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Fluorescent lights are a fact of life. We see them everywhere. The offices we work in, the stores we shop in, the schools we learn in, and the hospitals we heal in are all lit with fluorescent lights. Unfortunately, fluorescent light is known to cause health problems in many people. The harm done by fluorescent lights varies from person to person. For almost everyone, exposure to fluorescent light can cause at least some damage to the natural sleep cycle. But some people report other symptoms. The most common side effects of fluorescent light are eye strain and headaches. A lot of research has focused on the effects of fluorescent light, and we are now learning how to prevent headaches from fluorescent lights. Octo Lights is proud to be on the cutting edge of how to prevent headaches from fluorescent lights with our decorative ceiling light panels.

Office Fluorescent Lighting Fixtures

Let’s be honest. Very few of us would rate our offices as our favorite place to spend time. Part of that has to do with what we use our offices for. An office is a place to go to do the things you have to do, not the things you want to do. But in many offices, it’s not just the work that causes stress. The lighting can actually be increasing stress levels and fatigue.

Most offices today are still lit with office fluorescent lighting fixtures. The most common sort of office fluorescent lighting fixture is the troffer light fixture. A troffer fixture is a fluorescent light fixture that is built to match the size and shape of a standard commercial drop ceiling panel. The fixture is usually recessed into the ceiling and covered with a plastic diffuser. The diffuser is flush with the ceiling panels. The fluorescent tubes are protected by the diffuser. But the diffuser usually does little to protect office workers from the worst effects of fluorescent light.

The long-term exposure to fluorescent light that office workers experience has a variety of adverse health consequences. The most significant problem with fluorescent lights is that they don’t shine equally across the visible light spectrum. Instead, the light of a fluorescent tube is typically shifter toward the blue end of the light spectrum. The release of too much short-wave blue light mimics the type of sunlight that shines at midday. Exposure to this light all day long can make it harder to sleep at night and produce anxiety. By signally the body that it is midday, the body is in a constant state of peak wakefulness. This state can increase stress hormones and decrease necessary sleep hormones in the evening hours.

Replacement Light Covers

In addition to the severe damage that blue light does to sleep cycles, fluorescent light has other side effects. For many people, fluorescent light causes headaches. However, the exact source of the headaches is not always the same. Depending on your individual physiology, numerous aspects of fluorescent light can induce headaches. How to prevent headaches from fluorescent lights depends on which aspect of the lighting is causing the headaches. Luckily, many of those aspects can be resolved with a single solution, replacement light covers.

One of the leading causes of headaches from fluorescent lights is flickering light. Many newer fluorescent light fixtures are built to reduce flickering using electronic ballasts. However, older fluorescent light fixtures that use magnetic ballasts are still widely used. Many types of fluorescent tubes, as well as CFL bulbs meant to replace incandescent bulbs, use magnetic ballasts. Because of the way a magnetic ballast works, there will always be a fast, nearly imperceptible flicker. However, even though you may not see the flicker, your brain notices. The flicker can cause headaches as the brain and eyes struggle to adjust. In people prone to migraines, the flicker can even trigger a severe migraine. As bulbs age, the flicker gets worse. Some people who are not affected by the fastest flicker will nevertheless experience headaches as the bulb ages and the flicker slows.

Another cause of headaches is eye strain. The bright, harsh, blue light of an unfiltered fluorescent bulb can be a bit overpowering. This forces you to squint, even if you don’t notice you are doing it. The squinting, as well as the work your eyes have to do to adjust, can take a toll. All that exertion can cause tension headaches. Often, the best solution is replacement light covers.

Replacement Fluorescent Light Cover Suppliers

Due to the problems with unfiltered fluorescent light, quite a few manufacturers have started producing and selling replacement fluorescent light covers. But don’t be fooled. They are not all alike. Many manufacturers make light covers that are not actually tested to reduce blue light. Others may use materials that are unsafe. Replacement light covers need to be safe around heat and fire resistant. They should also be made without dangerous chemicals that are often found in dyes and plastics. Finally, they should be environmentally safe in their production and use. You wouldn’t want to buy a plastic light cover from a manufacturer that is producing unnecessary waste and landfill.

In addition to the safety and environmental concerns, quality should be a primary concern when purchasing any product. Will this product stand up to long-term use? Will it fade or crack? Are the colors vibrant? Are the images even something I want to look at? All of these are important questions you’ll need to ask before making a purchase.

Ease of installation is another area to consider. Replacing a diffuser panel can usually be done pretty simply, but not all manufacturers make it easy.

Octo Lights excels in all of these areas. First of all, our covers are specially designed to reduce harmful blue light, flickering, and glare. Our materials are UL certified to be self-extinguishing , so you have no fear of fires. We also take our commitment to green manufacturing seriously. Our covers are actually a thin film that is placed on top of your diffuser instead of replacing it. That reduces raw materials and keeps existing diffusers out of landfills. We also recycle all of our leftover scrap material. Finally, we make installation a snap. Just watch this video to see how easy it really is.

Order Your Decorative Light Cover

Finding the right decorative light covers is easy. If you’re reading this, then you are already in the right place to find the best quality and most competitively priced light covers. So now all you have to do is pick out which light cover is perfect for you.

Start out by taking a look at our most popular light covers, our sky and cloud themed collection . Many people love these covers because they give the appearance of a skylight and bring a lovely outdoor, sunshiny feel to any space. Another popular theme is our astronomy collection . These outstanding decorative light covers feature images of stars, galaxies, and nebulae in stunning full color. If you’re not sure what you’ll like, you can preview our whole collection here . And if you really want something unique, you can upload your own image , and we’ll custom print it for you.

To order, just select your image and your size and check out. We’ll ship your order via FedEx Ground within 1-2 business days. Installation is a snap so you can be enjoying your new light covers in no time!