A number of companies have started marketing LED lamps that can be switched to a red mode. The claim is that red light is less harmful to one's night vision. Given that our eyes are less sensitive to red light, though, I'm not convinced that that red light is any better than dim white light. So if "equivalent" luminosity is defined where it's equally easy to, say, read a book in both light types, is there some physiological reason that red light is better than the equivalent white light? Is red light safer for health?

A number of companies have started marketing LED lamps that can be switched to a red mode. The claim is that red light is less harmful to one's night vision. Given that our eyes are less sensitive to red light, though, I'm not convinced that that red light is any better than dim white light. So if "equivalent" luminosity is defined where it's equally easy to, say, read a book in both light types, is there some physiological reason that red light is better than the equivalent white light?

A number of companies have started marketing LED lamps that can be switched to a red mode. The claim is that red light is less harmful to one's night vision. Given that our eyes are less sensitive to red light, though, I'm not convinced that that red light is any better than dim white light. So if "equivalent" luminosity is defined where it's equally easy to, say, read a book in both light types, is there some physiological reason that red light is better than the equivalent white light?

A number of companies have started marketing LED lamps that can be switched to a red mode. The claim is that red light is less harmful to one's night vision. Given that our eyes are less sensitive to red light, though, I'm not convinced that that red light is any better than dim white light. So if "equivalent" luminosity is defined where it's equally easy to, say, read a book in both light types, is there some physiological reason that red light is better than the equivalent white light? Is red light safer for health?