Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Desk lighting impacts productivity, comfort, health
L ook at your desk. Chances are you have at least two screens in front of you. From smartphones to multiple monitors and even tablets, backlit screens constantly demand attention during the workday — but that quality of light could have a negative impact on your health, comfort and productivity.
For a quick fix, add a task light. Proper task lighting is an easy hack that can significantly improve your overall well-being and productivity at the workspace.
Consider the following when choosing task lighting for your workspace.
Light affects your health.
It can be easy to forget the impact light has on our daily lives, but quality light is vital to keeping us healthy, alert and functioning at our best. It affects not only our biological circadian rhythm, but also our emotions and overall sense of well-being.
Lighting needs vary based on age.
According to Jonathan Puleio, a certified professional ergonomist (CPE) with Humanscale, we need different types of lighting at different stages of life.
“Individual lighting requirements vary based on age. By the time we reach our 60s, we require more than 250 percent more contrast to view the same documents we did when we were in our 20s,” Puleio said.
“Compounding the issue is that monitors emit light, whereas paper reflects light. This means that monitors and paper-based documents have completely different lighting requirements,” he said.
Task lighting helps address both issues, allowing users to adjust their individual light levels according to their task and their respective age. For these reasons, proper lighting has been shown to reduce visual symptoms and improve comfort.
Features make a difference.
When you’re ready to invest in a quality task light for your workspace, here are a few key features you’ll need to prioritize: quality of lighting, adjustability and footprint.
Look for task lights with the latest LED technology, which provides superior light quality. If designed correctly, LED lights minimize glare, create a uniform footprint of light and cast a single shadow. Many task lights create multiple shadows on the work surface, adding visual complexities that can lead to ocular fatigue.
Although you may not notice it, a task light that casts only a single shadow will significantly enhance your comfort. LED lights not only produce higher-quality lighting, but they are also better for the environment and last longer than standard bulbs.
The light’s reach is also important.
A well-designed task light should offer a wide range of light output so you can find the best brightness level to illuminate your work area. Adjustability of the light’s reach is just as crucial because it allows you to position the light where you most need it.
Finally, a large footprint of light helps you shine high-quality light on more space, eliminating the reliance on subpar overhead lights.