Lighting for Healthier Eyes

Poor lighting in the home is more than just an inconvenience – it’s bad for your eye health and can lead to deterioration of eyesight and headaches. Protect your eyes and create a comfortable environment by considering the following tips. 

Ensure Even Light Distribution 
If you’ve ever moved from a brightly lit room into a room with a lower level of light you would have noticed a slight discomfort. That’s because going between strong and weak light requires your eyes to adjust and this tires them out. This can easily be avoided by ensuring an even distribution of light sources across the rooms in your home.

Install Dimmer Switches
Constant bright light causes eye strain and headaches. While bright illumination is necessary for carrying out tasks, the ability to lower the level of lighting when you’re relaxing is helpful too. Connecting your lights to a dimmer switch allows you to turn up the brightness for task-oriented activities and lower it again when you require a more calming ambience. This is especially important for areas like the bedroom and living room.

Use Task Lighting
A major source of eye strain in the home is a poorly illuminated work area. For tasks such as reading, writing, and computer work, a lamp with an adjustable arm allows you to direct the beam of light where you need it most so that you can clearly see what you’re doing. In the kitchen, focused light above the kitchen island and lighting installed under cabinets ensure that you chop food and read recipe books without straining your eyes.

Don’t Forget About Staircases and Hallways
Stairs and long, dark hallways are a tripping hazard. Install lights up the stairway and down your hallway to prevent accidents from happening. This is especially useful for helping visitors and guests navigate your home as they may not be familiar with the layout.

Go Full-Spectrum
Full-spectrum lighting is lighting that covers the full spectrum of light from infrared to near-ultraviolet. This type of artificial light is healthiest for eye health because it helps you perceive colour better. Experts in the lighting field claim that because full-spectrum lighting simulates the effects of UV rays from sunlight, it can positively impact our mood and energy levels.

Avoid Glare
The older we get the more sensitive we become to glare. Whether it be sunlight streaming through a window or artificial light reflected off shiny surfaces, this excessive and uncontrolled brightness is unpleasant and causes harm to your eyes. Select wall paints and furniture in matte finishes as opposed to glossy to reduce the amount of reflective surface in your home.

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