Eli5 why doesn’t the light from a lightbulb make the room brighter over time if the lightbulb keeps emitting photons?

Question

When I turn the light on in my room, it emits photons. Is it a continuous stream of photons travelling at the speed of light? Why can’t there be ‘too much light’?

Let’s say i imagine the lightbulb is a garden hose with water coming out (photons). Why doesn’t the lit up surface the photons reflect off of get wet (saturated)?

When I look at a wall in a lit up room, do those photons travel to my eyes?

In: 3

Answer 1

The photons are constantly being absorbed or reflected. The reflected photons are what you see, entering your eyes. The absorbed photons transfer their energy to the wall, heating it up ever so slightly.