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Ultraviolet Light?

UVA is Long wavelength UV light. Most of the products on this site with fluorescent lamps have a peak wavelength of roughly 365 nm (nano meters) while the LED (light emitting diode) products have a peak output at roughly 390 nm.

UVA Applications

Typical Applications for Woods Lamps or Woods Light are very diverse. In the medical field there are several applications. We also find them used in criminology (forensics), mineralogy and gemology to detect fluorescence in many minerals and gems.

We will attempt here to list some of the major applications of our woods lights or woods lamps.

Medical Uses

Several skin diseases/challenges such as vitiligo, acne and a host of others cause the skin (or the fluids on the skin) to fluoresce.

  • Vitiligo
  • Bacterial Infections
  • Acne
  • Porphyria
  • Erythasma 
  • Alopecia
  • Tinea Versicolor
  • Fungus & Fungal Infections
  • Head Lice and their nits, fluoresce under black light.
  • Ringworm
  • Scabies
  • Child abuse / bruising can often be discerned with a woods light.

Why is it useful to be examined with the Wood’s lamp? Normally your skin will not fluoresce, or shine, under the ultraviolet light. This test reveal different colors according to the type of skin disease, which may include:

  • Golden Yellow (Tinea Versicolor)
  • Pale Green (Trichophyton Schoenleini)
  • Bright Yellowgreen (Microsporum Audouini or M. Canis)
  • Aquagreen To Blue (Pseudomonas Aeruginosa)
  • Pink To Pinkorange (Porphyria Cutanea Tarda)
  • Ash-Leaf-Shaped Spot (Tuberous Sclerosis)
  • Bluewhite (Leprosy)
  • Pale White (Hypopigmentation)
  • Purplebrown (Hyperpigmentation)
  • Bright White, Or Bluewhite (Depigmentation, Vitiligo)
  • Bright White (Albinism)

Ophthalmology

When used with sodium fluorocein or other fluorescing dyes, there are several applications for the world of the eye doctor.

  • Foreign Particles in the Eye (glass and other hard to see particles)
  • Eye Injury
  • Scratches of the cornea
  • Blocked Tear Ducts

Veterinary Applications

  • Ringworm
  • Urine Stains
  • Eye challenges
  • Lice and Nits
  • Microsporum Canis
  • Fungal Infections
Miscellaneous Uses
  • Pets, small and large leave urine and feces in places that you would least expect. Feces, urine and other biological contaminants/materials can be detected easily with UVA Woods Lights.
  • Hard water detection. Many "Culligan Men", water softener sales people carry a UVA black light as many hardened mineral deposits on taps, sinks etc fluoresce with black light.
  • Re-admittance inks. Fluorescent Ink detection. Some invisible inks such as those uses at some night clubs and amusement parks for re-entry stamps can ne seen under UV (Black Light)
  • Rodent urine and traces fluoresce under black light. One can monitor/detect some forms of rodent activity with a simple woods lamp.
  • Fraud detection. Some of our money has fluorescent dyes within.


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