Our vision changes as we grow older, but some are challenged with vision conditional their lives. Lighting and color choices can help make Living In Place safer.
JUNE 10, 2023
One of life’s challenges for most people is the gradual change in vision. Whether it is needing “cheater” reading glasses or different (and usually stronger) prescription glasses. One circumstance that we all face is the difficulty in seeing in low illumination or rapid changes in light as we age. This is due to how the eye pupil muscles over time. Why is this a problem? In dimly lit restaurants, many individuals have trouble reading the menu printed with low-contrast colors, on colored paper or with fancy fonts. People who are 60 require three times more illumination than those at age 20, and this gets progressively more challenging as one gets older. So many people are now taking out their smart phone and either using the camera to enlarge the print or turning on the phone’s flashlight.
Another challenge is fast changes to light intensity, such as seeing headlights or a brilliant reflection from a surface or window. This can cause temporary blindness from an afterimage. We know that without adequate lighting and use of contrast throughout the home, people may not be able to clearly see a step, furniture, open cabinet door, countertop edge or door frame.
Choosing Appropriate Light and Materials
Medical professionals commonly ask their clients if any member of their household has vision challenges. This can range from not seeing well in dimly lit areas, being challenged to easily distinguish colors, or have difficulty in seeing things that are near or far away. There are medical professionals who specialize in working with individuals with low vision, such as occupational therapists. They can help identify various adaptive techniques or devices throughout the home.
But having more illumination in the home prevents falls. Today with high intensity LED ceiling or wall lighting controlled with dimmers is just a start. Automatic lighting under beds and dimmed lights (to minimize arousal) that are turned on using motion switches or pressure pads near the bed do help prevent falls at night when needing to use the bathroom.
We all know the challenge of a sunken family or living room, especially with low contrast steps. It is an accident waiting to happen. For transitions to stairs, consider adding contrasting colors, whether carpeted or a different color stain or wood for the flooring. The same goes for grab bars. You don’t want to have white grab bars on a white wall – it is too difficult to see where it is located, especially for someone who has limited vision, especially without their glasses on. Instead, consider selecting grab bars that have a Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of at least a 30-point LRV difference than the surrounding surfaces.
Then there is the issue of common vision challenges such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, or glaucoma. It is common in these circumstances to have parts of their visual field missing because of their condition. With diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, light-sensitive parts of their eyes have been affected, so more light is needed for them to take in images from the world around them.”
A good idea is to have nighttime illumination along the stairs, both inside and outside. This can be done by adding LED strip lighting under the nose of each step, along the bottom of railings or sconce lighting along the sides of stairs and hallways. For power failure events, it is a good idea to have plug-in LED flashlights that turn on automatically when the power goes out as these may help prevent someone from falling and are essential if there is a fire in the home.
Many kitchens have glossy countertops as they look nice. But these easily reflect light from the sun or interior lights – especially undercabinet lights – into an individual’s eyes which causes an afterimage that can lead to a fall or other accident. A better way to go is matte, honed, or leathered countertop surfaces that allow the material to show its true beauty and improve safety.
Identifying Color and Other Issues
Some people also have difficulty distinguishing colors. A younger person may be able to see 10 million different colors, but as we age colors can wash out. Because cataracts tend to make the eye lens yellow, the shorter wavelengths of visible light do not get to the back of the eye. Because of this, individuals with cataracts see less green, blue, and violet.
Also, as men have a much higher rate of color blindness (one in 12) than women (one in 255), proper attention to color is necessary to make a home safer for everyone. And the most common form of color blindness is red-green, so when working with people, just show them color samples and don’t use color names.
For individuals who have seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression related to decreased amount of sunlight – especially during shorter days of winter – you should consider adding adjustable, bright lighting with significant blue or green colors that are closest to natural light to help regulate circadian rhythms.
So, the bottom line, always consider having lighting specialist on your professional team, and when necessary add vision and medical experts. The combined advice and knowledge of needs, designs and products of these professionals will create the best possible solutions to make the home as Healthy, Accessible, and Safe as possible for your clients and everyone else who enters their home, now and in the future.