The Aging Eyes of Baby Boomers - Why Light Is So Important

The Aging Eyes of Baby Boomers - Why Light Is So Important

Proper lighting is especially important for baby boomers because less light reaches the retina in an aging eye than it does in a younger eye. The size of your pupil reduces with age so less light enters the eye. Also the lens, which is normally transparent in a young person, becomes yellow and thickens with age (cataracts) thus impeding the transmission of light. The result is that a 60-year-old receives only about 40% of the available light as compared to a 20-year-old. This makes viewing anything with fine detail in dim lighting nearly impossible.

The solution appears simple enough, just provide more light overall, but not all lighting is created equal. Aging eyes have an increasing sensitivity to glare so its important to use light fixtures that are fully shielded. The aging eye is especially sensitive to glare because the lens thickens and develops cloudy patches that scatter light across the retina making the image less clear. Highly reflective surfaces such as white walls and ceilings maximize and balance the light washing out severe shadows.

Because contrast sensitivity also often declines with age, increasing the contrast of critical objects allows a person with aging eyes to distinguish the edges. For example, a stair tread or tape with a contrasting color may help them be able to see the edges of the stair better. Large signs with a contrasting background are also easier to read (for example black text on a white background).

Since many aging eyes also lose some color sensitivity, good color-rendering lamps may help the color discrimination that remains. Incandescent lamps and white LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes are the most efficient, longest lasting type of light source available) render colors very well. Most fluorescent lamps also render colors well. Low-pressure sodium lights (mainly used as outdoor lighting in many cities with a large astronomical community) are monochromatic making almost everything look gray so these are obviously the worst type of light source for color rendering.

Other than eyeglasses and maybe surgery, having the proper amounts of light available is probably the most important thing you can do to improve your vision no matter how old your eyes.

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