Lighting and How to Maximize Your Vision: Strategies for Life, Living Well With Vision Loss
By Donna LeBlanc, Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist
April 1, 2008
Good lighting is essential to maximize vision. Most older adults require three to four times more light to see well than young adults, whether they have vision loss or not. As we age the lens of the eye becomes yellow, thicker and less pliable, making it harder for light to get through. That is why more light is needed to perform everyday activities such as reading, writing, sewing, crafts and moving around the environment.
Adequate lighting, combined with good contrast, makes everything easier to see. Two kinds of lighting will be discussed here: general or ambient lighting and task lighting. When a room has vivid, consistent general lighting it is possible to see all areas of the room, including the corners. This type of lighting is crucial to safely move about the room and find the items there. This is helpful for all of us but even more so for people with partial vision. Rooms, stairways and outdoor areas with good lighting enhance the safety of the home.
Task lighting is used for activities close up such as reading, writing, cooking or putting on makeup. Gooseneck, adjustable arm or student desk lamps help when reading, writing, sewing or doing other crafts. Lighted magnifying mirrors are useful for applying makeup. Lights under the kitchen cabinet or over the stove make it easier to work in the kitchen. These are just some examples of appropriate task lighting. If you have low vision, or know someone else who does, keep these adaptations in mind to improve the home environment.
There are other factors to keep in mind when thinking of lighting. One of the most important is glare. Examples of surfaces that can have glare are cars and snow on a sunny day, lights or sunshine on highly polished floors, tables, TVs and computer screens. When light on shiny surfaces causes glare it is unpleasant for everyone but even more troublesome for those with vision loss, especially if they have cataracts and glaucoma. Some possible environmental solutions to these problems with glare are to put large, nonskid rugs on floors, cloth or matte finish tablecloths on shiny tables, curtains or blinds in windows and adjust them as needed to keep bothersome light from shining into rooms and onto computer and TV screens. Turn TV and computer screens at an angle as needed so overhead lights won’t shine directly onto them.
When outdoors, wear sunglasses that block out ultraviolet light and blue light that causes glare. Consult with your optician or optometrist when buying sunglasses. For those with partial vision, it is helpful to make an appointment to see an optometrist at a Low Vision Clinic to get special sunglasses such as NOIRS or Sunshields for your particular type of vision loss. A Low Vision optometrist can help you find the right sunglasses as well as other types of optical aids, such as glasses and magnifiers, to make it possible to see better. Some magnifiers have lights built into them and this may help depending on your type and amount of vision loss. Every person’s vision is unique but there are so many lighting options and adaptations available to fit all your needs.
Perkins Outreach Services for Ages 55 and Older, Outreach@Perkins.org, 617-972-7643