I think what the OP is talking about is running the indicators at 100% brightness. I have heard that this can cause damage to the holders due to excessive heat. The indicator is not designed to be on all of the time. It will have a duty cycle of approx 50% (flashing) under the normal design intent.
If it helps I used to run my indicators at about 20% as US style DRL's. This was mostly because 100% looks crap and irritates other road users.
I think this is about 20%: