Alternatives to flickering fluorescent lights

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Computer monitors and laptops offer a display setting called "refresh rate", which can be set sometimes as high as 90-100 Hz. This will pretty much take away any flicker.

Even at lower settings, the display update is not instantaneous like the off/on of a fluorescent light; instead, the screen is updated in a sweeping motion. So although the flicker is very noticeable, it is not always quite as annoying. Personally, I find CRT monitors (remember those?) intolerable at 60 Hz refresh rate but perfectly fine at 85 Hz.

Those spiral things? Oh, God! They put out a light with some quality to it that completely nauseates me. I can't bear to be in the same room with them! Large overhead fluorescent light is horrible, but I can force myself to stay in the room long enough to hear the lecture. Those little spiral things send me running. I can't force myself to be around them.

Flourescent lights don't bother me unless they are really old or I'm staring at them. Low refresh rate monitors on the other hand....I used to go on school computers and the first thing I did was change the refresh rate from 60hz to 72 or 75

I have found those with electronic balasts are less noticable, as most electronic balasts up the voltage at a much higher frequency than the line frequency of 50/60 hz (depending on the standard in your part of the world) (US/Canada, and half of Japan use 60 hz, most of the rest of the world uses 50hz) Electronic balasts typically take the AC, immediately convert it to DC, then useir own frequency (typically in the Khz range) to produce their output. Lighting circuits typically don't filter this output too much, as the frequency is too high for our eyes to see the flashing. Only possible drawback is if there is something that can act as a transducer near by, it may find it's way into another of our sensitive senses....

I tolerate it because it's much, much less annoying than a light that's going bad and making a constant buzzing noise.

FYI, I added a long LED explanation as a new topic on the General discussion forum.

Incandescent. Still the best light source. If you're into saving energy, just turn the lights off when you're not using them.

I like the "Reveal" series, since they give a whiter light.