Lightbulb case study: ‘Even in summer I am locked out of my life’

Catherine Hessett first became aware she had a problem with LED lighting after falling ill at a friend’s house, which was full of LED lights.

Mrs Hessett, who is a statistician, said: “As the evening wore on I became aware of not feeling well, not being able to think properly and getting an awful headache. I was off work for three days afterwards. It became something massive.

“As the use of these bulbs has spread I have become more sensitive to being exposed to them. I develop symptoms much more quickly and faint within five minutes. Doing a weekly supermarket shop is impossible for me and public buildings have lights on all the time, even in the summer. I am locked out of my life.”

Mrs Hessett, 57, of Edinburgh, even has to wear sunglasses to go into public toilets to block out lights. She said: “When I am in incandescent lighting I have no symptoms. If I avoid the lights I don’t need medication.

“The European Union says people like me should use double envelope CFLs [compact fluorescent lighting]. These are the bulbs that look like ordinary bulbs but have a compact fluorescent lamp in the middle. All that does for me is to delay the on-set of the symptoms.

“I know of someone else with this who takes strong medication which has awful side effects in order to work in an open-plan office.”