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N. Hauck, A. Mahdavi:
"An Investigation of the Implications of Visual Impairment for Illumination Requirements";
Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 0 (2022), 0; 1 - 14.

Introduction: The present contribution mainly focuses on the evaluation of the visual performance
of people with impaired vision and, for comparison purposes, individuals with typical
vision under different lighting conditions. Methods: A monitor with adjustable brightness facilitated
various test runs to determine the visual performance as a function of the adaptation
luminance and glare. In addition, the subjective impressions of the participants with impaired
vision were queried via interviews. The study included 98 people with impaired vision and 38
people without visual impairments. Results: The interview results suggest that most people with
visual impairments require special lighting conditions. An increased lighting requirement is observed
amongst 50% of this group. Moreover, 75% of this group display increased glare sensitivity.
Likewise, adaptation problems and critical issues related to nonuniform lighting are manifest.
Individuals with impaired vision included in this study display a greatly reduced contrast threshold
and a higher subjective level of discomfort compared to individuals with typical vision.-
Discussion: Most visually impaired participants state that they require a higher degree of
brightness to achieve their maximum personal visual performance. However, about a quarter of
the participants reported that they achieve a better visual performance at lower brightness, while
displaying an increased sensitivity to glare. In general, glare has a decisive influence on the visual
performance of the participants with impaired vision in our study. Implications for Practitioners:
The study reconfirms the essential importance of glare-free and uniform general lighting
strategies (e.g., via predominantly indirect lighting) as well as avoiding abrupt spatiotemporal
luminance changes (e.g., via provision of a transition zone between locations with very different
luminance levels).

(no german version)
Introduction: The present contribution mainly focuses on the evaluation of the visual performance
of people with impaired vision and, for comparison purposes, individuals with typical
vision under different lighting conditions. Methods: A monitor with adjustable brightness facilitated
various test runs to determine the visual performance as a function of the adaptation
luminance and glare. In addition, the subjective impressions of the participants with impaired
vision were queried via interviews. The study included 98 people with impaired vision and 38
people without visual impairments. Results: The interview results suggest that most people with
visual impairments require special lighting conditions. An increased lighting requirement is observed
amongst 50% of this group. Moreover, 75% of this group display increased glare sensitivity.
Likewise, adaptation problems and critical issues related to nonuniform lighting are manifest.
Individuals with impaired vision included in this study display a greatly reduced contrast threshold
and a higher subjective level of discomfort compared to individuals with typical vision.-
Discussion: Most visually impaired participants state that they require a higher degree of
brightness to achieve their maximum personal visual performance. However, about a quarter of
the participants reported that they achieve a better visual performance at lower brightness, while
displaying an increased sensitivity to glare. In general, glare has a decisive influence on the visual
performance of the participants with impaired vision in our study. Implications for Practitioners:
The study reconfirms the essential importance of glare-free and uniform general lighting
strategies (e.g., via predominantly indirect lighting) as well as avoiding abrupt spatiotemporal
luminance changes (e.g., via provision of a transition zone between locations with very different
luminance levels).

visual impairment, adaptation luminance, glare, contrast threshold, visual discomfort

http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0145482X221090230

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0145482X221090230