ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2015
Using Flickering Light to Enhance Nonimage-Forming Visual Stimulation in Humans.
Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Retinal light perception and biological rhythms: The role of light in sleep and mood from an ophthalmic perspective (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2026Review
- Lack of strong evidence for cone photoreceptors' contribution to human melatonin suppression and alerting response to light.iScience · 2025Article
- Efficacy of Rhythmic Photic Stimulation for Autonomic Nervous System Regulation in University Students.Physiological research · 2025Article
- Kinetic pupillary size using Pentacam in myopia.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Article
- Circadian Responses to Light-Flash Exposure: Conceptualization and New Data Guiding Future Directions.Frontiers in neurology · 2021Article
- Acepromazine and Chlorpromazine as Pharmaceutical-grade Alternatives to Chlorprothixene for Pupillary Light Reflex Imaging in Mice.Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS · 2020Article
- Circadian phase-shifting by light: Beyond photons.Neurobiology of sleep and circadian rhythms · 2018Article
- Melanopsin- and L-cone-induced pupil constriction is inhibited by S- and M-cones in humans.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2018Article
- Subadditive responses to extremely short blue and green pulsed light on visual evoked potentials, pupillary constriction and electroretinograms.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2017Article
- Human pupillary light reflex during successive irradiation with 1-ms blue- and green-pulsed light.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2017Article
- The impact of temporal modulations in irradiance under light adapted conditions on the mouse suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN).Scientific reports · 2017Article
- Responses to Spatial Contrast in the Mouse Suprachiasmatic Nuclei.Current biology : CB · 2017Article
- LED Lights With Hidden Intensity-Modulated Blue Channels Aiming for Enhanced Subconscious Visual Responses.IEEE photonics journal · 2017Article
- Effect of simultaneous exposure to extremely short pulses of blue and green light on human pupillary constriction.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2016Article
- Characterizing and modeling the intrinsic light response of rat ganglion-cell photoreceptors.Journal of neurophysiology · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeIntrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) mediate nonimage-forming visual functions such as pupillary constriction and circadian photoentrainment. Optimizing daytime nonimage-forming photostimulation has health benefits. We aimed to enhance ipRGC excitation using flickering instead of steady light.
methodsHuman subjects were tested with a three-dimensional matrix of flickering 463-nm stimuli: three photon counts (13.7, 14.7 and 15.7 log photons cm(-2)), three duty cycles (12%, 47%, and 93%) and seven flicker frequencies (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 7 Hz). Steady-state pupil constrictions were measured.
resultsAmong stimuli containing 13.7 log photons cm-2, the one flickering at 2 Hz with a 12% duty cycle evoked the greatest pupil constriction of 48% ± 4%, 71% greater than that evoked by an equal-intensity (12.3 log photons cm(-2) s(-1)) continuous light. This frequency and duty cycle were also best for 14.7 log photons cm-2 stimuli, inducing a 58% ± 4% constriction which was 38% more than that caused by an equal-intensity (13.3 log photons cm(-2) s(-1)) constant light. For 15.7 log photons cm-2 stimuli, the 1-Hz, 47% duty cycle flicker was optimal although it evoked the same constriction as the best 14.7 log photons cm(-2) flicker.
conclusionsPupillary constriction depends on flicker frequency and duty cycle besides intensity. Among the stimuli tested, the one with the lowest photon count inducing a maximal response is 13.3 log photons cm(-2) s(-1) flickering at 2 Hz with 12% duty cycle. Our data could guide the design of healthier architectural lighting and better phototherapy devices for treating seasonal affective disorder and jet lag.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.