The Effects of Extraocular Blue-Enriched LEDs on Human Reaction Time

Overview

The body maintains an internal clock called the circadian system that is controlled by the pineal gland, located in the center of the brain. The pineal gland gets its information from photoreceptors located near the eyes and it produces melatonin during low light levels, which can lower a person’s reaction time. Traditional bright-light devices use bright enriched light that people expose their vision to for about 10 minutes daily to help reduce the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder. These type of devices have been known to cause damage to the eyes after a prolonged period of usage. This study investigated the effects of extraocular light delivered via the ear canals by testing the effects of different wavelengths of enriched light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on reaction time. Randomly selected participants were asked to wear earbuds with the speakers replaced with LEDs, and their reaction time was tested before and after to see if there were any improvements. They were each asked to wear red, blue, and white enriched LED earbuds, and only their reaction time was recorded in an online reaction time test. The results of the project demonstrated that blue enriched light improved reaction time by an average of 8.36%, which was the most effective group out of the three. The data was considered significant (p<0.05) and was subjected to a single factor ANOVA and paired t-test for post-hoc analysis. The improvement was further supported by the hypothesis that deep-brain photoreceptors are sensitive to extraocular light, and that extraocular light can enhance a person’s reaction time.

Competition history

• AJAS 2018 Category not listed

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