Eye Info

Lighting - See for yourself

Summary: Information about how to make better use of lighting to see things more easily.

• Light levels
• Lighting tips for the daytime
• General lighting tips for the home
• Lamps
• Types of light bulbs

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Your home should be a place where you can feel at ease. However, if you have a sight problem you may find it difficult to do everyday things like cooking, reading a letter or just going upstairs.

Making simple changes to the lighting in your home could make a huge difference to your life by making things easier to see.

This page provides practical tips and advice about changes to lighting you could make at home. You could try out the following ideas on a small scale first and see what works best for you.

Light levels

Keeping light levels the same

If you have low vision, it can take a long time for your eyes to adapt when moving from bright to dark places. Try and keep lighting levels bright and even throughout your home.

Using more light fittings or higher wattage bulbs increases the light levels. Before using higher wattage bulbs you should also check that the type of bulb is safe for the fittings and shades that you currently have. If in doubt you should ask an electrician to check for you.

Reducing light levels

Sometimes people prefer less light. Switching the overhead lights off and only using lamps on their own means that the light levels will be uneven. If you want to reduce light levels evenly throughout a room, try and use a dimmer switch that allows you to vary the amount of overhead light.

Many people find light uncomfortable outdoors, or even inside on a bright day. It is often the light that reaches your eyes from above and the sides that causes discomfort. For this reason, ordinary sunglasses may not solve the problem. A brimmed hat or peaked cap often helps, but many people find that tinted spectacles with side shields are the most useful.

You can also get clip-ons with side shields and tinted over glasses (over shields) to use with your everyday spectacles. These are particularly useful because you can remove them quickly if you go into a darker area.

RNIB sells tinted over glasses (over shields). Contact RNIB Customer Services on 0845 702 3153, email cservices@rnib.org.uk or visit our online shop for more details. They are also available from many low vision services.

Lighting tips for the daytime

You should try to let as much daylight as possible into your home by keeping the curtains drawn back clear of the windows. If you don’t want to have completely bare windows you can put up light-weight window coverings, such as blinds.

Keeping your windows clean, and painting window frames and walls a light colour, may also help you make the most of daylight. For more information about decorating at home, see the at home section.

General lighting tips for the home

Lighting on the stairs and landing

You should take particular care to keep the stairs and landing brightly and evenly lit. These areas are often more dimly lit than the rooms leading on to them and this can be dangerous.

If possible, make sure that stair lighting can be switched on and off at the top and bottom of the stairs. Infra-red sensors can be used to make the light switch on and off automatically, but they can be expensive to fit.

Lighting in the kitchen

It is very important to have good light in the kitchen. It is easier to see kitchen work surfaces that are lit directly rather than from a ceiling light.

You can fix lights to wall cupboards or shelves so that they shine on to the worktop. Be careful to position lighting so that it does not shine directly into your eyes when you are working. Clip-on spotlights are useful to make specific areas brighter and fluorescent strip lights are better to light a whole work surface.

However, bare lamps are a source of glare, which can make things difficult to see. To prevent this, fix a diffuser on any fluorescent strip lights that you have fitted.

Lighting for close up tasks

When you are doing anything close up like reading, knitting, or writing a letter, most people find it much easier to see if they use better lighting.

As well as having good general lighting in the room, it is important to have a second light source, for example a task light that can shine directly on to what you need to see.

If you are near a window, sit down so that you have your back to the window. This will mean that the light comes over your shoulder and shines on what you want to see.

Lamps

Adjustable task lamps

Adjustable lamps are particularly useful because you can point them to make the light fall directly on to what you want to see.

They can be floor or desk standing, or wall mounted and they have a base or bracket to which an adjustable arm and a flexible head are attached.

The best position for an adjustable lamp is between you and what you want to look at, directed at the task, below eye level. Make sure the lampshade does not get too hot so that you don’t burn yourself when you are using it or adjusting it.

Table lamps and standard lamps

Normal table lamps and standard lamps give good extra lighting in a room, but are not ideal for close up tasks. As they are not adjustable the light doesn’t shine on what you want to see and is often not very bright.

The light bulbs in standard lamps usually face upwards and are further away. This means that less light shines on the object, as the shades do not direct light very well, so they lose a lot of light from the top.

Using a shade on your table or standard lamp with a white lining inside means that more of the light given out by the lamp will be reflected on to what you want to see. Table lampshades direct the most light if they are 10 to 12 inches wide.

Safety tips:

• Make sure that lamps do not have trailing wires or leads.
• Use a multi-plug that allows you to plug in a number of plugs safely rather than socket adapters that can be dangerous.
• Make sure that lamps have the correct fuses in their plugs and that the bulb is of the correct wattage for the shade.
• If you have doubts about safety issues, call an electrician.
• Be careful if moving a lamp with a detachable base.

Types of light bulbs

Filament bulbs

The most commonly used bulbs are filament light bulbs. These are usually balloon-shaped with wires inside. The brightness of these bulbs depends on the number of watts they have. The higher the number of watts, the brighter the bulb will be.

These bulbs can be made from clear, frosted, white or coloured glass. Try not to use clear bulbs, as these can be uncomfortable and create confusing shadows. Frosted and white bulbs give a more even light than clear bulbs. They only lose a small amount of light and are more comfortable to use.

Bulbs that simulate natural light – often called “daylight” – are more expensive. They give off a particularly white light. Some people find this light better.

Disadvantages of using filament bulbs are:

• they get very hot and could burn a person who touches them or is next to one for a long time, and so can be uncomfortable to sit near
• they use more electricity than fluorescent bulbs.

Always ensure that you do not use higher wattage bulbs without checking that they are safe for the fittings and shades in which they are to be used.

Fluorescent bulbs

There are now many adjustable lamps available with fluorescent bulbs. Although these lamps are more expensive to buy, they are cheaper to run.

Other benefits of using fluorescent bulbs include:

• they do not get very hot when they are being used
• they last up to eight times longer and give off five times more light than ordinary bulbs of the same wattage
• they come in a range of different colours which some people prefer, eg warm soft yellow.

There are also energy saving fluorescent light bulbs, which tend to need a few seconds to warm up to full brightness. Using them in hallways or stairwells where light is needed instantly is therefore not a good idea.

As a general rule, more expensive bulbs warm up quicker than cheaper alternatives. If you’re keen to save energy you may consider replacing room lights with energy saving bulbs, and tungsten bulbs in hallways or stairwells where light is needed immediately.

Halogen lights

Halogen lights are very bright so some people find them useful. However, the bulbs are very expensive, they use a lot of electricity and get very hot.

If halogen bulbs are touched, the grease from your fingers may shorten the life of the bulb, so you should always use a cloth to handle halogen bulbs.

Choosing the best lamp and bulb for you

It is always best to try out different lamps yourself to see which one suits you. Think about the task, along with the best and safest place to position a task lamp. This will help you decide whether you need a floor or desk standing lamp, or one attached to a wall bracket to meet that need.

Most people find that adjustable lamps, which shine directly on to what you need to see, are the most helpful. Using a fluorescent bulb (a PL fluorescent bulb) produces more light and has the added advantage of not getting very hot. Although initially these bulbs may be expensive to buy, in the long term they will be cheaper to run than an ordinary bulb.

If you prefer a filament bulb, use a frosted, white or “daylight” one.

RNIB sells a range of task, floor and portable lighting, including PL fluorescent bulbs. Visit our online shop or contact Customer Services for details.

• Who to contact for further information.
• Information on the effectiveness of energy efficient light bulbs
• Back to See for yourself - make the most of your sight.

Content author: LVUeditor@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 16/05/2008 17:18