It is reported that around 50 to 90% of people who use computers regularly experience frustrating and irritating symptoms such as eye strain. Whether you work in an office or at home, this is a real problem that could greatly diminish your productivity and even lead to serious health issues.
Therefore, an important part of ensuring that your workspace is most likely to encourage your productivity is finding the right desk lighting and making suitable choices for lighting.
By making the right choices you can not only help to reduce the risks and likelihood of suffering from the problems above but also eliminate them completely.
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Lighting Tips for Computer & Desk Work
There are actually a large variety of different types of LED lights out there and making the right choices can create a more user-friendly computer area. If you know exactly what you should be looking for, that is.
As it can be something of a minefield, navigating the selection of lighting for both desk and computer work out there right now, we are here to help. In the following post, we are going to offer you some great office & desk lighting ideas for your home, but more importantly, lighting tips for when you are using your computer.
1. Change the Settings on Your Computer Monitor
It’s important when you are trying to configure and arrange the lighting for your office environment and computer work area that you don’t forget to factor the backlight in your computer monitor.
Fatigue and strain in your eyes can be reduced often by simply changing the right brightness of the screen. Particularly if you match it to the brightness of your office illumination.
To test this out, load up a webpage and look at its white background. If it feels as if the background is a light source, it’s set far too bright. Conversely, if it is gray and dull, then it’s not nearly bright enough.
2. Use More Focused Task Lighting
Task lighting, when used properly, can provide focused illumination for documents and other items you are reading without losing clarity in the quality of the images. It’s wise, therefore, to pick an adjustable desk lamp that doesn’t produce much in the way of glare.
For instance, modern flexible gooseneck lamps are ideal because you can adjust the path of light easily and with precision. Position the lamp on the desk to one side of your monitor and make sure the light does not shine on the screen itself, but the actual papers.
Light intensity is measured by what is known as foot candles. For a home office or other workspace, where there is an LCD computer screen being used, the foot candles need to be up to but no more than 73. The foot candles measurement can be used to calculate the lumens rating of an LED lighting fixture. Simply multiply it by 10.76.
3. Finetune Overhead Lighting Fixtures
The best kind of overhead lighting options are those kinds of ambient lighting free of glare and that provide low levels of brightness. You can even reduce the intensity of existing ceiling lights by unscrewing some of the fluorescent tubes or light bulbs or by just completely replacing them with lower level bulbs.
You can also utilize indirect lighting solutions, the kind that hangs down, as a way of distributing light evenly, along with frosted globes and other effective light diffusers.
Another great idea you could consider is using one or a full row of ceiling lights that sit parallel to the line of sight of your computer monitor. This will help to give you a much sharper viewing experience that will mean you don’t have to screw your eyes as much when reading things.
4. Make Use of The Sunshine
For home offices, the natural brightness produced by sunshine is an effective mood enhancer. That is, along with as it is not distracting you or making it difficult for you to view your computer screen.
Glaring, shadows and other contrast issues are often caused by bright sunlight shining through the windows positioned either in front or behind your monitor. Drapes, shades, and blinds can be closed to help you control and manage both the direction and volume of light streaming through from outside the office.
It is also effective positioning your computer and its screen at a parallel with the office windows to help avoid that natural light bouncing against your monitor.
Hopefully, if you are looking to improve your work environment with alternative and clever choices of lighting, you will find the suggestions and tips outlined above helpful. Especially if your work involves a lot of time spent on a computer.
As well as helping your business (or the business you work for) thrive, it will also safeguard your eyes and health from the potential long-term problems that come from working on a computer day in, day out.
