Did you know that the lights in your home can have an impact on how healthy your eyes are? It’s pretty amazing! Whether you’re updating your home with new light fixtures or you’re looking for ways to reduce eye strain and headaches, your light choices can make all the difference. Below are the best lights our ophthalmologists recommend to ensure healthy eyes.
Even Light Distribution
Inconsistent lighting makes it harder for your eyes to adjust when moving into different rooms. The first thing you’ll want to pay attention to is even light distribution. Most eye specialists recommend using warm, white lights that are gentle on the eyes. Center lights, chandeliers, strip lights and hanging pendants are all great ways to bring more light into your rooms.
Dimmer Switches
Even though consistent lighting is important, you don’t want to expose your eyes to bright lights all the time. To help with this, install dimmer switches on your lights. It’s a relatively simple and inexpensive upgrade, as long as you have lights that are dimmable. With a few taps, you can adjust the brightness of your lights so that you don’t overexert your eyes.
Full-Spectrum Lighting
Full-spectrum lighting covers almost the entire spectrum of light and is the best form of artificial light for your eyes. It also helps people perceive color better, which is a bonus if you enjoy things like art and photography. Some experts even say that full-spectrum lighting improves the mood, mental awareness, sleep quality and Vitamin D production.
Task Lighting
Task lights provide adequate lighting for specific tasks like reading, writing and cooking. Examples include table lamps, recessed downlights, wall-mounted reading lights and under-counter lights. If you spend a lot of time at home working or doing activities, you’ll want to have the right lights to match your needs. Simply having bright lights all over the home isn’t enough.
Avoid Fluorescent Lights
Fluorescent lights emit an artificial source of ultraviolet light that can lead to blurred vision and headaches. The longer you’re exposed to fluorescent lights, the more damage they can do to your eyes. Instead of using fluorescent lights, retina specialists suggest switching to LED bulbs and fixtures instead.
Safety Lights
If you have areas in your home that are dark, such as narrow hallways or staircases, install stair lights or LED light strips. These lights will help you navigate these areas without overexerting your eyes. Plus, you can avoid slips and falls this way! Stair lights are a great option for the outdoors as well.
High-quality lighting is more accessible than ever before. The options listed above give you an idea of how you can make your home safe and healthy. If you make changes and continue to experience headaches and eye fatigue, contact your eye specialist for further testing.
FAQs
Natural lighting.
While UV rays may be harmful in large doses, natural daylighting from the sun is the best form of light for your eyes.
What is the best light for your eyes in your house? ›
Warm light is best for the eyes. This includes filtered natural light and light produced by incandescent and LED light bulbs. Spread out lighting in your home and workspace to ensure sufficient lighting.
What is the best indoor lighting for health? ›
Use Bright Lighting
Adding bright light into your home is a great way to help keep you focused. Having bright lighting can also keep you energized and alert, without tiring your eyes. Plus, it stimulates your brain and increases your serotonin levels, which helps with your concentration.
What are the best ceiling lights for macular degeneration? ›
Fluorescent light and CFLs produce less heat, use less energy, and are usually recommended for overall room lighting because they don't create glare spots and shadows. There are also specialized lightbulbs and lamps made specifically to assist people with low vision.
What is the best room lighting to help reduce eye strain? ›
To reduce eye strain, ensure even, indirect lighting to minimize glare. Use natural light when possible, position your desk perpendicular to windows. Opt for LED or daylight bulbs with a color temperature around 5000K. Adjust brightness to match ambient light, and consider a desk lamp with adjustable intensity.
Are LED lights good for macular degeneration? ›
It revealed that long-term exposure to LED lights can lead to the early onset of macular degeneration — a condition where the loss of retinal cells causes deterioration of central vision. Prolonged exposure to LEDs can also cause blurred vision, headaches, fatigue, and risks of accidents.
What light improves eyesight? ›
Red Light Therapy Linked to Improved Vision
These researchers found that this exposure to Red Light Therapy led to a 17-20% improvement in visual acuity.
What is the healthiest form of lighting? ›
We suggest using incandescent or halogen bulbs throughout the day + night if you're after a greater sense of well-being. Also - unlike most harshly flickering LED or fluorescent bulbs - incandescents (and color-correct halogens like Chromalux®) will also be the healthiest type of light for your eyes!
What type of light should I have in my house? ›
In general, consider the following: Warm white color temperature for living rooms and bedrooms. Bright white color temperature for kitchens and workspaces. Daylight color temperature for reading nooks and studies.
What are the best lights for poor vision? ›
LED lighting: Light-emitting diodes are different than incandescent and fluorescent lights in the way they burn energy, and they also last much longer than other types of bulbs. LED lights are great choices for low vision because they're usually on the cooler side of the color spectrum and can be very bright.
Yellow or light orange lenses are perfect for indoor reading because they increase the contrast which helps the letters and words to stand out, so you can read in comfort. There are more precise lens color suggestions for specific eye conditions, though; these still vary from person to person.
What lights are healthiest for eyes? ›
Traditional incandescent bulbs are fine, but many people are looking for a more energy efficient option. Luckily, “warm light” CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights) are okay for your eyes, as well as being much more efficient. They do emit UV rays, but a much smaller amount. You can also use LED bulbs or halogens.
Which lamps has the highest efficacy? ›
Currently, low-pressure sodium lamps give the highest luminous efficiency, 200 lumens/watt. But they give out a single orangy-yellow frequency of light and have been used mainly as roadway lighting.
What type of light can damage your retina? ›
Blue light, even at moderate intensity levels, can damage your retinas slowly over time. Blue light has shorter wavelengths than warmer light, so it has more energy. Prolonged exposure may increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
What light causes macular degeneration? ›
Occupational exposure to sunlight, in particular to blue light (wavelength of 380-550 nm), is a risk factor for several pathologies, including chronic retinal photochemical damage and, more specifically, age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
What colors do people with macular degeneration see best? ›
The color it interprets depends upon the signals sent by the cone cells. When the cones, however, are weakened by disease, they lose their sensitivity to the lower-intensity wavelengths and are unable to send proper signals. Blue, green, and red (called spectral colors) are the easiest to see.
Which light is bad for the eyes? ›
The long-term effects may be harmful. Blue light or blue-violet light can be damaging to delicate retinal cells deep in the eye. Additionally, studies have shown blue light is a risk factor for the onset of age-related macular degeneration, which is a progressive condition that can lead to vision loss over time.
Which light is good for eyes while sleeping? ›
The best night light colors for sleep are red and amber, as they are warm and soothing colors that promote a good night's sleep. It's thought that colors close to red on the light spectrum stimulate melatonin production. Red light has a lower color temperature than regular sunlight, making it ideal for sleep.
Which light is most soothing to eyes? ›
Therefore, the best color temperature LED for your eyes is anything in the warm white color temperature range (2700-3000K). Since clarity and contrast is a big part of lessening eye strain, a color-corrected type like our warm white Chromalux® LED might also be a great option!
What is the best TV for someone with macular degeneration? ›
Large-screen, high-definition (HD) TVs may benefit some people and a backlit LCD model may offer more clarity. There are a range of TVs available with good accessibility features, such as being able to make the text on the screen bigger, having high-contrast menus, the ability to read out the menu and more.
In the long term, some studies have suggested the blue light from screens can damage retinal cells, leading to problems like age-related macular degeneration. The extent of this issue is not fully understood, but it is notably not serious enough to suddenly avoid all use of screens.
What is the best lighting for low vision? ›
The color of average mid-day light is white and around 5,000K to 6,500K. This is regarded as the healthiest light. Light sources of 5000K to 6500K are most likely to benefit the majority of people with sight loss, although this can vary depending on the condition.
What is the least harmful light for eyes? ›
Luckily, “warm light” CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights) are okay for your eyes, as well as being much more efficient. They do emit UV rays, but a much smaller amount. You can also use LED bulbs or halogens.
Which light mode is best for eyes? ›
Dark mode should make it easier for your eyes to adjust from your dimly lit surroundings to your phone screen, reducing screen glare. This may reduce eye strain and minimize eye fatigue. This is why car navigation systems and GPS devices switch to dark mode after sunset.
Which is better for your eyes LED or CFL? ›
CFL bulbs do contain mercury which can be harmful, however, it's a much smaller amount in comparison to fluorescent bulbs. LED lights are less damaging to your overall eye health provided you pick warmer coloured lights over cooler ones, as there is significantly less blue light and no UV rays produced at all.
Which screen light is good for eyes? ›
The warmer the screen color, the better. Long wavelengths are better for you, so it's important to reduce the amount of blue light you see.
