The study by Feel Good Contacts has revealed the world’s brightest cities by analysing the average number of daylight hours, light pollution levels, and artificial brightness levels in 50 capital cities, to gain a total brightness score out of ten.
The research also shows that the growing prevalence of LED lights could be seriously impacting our vision.
The top 10 brightest cities in the world
Rank
Capital city
Avg. daily sunshine hours
Brightness (mcd/m2)
Artificial brightness (cd/m2)
Instagram “light” posts
Light score /10
1
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
8.84
18.9
18,700
46
7.11
2
Moscow, Russia
5.21
20.3
20,200
11,364
6.5
3
Washington, U.S
6.93
17.8
17,700
6
6.13
4
London, U.K
4.47
11.4
11,200
62,957
5.87
5
Buenos Aires, Argentina
6.92
12.4
12,200
12
4.79
6
Athens, Greece
7.6
10.3
10,200
884
4.58
7
Dubai, UAE
9.61
4.3
4,180
17,862
4.46
8
Madrid, Spain
7.59
9.44
9,270
1,266
4.37
9
Lisbon, Portugal
7.69
9.22
9,050
1,957
4.37
10
Tokyo, Japan
5.14
9.34
9,170
26,405
4.31
1. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The brightest city in the world is Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. The country’s brightest and most populated city is located in the middle of the An Nafud desert – an open sandy plane covering 103,600km².
2. Moscow, Russia
Famous for its Christmas lights, Russia’s capital city is the second brightest in the world. Although Moscow only gets five hours of daylight on average, the city is lit by masses of man-made light. With a light pollution level of just over 20mcd/m², it is the highest on our list in this category.
3.Washington, D.C., United States
Washington D. C, ranks in third place – averaging at almost seven hours of sunlight per day the city is naturally luminous. The 75,000 streetlights around D.C. keep the city bright, however, Washington D.C.’s light pollution level is nearly 18mcd/m², the third-highest of the world’s capital cities!
Further findings from the study include:
The darkest city in the world is Bogota in Colombia, with just over 3.5 hours of sunlight a day while also reporting one of the lowest levels of artificial brightness at just under 3,000μcd/m².
All five brightest cities, except Buenos Aires, are located in the Earth’s northern hemisphere which gets more hours of direct sunlight per day.
The data also shows in the countries of the darkest cities, vision loss rates are generally low. In 2020, around 4% of Iceland’s and Luxembourg’s populations experienced loss of vision.
Sharon Copeland, an Expert Optician at Feel Good Contacts commented on the growing prevalence of LED lighting:
“Today’s LED lights are safe, effective, and so energy-efficient that there’s no comparison with traditional lighting methods. But some people do have concerns about health LEDs containing blue light, which is naturally occurring in sunlight. Too much of anything can be bad for you, so, of course, you can limit the amount of time you spend looking at the screens in your home.
Staying away from electronic devices, like your phone, too close to bedtime. Screen filters that are available for smartphones, tablets and computer screens decrease the amount of blue light given off these devices. Likewise, computer glasses with yellow tint lenses that block blue light can help with digital eye strain in increasing contrast. Alternatively, an anti-reflection coating that can reduce glare and increase contrast. For anyone who’s had cataract surgery, the cloudy lens will be replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL). This type of lens naturally protects the eye from almost all ultraviolet light and some blue light. There are types of IOL that can protect the eye and retina from blue light if this is a concern for you – the best thing to do is talk with your eye care practitioner if you have any concerns.
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