Without a doubt, some of us, if not all, have studied in the classroom with substandard lighting conditions. It is a huge and one of the most common problems across the globe. Not many people acknowledge the impact of poor classroom lighting on the health of both students and teachers.
It causes eye fatigue and limits concentration that decreases performance level during class. If this problem is not resolved, prolong exposure to poor lighting conditions can take its toll. So, it is crucial to have good lighting design in classrooms.
In this post, we have created this guide to help you have the right lighting design for your classrooms.
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Why You Should Avoid Traditional Lighting In A Classroom?
Not everyone knows natural light consists of equal intensity of all the colors of the visible light spectrum. The same is the case with incandescent light. But, when it comes to fluorescent light, it offers light in a limited spectrum. Such restrictions have an adverse effect on hormone regulation, emotions, sleep cycles, and moods.
Not only this but it also negatively impacts the productivity of both, teachers and students. Here are some impacts of fluorescent lights in the classroom.
1. Causes Several Eye Problems
For those who don’t know, the classroom lighting produces a light that uses two types of energy. The fluorescent lights emit the same energy that is produced by the sun. The electrical energy acts with the gasses in the tube to produce ultraviolet light.
Some teachers are not aware of the effect of indoor UV light on their health, especially the eyes. According to a study, prolonged exposure to fluorescent light can increase the risk of eye diseases.
Just keep in mind that the lighter your eyes are, the more prone to the damage they can be. Some of the impacts of prolonged exposure to fluorescent light include:
- Increase the likelihood of corneal bumps
- Increased probability of macular degeneration
- High risk of cataracts
These are the reasons why you should limit your exposure to the fluorescent lights. While you can wear dark-colored glasses outdoors, wearing them indoors is not possible as it will increase light sensitivity.
This is why the solution is shifting to LED lights for classroom lighting. LEDLUCKY offers a wide range of LED lights to suit different requirements.
2. Makes You Feel Tired
One of the problems caused by fluorescent lights is headaches. According to studies, this is the main cause of headaches and migraines in classrooms. Also, it was found that people with migraines are sensitive to the subliminal flicker and color temperature.
Moreover, this type of lighting does not only affect people with migraines. Fluorescent lights can also trigger tension headaches, cluster headaches, ad new daily persistent headaches.
- Cluster Headaches- these are recurring and causes severe pain on one side of the head.
- Tension Headaches- this causes pain in the forehead or on the sides or back of the head. Mostly, the shoulder and neck pain is also caused by tension headaches.
- New Daily Persistent Headaches- this is a recurring headache in people with no migraine history.
Even though the fluorescent lights have improved over the years, the flicker-free lights still send chaotic signals to the brain. This can cause irritation and fatigue.
3. Impacts Performance of Students
Another adverse impact of fluorescent lights is the decrease in the performance of students. Teachers are not the only ones that are affected by unfiltered fluorescent light, but it also affects students. This type of light is more dangerous for children.
It can disturb the sleep cycle, cause headaches, and intervene with moods and emotions. There are other effects of fluorescent lights on students:
- Decreases their ability to focus and concentrate on lessons
- Having difficulty in reading
- Loss of vision
- Distractibility, excitability, and hyperactivity
- Increases blood pressure
Moreover, color temperature and light intensity also have an impact on the performance of students. The fluorescent light causes glare that makes it hard for the students to read and see clearly. If the fluorescent light is filtered, it will improve the alertness and concentration of students by 25%. LED lights for classroom lighting by LEDLUCKY are perfect for enhancing the performance of students.
4. Sensitivity of Light
Teachers have to work under the glare of fluorescent lights. By the end of the day, their eyes feel painful, sore, and tired. For people who are sensitive to fluorescent lights, they might feel their eyes tear after being exposed to specific lighting conditions.
If you are photophobia, light sensitivity, the following are the symptoms you might experience:
- Unable to open eyes when exposed to certain lighting conditions for a long time or changing light intensity.
- Excessive blinking for decreasing discomfort.
- Experiencing tearing when exposed to bright or fluorescent lights or viewing a computer screen.
- Migraine triggered by light.
- Inflammation or redness
- Squinting, blurred vision, or double vision, making it hard to focus.
When teachers have a migraine or any other type of headache, it might be difficult for them to connect with their students.
5. Increases Stress Levels
Not many people know that hormones that regulate our emotions and moods are associated with sunlight. This also includes the stress hormones.
The color spectrum produced by the classroom lighting decreases the creation of hormones. The fluorescent lighting is responsible for slowing down the production of natural cortisol. This is a hormone that fights stress.
It becomes challenging for your body to handle stressors. This might even lead to an increase in your stress levels.
Furthermore, cortisol has a key role to play in other bodily functions. For instance, it helps in controlling your sleep cycles, regulate inflammation, boosts energy levels, and control blood sugar levels.
When fluorescent lights are used in classroom lighting, it intervenes with the ability to regulate stress. This will cause you to feel extremely stressed by the end of the day. There is a possibility that you might experience reduced energy levels and increased food cravings.
Things to Consider When Designing Lighting Plan
There are several things to pay attention to when designing a classroom lighting layout. Without professional help, you cannot have the best lighting plan. This is why you should contact experts at LEDLUCKY.
Here are some of the things you must focus on.
1. Distribution Of Light
One of the most important factors to focus on is the uniformity of light. Though classrooms must have 500 lux, it is crucial to have uniform light in all corners of the classroom. According to an expert, any point in the class must have at least 60 to 70% minimum illumination.
The students sitting near the windows might experience 2000 lux. This causes a problem for them when they look at the blackboard. They will experience distracting glare, making it difficult for them to focus on their work.
2. Indirect and Direct Light
Another factor you need to take into account is the direct and indirect light. Indirect light is the light that you get through reflective surfaces. A good classroom lighting plan will focus on both direct and indirect light to make sure students and teachers get the ideal lighting.
It will be better to avoid dark ceilings as it will cast fewer shadows. This will even make it easy for students to focus on the blackboard.
3. Glare
When it comes to glare, the standard Unified Glare Rating (UGR) is 19. This value can be higher for changing rooms or corridors, but for light-sensitive tasks, it must lower. Keep an important thing in mind that the wider the spread of the lamp is, the worse UGR it will have.
4. Color Rendering Index (CRI)
CRI indicates the ability of the light source to reveal the colors of an object. The natural light has 100% CRI. It is essential for classroom lighting to have at least 80% CRI. In art rooms, the CRI should be 90%.
Best LEDLUCKY Classroom Lights
The market is filled with tons of lighting options, making it a challenging and daunting task. LEDLUCKY designs and manufactures durable, high-quality, and energy-efficient LED lights for classrooms.
Here are the top classroom LED lights.
1. Edgelit Panel LED Light
This is a thin and high luminous panel light that can be installed in classrooms for providing uniform light. Installation is easy and comes with smart controls.
2. Grille LED Light
Another LED light offered by LEDLUCKY is Grille light. This is a backlit panel light that has a high transmitted reflector. It helps in decreasing glare and delivers a comfortable viewing experience.
3. Blackboard LED Light
This light is specially designed for blackboards. It features a unique asymmetry beam angle that will enable students to focus on the blackboard and increase visibility.
Conclusion
Therefore, by now, you know the negative impact of fluorescent lighting in classrooms on teachers and students. To make sure teachers and students are healthy, and the performance of students is high, make sure you install LED lights.
When you are looking for the best-LED lights for classroom lighting, LEDLUCKY is the right choice. We are a leading manufacturer and supplier of LED lights for all types of uses. You can explore our collection of LED lights and choose the best one for your classroom.
If you need any help, our experts are always willing to assist. Kindly, get in touch with us for more details.
