When a substance or a form of energy causes a harmful change in a medium, a contaminating or polluting effect occurs. The phenomenon of pollution can be developed in water, air or on land. However, in recent years, a new name has been created: visual pollution. This usually happens in urban areas and when certain non-architectural elements distort the aesthetics of a place.
It is a visual overstimulation in which the observer perceives an invasion of physical space.
negative effects
In many urban areas, both the pedestrian and the driver are faced with a chaotic and saturated panorama: the illuminated signs, the streetlamps, the clandestine garbage cans, the billboards, high voltage cables, awnings, etc. The proliferation of messages produces an increase in the number of car accidents, as traffic signs and traffic lights are not clearly perceived. In aesthetic terms, the beauty of some buildings is eclipsed. Visual Pollution
On the other hand, vegetation in cities loses its relaxing effect. Birds are forced to flee from overloaded and chaotic places.
In summary, this form of pollution reflects on the quality of life in urban areas.
Visual pollution and health
The disproportionate volume of images has health consequences. Certain neurological pathologies such as migraine worsen significantly, as visual stimuli activate the photosensitivity of people prone to migraine. When observing signs of all kinds simultaneously, they can trigger vertigo, dizziness or epilepsy (there is a type of epilepsy activated in the presence of bright lights or blinking). Visual Pollution
Bright lights negatively affect the body, as it increases the heart rate and notices more agitated breathing. From a psychological point of view, this stimuli overload generates an increase in the level of stress and anxiety.
Two organs participate in image capture: the eye and the brain
The eye perceives the information , but the brain processes it. Our brain has a memory and knows that certain colors are associated with ideas: yellow is a warning sign and red indicates danger. Thus, when there is an excess of images with these colors, the brain receives confusing information: it sees yellow and red elements and, at the same time, knows that it should not interpret them as a threat .
In other words, the human mind receives contradictory messages due to the impact of visual pollution.