Beyond the Stage and Screen: Everyday Uses for LEE Filters

LEE Filters were made for film, television and theatre, but at heart they are precise, consistent, affordable sheets of coloured and technical film. That makes them useful to far more people than lighting crews.

This guide looks at uses well outside the entertainment industry: reading and visual comfort, warmer evening light at home, spotting hidden stress in glass and plastic, preserving night vision for stargazing, protecting artworks, and a range of creative jobs in retail, events, education and art. Where health is involved, we tell you plainly what the research does and does not support.

Reading and visual comfort: coloured overlays

Some people find that text on a white page seems to shimmer, blur or move, or that reading brings on eyestrain and headaches. This is often called visual stress, and a coloured sheet laid over the page is a long standing way people try to make reading more comfortable.

What the research says. The evidence is genuinely mixed, so it is worth being clear:

A 2016 review in the Journal of Optometry suggests a minority of people with dyslexia, around 20%, may also have visual stress, and that individually prescribed coloured filters have improved reading performance for people with visual stress. The same review says coloured filters are not a treatment for dyslexia itself.
A 2016 systematic review in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics found most studies had a high or uncertain risk of bias, and that the better designed studies gave less support for a benefit.
An overview of systematic reviews concluded there is not yet a reliable evidence base to recommend overlays for reading difficulty.

How gel fits in. If you or your child find reading uncomfortable, start with a full eye examination from an optometrist, because ordinary vision problems are common and treatable. Some optometrists offer coloured overlay assessments using calibrated systems.

If you simply want to experiment with comfort at home, LEE sheets can be cut to A4 and laid over a page. Pale tints usually work better than saturated ones, because they keep plenty of contrast. Good places to start include 103 Straw, 101 Yellow and 501 New Colour Blue. Treat this as a personal comfort experiment, not a diagnosis or a treatment.

Light and wellbeing: warmer light in the evening

"Light therapy" covers a lot of ground, so it helps to separate what is well supported from what is not.

Bright light therapy is a medical treatment, not a gel job. Light boxes used for conditions such as seasonal mood changes deliver very bright, specified white light. A coloured filter will not turn an ordinary lamp into one of these. If you are considering light therapy for your health, speak to your GP first.

Colour therapy claims are not well established. We are not aware of strong evidence that bathing in a particular colour treats any health condition, so we don't make that claim for LEE filters.

Reducing blue light in the evening is better supported. Research has linked evening light, including light from LED screens and ordinary room lighting, to suppressed and delayed melatonin, the hormone involved in sleep timing. In a 2018 Columbia University trial, people with insomnia who wore amber lenses that blocked blue light for two hours before bed slept better than with clear placebo lenses, although the researchers said larger studies are needed.

Where gel can help. Warming the colour of your evening lighting reduces its blue content. A few ways people do this:

Warm the room. Fit 204 Full C.T. Orange or Zircon Warm Amber 2 across an LED lamp or LED strip diffuser, keeping it clear of the bulb itself.
Cut the blue more strongly. 105 Orange or Zircon UV Blue Block remove much more blue, for a lamp you only use late at night.
Make a cosy reading corner. 162 Bastard Amber gives a soft, candlelit feel without making it too dim to read.

Gel is not a substitute for tested blue light blocking glasses, and should never be worn over the eyes. And because LEE filters are not designed for permanent household fittings, keep them away from hot globes and check them for heat and fading regularly.

Seeing hidden stress in glass and plastic

This is one of the most surprising uses for a LEE filter. With two sheets of 239 Polariser, you can build a simple polariscope that shows internal stress in clear glass and plastic as bands of colour.

How it works. Transparent materials such as glass and plastic become doubly refracting when they are under stress, an effect called photoelasticity. As Britannica explains, two crossed polarisers normally block light, but a stressed material placed between them lets some light through as coloured fringes. The more tightly packed the fringes, the higher the stress in that area.

How to set it up:

Place one sheet of 239 Polariser over a white light source, such as a light box, an LED panel or a bright window.
Put the glass or plastic object on top.
Look at it through a second sheet of 239, and rotate that sheet until the background goes dark.
Look for coloured bands and patterns. Rotate the object as well, because stress in some directions only shows at certain angles.

Shortcut: most LCD computer screens and monitors already give off polarised light. Show a plain white screen, hold the object in front of it, and look through a single sheet of 239.

Where people use this:

Glass artists and glassblowers checking whether a piece has been properly annealed, since leftover stress can make glass crack later.
Plastic makers and 3D printing hobbyists spotting stress around moulded or printed parts, gates and holes.
Collectors and restorers inspecting glassware and old bottles before buying or repairing.
Teachers and science communicators demonstrating stress, strain and polarisation in a way students remember.

Know the limits. A polariscope shows internal stress, not every scratch, chip or crack, and opaque or tinted materials won't show much. Toughened glass, including car windows, shows patterns as part of how it is made, so patterns alone don't mean a fault. For safety critical glass, such as balustrades, windscreens or pressure vessels, always rely on professional inspection.

More everyday uses for LEE filters

Who	What they use it for	LEE filters to try
Stargazers and astronomers	Red light for reading charts and screens without losing night vision	027 Medium Red, 106 Primary Red
Museums, galleries and collectors	Reducing UV from light sources onto displays	226 LEE U.V.
Shops, cafes and hospitality	Correcting or warming LED displays and feature lighting	Zircon range, such as Zircon Warm Amber 4
Event stylists and party hosts	Colouring LED uplights, lanterns and fairy lights for weddings, Halloween and Christmas	795 Magical Magenta, 115 Peacock Blue, 019 Fire
Teachers and students	Hands on lessons in colour mixing, filters and polarisation	Primary colours plus 239 Polariser
Artists and makers	Light installations, coloured shadows and translucent artworks	Any colour, plus 216 White Diffusion

Stargazing. Your eyes can take 20 minutes or more to fully adapt to the dark, and a single glance at white light resets that. The British Astronomical Association recommends a dim red torch for charts and equipment. Astronomy retailers such as Sirius Optics sell LEE Medium Red for covering phone, laptop and torch screens. Use a deep red, double it up if light still looks pink, and keep the source as dim as you can.

Protecting artworks. 226 LEE U.V. is designed to reduce ultraviolet light, which contributes to fading in paper, textiles and pigments. It is a helpful extra layer, but for valuable or irreplaceable items, follow a conservator's advice on light levels and exposure.

Retail and hospitality. Zircon is used in architectural and display lighting as well as on stage, so the same long life filters can warm a harsh LED shopfront, bring out the colour of food or products, or match a brand palette.

Events at home. A few sheets of gel over battery LED uplights or inside paper lanterns transform a backyard wedding, a Halloween porch or a Christmas window, for far less than buying colour changing fixtures.

Art and installations. Light artists use coloured filters to fill rooms with colour, layer translucent panels and cast coloured shadows. LEE has supported artist Liz West, who has spoken about using LEE Filters gel in many of her works.

Safety tips

Keep gel away from heat. Never wrap a filter directly around a hot globe or halogen lamp. Leave an air gap, and favour cool running LED sources for home use.
Zircon is for LED only. LEE's Zircon literature notes it is not flame retardant, so keep it off hot fixtures.
Never wear gel over your eyes. It is not optical grade eyewear and offers no protection from the sun, glare or UV.
Expect fading. Filters fade with long exposure to strong light, including sunlight through a window. Replace them when the colour shifts.
Health questions go to a professional. For reading difficulties see an optometrist, and for sleep or mood concerns see your GP.

Frequently asked questions

Can LEE filters help with dyslexia?

Coloured filters are not a treatment for dyslexia. Some people with visual stress report that coloured overlays make reading more comfortable, but the research evidence is mixed. Start with an optometrist.

Can I use LEE gel as a light therapy lamp?

No. Medical light therapy uses specified bright light devices. Gel can warm your evening lighting to reduce blue content, which research links to better sleep conditions, but it does not make a therapy device.

How do I check glass for stress with a LEE filter?

Put the glass between two sheets of 239 Polariser over a white light, rotate the top sheet until the background goes dark, and look for coloured fringes. A white LCD screen can stand in for the bottom sheet.

Which red filter is best for stargazing?

A deep red such as 027 Medium Red or 106 Primary Red, kept dim. If the light still looks pinkish or bright, add a second layer.

Can I put gel on my windows?

It will work for a short term display, but LEE filters are not designed as permanent window film and will fade in sunlight.

Where to buy

Black Flag Distribution is an authorised Australian distributor for LEE Filters. Our LEE Filters lighting gels guide walks through the full range, and our creative ways to use LEE Filters and LEE Filters in theatre guides have more ideas.

We support our valued specialist retail partners and prefer that you purchase through them wherever possible: use the store finder to locate your nearest authorised dealer. If you would rather buy direct, we can also facilitate your order.

Not sure which filter suits your project? Talk to us at sales@blkflag.com.au.

Sources

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