Just one desk lamp to light up a dark room? That generally ends up being a strain on the eyes – and thereby your concentration. Photo: Bonninstudio/Westend61/dpa
There are many ways that working from home can differ from going into the office. But the lighting should be just as good. Otherwise, your eyes can tire more quickly and that can have a negative impact on your concentration and performance.
But how do you create the optimal lighting when working from home?
Tip 1 - Find the ideal place for your desk
"Ideally, the light comes from the side or from the front," says interior and lighting designer Ulrich Beckert from Munich. This way, daylight, as well as any lighting won’t be reflected on the screen.
That’s why one of the most important pieces of advice is for those who are right-handed to set up the table so that the light comes in from the left, and for those who are left-handed from the right.
"It's not a good idea to sit with your back to the light, especially when working at a computer," says Beckert. The reflections of the light on the monitor can cause serious eye strain. And that can lead to headaches.
A workplace with lots of natural light is great, but you should make sure it's never glaringly bright. Looking out a window over your desk can be a strain on the eyes, as well as distracting. Photo: Christin Klose/dpa
Tip 2 - Evenly distribute light in the room
"That strains the eyes too much because they have to get used to new lighting conditions all the time," says Iris Vollmann, from a German electrical industry initiative.
That's why, in addition to the direct lighting of the desk, it's important to have basic lighting in the room you are working from and to switch it on. This can be ceiling or wall lights, or standing lamps.
Additional lighting accents can be set by illuminated pictures, for example – but these only provide a cosy atmosphere.
No matter what lights are used, they should be aligned with the desk so that there is no glare from reflections on the screen.
Tip 3 - Work out the perfect level of illumination
The level of illumination at your desk should be at least 500 lux. This can be measured with a meter called a luxmeter or a light meter app on your smartphone. The lighting level of the room beyond the actual workstation should be at least 300 lux.
But Beckert also recommends having lighting that can be individually adjusted. After all, everyone has different preferences and needs.
How bright the lighting needs to be also depends on how old you are, because vision decreases over the years and the eyes become more sensitive. "This starts as early as the mid-30s," says Vollmann.
Her other tip: When working at the computer, also make sure you have the right distance from your seat to the screen – between 50cm and 80cm, depending on the size of the screen.
Especially if you often write by hand, it's helpful if the light does not only come from above. Photo: Finn Winkler/dpa
Tip 4 - Try two lights on your desk
Two light sources are ideal at the desk itself. One should be a light source above the desk, for example in the form of an anti-glare pendant light with a direct light component facing downwards and an indirect light component facing upwards.
The other should be a desk lamp that can be rotated and swivelled.
With the latter, the same applies here: For those who are right-handed, is best for the light to come from the left and for those who are left-handed from the right.
Especially when writing by hand, the light should not only come from above and cast shadows.
Tip 5 - Make it the right light for video calls
"The participant will look their best if the light comes from the front and slightly above," says Vollmann.
The background should be tidy and not too bright – otherwise the person will only appear as a silhouette in the picture, because their face is too dark. That's also why you should refrain from sitting with your back to a window. – dpa
