Lighting can be your eyes' best friend as you age.
All of us experience changes in our eyesight as we age. For many, the eye changes mean buying glasses to read a menu, newspaper, or other small print. Changing the lighting in your surroundings can also go a long way to enhance reading ability and increase comfort.
"Often, the first thing people notice as they get older is their loss of ability to see distance," notes Terry McGowan, director of engineering and technology for the American Lighting Association. "That happens around age 45, and is called presbyopia. By 60, most people have a 'fixed focus' optical system and need glasses. After age 60, eye and visual system changes accelerate, so less light reaches the eye. Therefore, people need more light to see details as they age."
Basically, the following changes are occurring:
- Reduced visual acuity (inability to see small details);
- Reduced contrast sensitivity (harder to see differences between light and dark objects and surfaces);
- Reduced color discrimination;
- A longer time required to adapt to large and sudden differences in brightness; and
- Increased sensitivity to glare.
Paul Eusterbrock, a lighting manufacturer who has championed lighting developments and products to help aging eyes, agrees.
"The main issue is the quality of light," he says. "Research shows that a 60-year-old needs twice as much light as a 30-year-old. Most of the commonly found lighting guidelines are written with the 30-year-old user in mind."
Eye fatigue during the day is another side effect.
"Because the eye loses the ability to accommodate, the muscles of the eye have to work harder," McGowan says.
Eyes get tired faster, especially when performing difficult visual tasks such as driving at night or reading fine print. The solution is to make seeing easier. That means large-print books, reducing glare, setting up special lighting for task areas, and having regular eye exams to catch problems promptly.
According to McGowan, having a few table lamps turned on while watching TV can help reduce the contrast that occurs between the bright screen and the surrounding darkness of the room. He recom-mends a torchiere that provides an upward-directed light as well downward illumination for versatility. This could be accom-plished with a style that has a separate task light attached or by a torchiere with a glass bowl at the top that will bring some light downward.
"It is one of the cheapest and best ways to light a room for someone with aging eyes," McGowan adds.
Is there a magic lightbulb that will work for everyone? McGowan and Eusterbrock say no.
"Individual vision varies so much—especially as people age—that it's difficult to develop lighting recipes that are one-size-fits-all," McGowan says.
It is indeed a matter of preference, agrees Eusterbrock.
"There are fluorescents, halogens, and even LED bulbs bright enough for reading tasks," he says. "What's most important is to have light that you can direct, such as a pivoting or adjustable head on a task lamp. Designs with a reflector inside the head are even more effective for focusing the light where you need it."
McGowan recommends that older homeowners provide for light-level adjustments through use of dimmers, so they can match the lighting levels to the tasks at hand. Dimmers are ideal in the bathroom to add a bit of illumination to navigate during the night, and to make it easier to get up on dark mornings without blinding glare.
"A dimmed incandescent bulb does not emit blue wavelengths of light that can upset circadian rhythms, which is another 'healthy lighting' consideration," McGowan says.
The basic rules of good lighting: Have sufficient illumination, with little or no glare, and use diffused lighting to minimize shadows. If energy savings is a concern, select compact fluorescent lights and LED bulbs with warm tones (look for 2,700–3,000K on the box) and a color-rendering index of 90 or more.
McGowan and Eusterbrock advise consulting with a professional who can tailor a lighting selection to meet your specific needs. That's most easily done in a lighting showroom run by an American Lighting Association member. To find a store near you, visit www.americanlightingassoc.com.
