diff --git a/eth/backend.go b/eth/backend.go
index b5318f9679..b13d408351 100644
--- a/eth/backend.go
+++ b/eth/backend.go
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ func (s *FullNodeService) APIs() []rpc.API {
 		}, {
 			Namespace: "eth",
 			Version:   "1.0",
-			Service:   filters.NewPublicFilterAPI(s.chainDb, s.eventMux),
+			Service:   filters.NewPublicFilterAPI(s.ApiBackend),
 			Public:    true,
 		}, {
 			Namespace: "admin",
diff --git a/eth/filters/api.go b/eth/filters/api.go
index 393019f8b0..869cafd937 100644
--- a/eth/filters/api.go
+++ b/eth/filters/api.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/vm"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/event"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/internal/ethapi"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rpc"
 
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
@@ -50,10 +51,11 @@ const (
 // PublicFilterAPI offers support to create and manage filters. This will allow external clients to retrieve various
 // information related to the Ethereum protocol such als blocks, transactions and logs.
 type PublicFilterAPI struct {
-	mux *event.TypeMux
+	apiBackend ethapi.Backend
 
 	quit    chan struct{}
 	chainDb ethdb.Database
+	mux     *event.TypeMux
 
 	filterManager *FilterSystem
 
@@ -73,10 +75,11 @@ type PublicFilterAPI struct {
 }
 
 // NewPublicFilterAPI returns a new PublicFilterAPI instance.
-func NewPublicFilterAPI(chainDb ethdb.Database, mux *event.TypeMux) *PublicFilterAPI {
+func NewPublicFilterAPI(apiBackend ethapi.Backend) *PublicFilterAPI {
 	svc := &PublicFilterAPI{
-		mux:              mux,
-		chainDb:          chainDb,
+		apiBackend:       apiBackend,
+		mux:              apiBackend.EventMux(),
+		chainDb:          apiBackend.ChainDb(),
 		filterManager:    NewFilterSystem(mux),
 		filterMapping:    make(map[string]int),
 		logQueue:         make(map[int]*logQueue),
@@ -141,7 +144,7 @@ func (s *PublicFilterAPI) NewBlockFilter() (string, error) {
 	}
 
 	s.blockMu.Lock()
-	filter := New(s.chainDb)
+	filter := New(s.apiBackend)
 	id, err := s.filterManager.Add(filter, ChainFilter)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
@@ -177,7 +180,7 @@ func (s *PublicFilterAPI) NewPendingTransactionFilter() (string, error) {
 	s.transactionMu.Lock()
 	defer s.transactionMu.Unlock()
 
-	filter := New(s.chainDb)
+	filter := New(s.apiBackend)
 	id, err := s.filterManager.Add(filter, PendingTxFilter)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
@@ -206,7 +209,7 @@ func (s *PublicFilterAPI) newLogFilter(earliest, latest int64, addresses []commo
 	s.logMu.Lock()
 	defer s.logMu.Unlock()
 
-	filter := New(s.chainDb)
+	filter := New(s.apiBackend)
 	id, err := s.filterManager.Add(filter, LogFilter)
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, err
@@ -432,7 +435,7 @@ func (s *PublicFilterAPI) NewFilter(args NewFilterArgs) (string, error) {
 
 // GetLogs returns the logs matching the given argument.
 func (s *PublicFilterAPI) GetLogs(args NewFilterArgs) []vmlog {
-	filter := New(s.chainDb)
+	filter := New(s.apiBackend)
 	filter.SetBeginBlock(args.FromBlock.Int64())
 	filter.SetEndBlock(args.ToBlock.Int64())
 	filter.SetAddresses(args.Addresses)
diff --git a/eth/filters/filter.go b/eth/filters/filter.go
index 995b588fb2..f57d375c66 100644
--- a/eth/filters/filter.go
+++ b/eth/filters/filter.go
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/vm"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/internal/ethapi"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rpc"
 )
 
 type AccountChange struct {
@@ -33,6 +35,8 @@ type AccountChange struct {
 
 // Filtering interface
 type Filter struct {
+	apiBackend ethapi.Backend
+
 	created time.Time
 
 	db         ethdb.Database
@@ -47,8 +51,11 @@ type Filter struct {
 
 // Create a new filter which uses a bloom filter on blocks to figure out whether a particular block
 // is interesting or not.
-func New(db ethdb.Database) *Filter {
-	return &Filter{db: db}
+func New(apiBackend ethapi.Backend) *Filter {
+	return &Filter{
+		apiBackend: apiBackend,
+		db:         apiBackend.ChainDb(),
+	}
 }
 
 // Set the earliest and latest block for filtering.
@@ -72,15 +79,15 @@ func (self *Filter) SetTopics(topics [][]common.Hash) {
 
 // Run filters logs with the current parameters set
 func (self *Filter) Find() vm.Logs {
-	latestHash := core.GetHeadBlockHash(self.db)
-	latestBlock := core.GetBlock(self.db, latestHash, core.GetBlockNumber(self.db, latestHash))
+	headBlockNumber := self.apiBackend.HeaderByNumber(rpc.LatestBlockNumber).Number.Uint64()
+	
 	var beginBlockNo uint64 = uint64(self.begin)
 	if self.begin == -1 {
-		beginBlockNo = latestBlock.NumberU64()
+		beginBlockNo = headBlockNumber
 	}
 	var endBlockNo uint64 = uint64(self.end)
 	if self.end == -1 {
-		endBlockNo = latestBlock.NumberU64()
+		endBlockNo = headBlockNumber
 	}
 
 	// if no addresses are present we can't make use of fast search which
@@ -126,19 +133,17 @@ func (self *Filter) getLogs(start, end uint64) (logs vm.Logs) {
 	var block *types.Block
 
 	for i := start; i <= end; i++ {
-		hash := core.GetCanonicalHash(self.db, i)
-		if hash != (common.Hash{}) {
-			block = core.GetBlock(self.db, hash, i)
-		} else { // block not found
+		header := self.apiBackend.HeaderByNumber(rpc.BlockNumber(i))
+		if header == nil {
 			return logs
 		}
 
 		// Use bloom filtering to see if this block is interesting given the
 		// current parameters
-		if self.bloomFilter(block) {
+		if self.bloomFilter(header.Bloom) {
 			// Get the logs of the block
 			var (
-				receipts   = core.GetBlockReceipts(self.db, block.Hash(), i)
+				receipts   = self.apiBackend.GetReceipts(ctx, header.Hash())
 				unfiltered vm.Logs
 			)
 			for _, receipt := range receipts {
@@ -202,11 +207,11 @@ Logs:
 	return ret
 }
 
-func (self *Filter) bloomFilter(block *types.Block) bool {
+func (self *Filter) bloomFilter(bloom types.Bloom) bool {
 	if len(self.addresses) > 0 {
 		var included bool
 		for _, addr := range self.addresses {
-			if types.BloomLookup(block.Bloom(), addr) {
+			if types.BloomLookup(bloom, addr) {
 				included = true
 				break
 			}
@@ -220,7 +225,7 @@ func (self *Filter) bloomFilter(block *types.Block) bool {
 	for _, sub := range self.topics {
 		var included bool
 		for _, topic := range sub {
-			if (topic == common.Hash{}) || types.BloomLookup(block.Bloom(), topic) {
+			if (topic == common.Hash{}) || types.BloomLookup(bloom, topic) {
 				included = true
 				break
 			}
diff --git a/les/backend.go b/les/backend.go
index d261a92ecd..0b9276ec2e 100644
--- a/les/backend.go
+++ b/les/backend.go
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/vm"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/downloader"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/filters"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/gasprice"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/internal/ethapi"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
@@ -137,6 +138,11 @@ func (s *LightNodeService) APIs() []rpc.API {
 			Version:   "1.0",
 			Service:   downloader.NewPublicDownloaderAPI(s.protocolManager.downloader, s.eventMux),
 			Public:    true,
+		}, {
+			Namespace: "eth",
+			Version:   "1.0",
+			Service:   filters.NewPublicFilterAPI(s.ApiBackend),
+			Public:    true,
 		}, {
 			Namespace: "net",
 			Version:   "1.0",