not if the lights would hurt the chameleon. Only time I worry about artificial light hurting my eyes is grow rooms and I do wear sun glasses in there.
 
junglefries said:
Staring into any light is not advised. It is a darwin given. :D
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Did we miss are coffee today? How do you look into your chameleon enclosure and not look in the direction of lights? My cage is not on the ground and I'm not 7' tall so please explain. As far as grow rooms you don't even need to look at the lights to see the affects.
 
Glancing directly at a full spectrum lightbulb occasionally isn't going to hurt YOUR eyes much at all. Consider all the so-called "full spectrum day lights" sold for home and business uses (except they have plastic covers over the bulbs which we know filters the UV). What might is to stare at this bulb for long periods over time, and I doubt you would do this. Eye damage is cumulative. I do know that exposure to the UV spectrum of blacklights can damage your eyes, but again its a matter of how much you do it.

I use a pretty intense full spectrum UV light on my bird aviary which is about 8' tall. Because its pretty high up, I can see the bulb when I sit near the aviary which is annoying. So, to block the view of the bulb I just put a piece of cardboard on the outside of the aviary in just the right spot to block my view of the bulb from where I'm sitting. This might solve your concern.
 
Hey now, no one needs to make unfair assumptions about each other. The OP asked a legitimate question, and doesn't need the thread derailed.

It's true that if you've got a 4' tall cage sitting up on a counter or something a few feet off the ground you will inevitably look up into the lights now and then. But that's ok, like someone else said these UVB bulbs are producing so little UVB that at a typical standing distance from it (maybe 2-3 feet away) there is no radiation reaching your eyes. At that point it's no different than staring into your desk lamp for a second or two.
 
Olimpia said:
Hey now, no one needs to make unfair assumptions about each other. The OP asked a legitimate question, and doesn't need the thread derailed.

It's true that if you've got a 4' tall cage sitting up on a counter or something a few feet off the ground you will inevitably look up into the lights now and then. But that's ok, like someone else said these UVB bulbs are producing so little UVB that at a typical standing distance from it (maybe 2-3 feet away) there is no radiation reaching your eyes. At that point it's no different than staring into your desk lamp for a second or two.
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Very sorry and thank you.
 
Lazy Boy said:
Did we miss are coffee today? How do you look into your chameleon enclosure and not look in the direction of lights? My cage is not on the ground and I'm not 7' tall so please explain. As far as grow rooms you don't even need to look at the lights to see the affects.
Click to expand...
Dude, some of us have them in our bedrooms or we have small children and we just want to take extra precautions. Mine is next to my bed, the light shines in my eyes all the time. My reef tank lights could cause severe eye damage and I was wondering the same.
 
Olimpia said:
Hey now, no one needs to make unfair assumptions about each other. The OP asked a legitimate question, and doesn't need the thread derailed.

It's true that if you've got a 4' tall cage sitting up on a counter or something a few feet off the ground you will inevitably look up into the lights now and then. But that's ok, like someone else said these UVB bulbs are producing so little UVB that at a typical standing distance from it (maybe 2-3 feet away) there is no radiation reaching your eyes. At that point it's no different than staring into your desk lamp for a second or two.
Click to expand...
That the same for the long bulbs?
 
I have my UVB mounted so that it can't shine in eyes that are outside the enclosure.
When I have to get in there to work, I either turn the UVB off for that short time, or wear UV blocking glasses.
 
One thing to consider is that due to the way the reflectors work, the strongest UVB is in a fairly narrow band.
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Not to Scale​
 
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