High resolution lenses for machine vision — standard and custom lens design
UV Lenses Provide Protection From UV Rays
High Resolution Lenses for machine vision, instrumentation, inspection and vibration-sensitive applications. Standard and custom hi-res lens assemblies.
UV Lens Group
It’s almost impossible to escape ultraviolet light (UV). This light is in the light spectrum that is non-visible but is damaging to skin and eyes. UV rays penetrate the skin far more deeply than other ultra violet light and can lead to mutation of the skin cells, which in turn can lead to cancer, in some cases. Because of the potential for harm from UV light it’s crucial that we recognize where the rays emanate from.
Here are some of the sources:
- The sun is the biggest natural generator of light in the UV spectrum and is the most damaging to the skin. When the sun shines, the UV rays are bombarding our skin. Even when the sun isn’t shining, the UV rays penetrate cloud cover and pose a threat to our skin, this is the reason you can get sunburned even on an overcast day. The application of UV rated sunscreen and wearing sunglasses with UV ratings are critical to protecting yourself from harm from the non-visible light.
- Fluorescent lights, those typically found in department stores and office buildings are sometimes powered through the use of gas atoms. These atoms, when heated, produce the light. Neon lighting also falls into this category. Because the gas atoms could be filled with deuterium, hydrogen or mercury, there is the possibility that the lights could emit small amounts of light in the UV spectrum.
- Street lamps, also called arc lamps, are those powered through mercury or xenon and can produce UV light rays. These lights are powered by fused quartz art tubes, and are referred to as discharge lamps. The arc tube is housed inside an outer insulating thermal globe. It is the globe, which typically houses a phosphor powder coating, that is the potential source of the UV rays.
Fluorescent and streetlights pose a limited exposure to UV lights as compared to the sun. Workers that toil in areas lit by fluorescents may want to ask their optician for eyeglass lenses or contact lenses that can block the harmful UV rays.