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How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

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Re: How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

#291

Post by Karrot_Kream »

bongodongobob wrote: post #130
Karrot_Kream wrote: post #23

A lot of the guidelines that are used to light a scene for a camera are also quite useful for lighting a room for yourself, just with less light needed as the human eye has a much higher dynamic range than a camera sensor: * Use diffuse light. This usually means multiple light sources bouncing and diffusing light off surfaces (ceilings, walls, etc) or diffusers. * Minimize shadows. Shadows lead to contrast which can…

I agree up until golden hour. It's a very specific style of lighting and isn't any better or worse. It's not the best time to take a picture, it doesn't have the best light. It's a specific kind of light.

Right I don't disagree. I just wanted to hold up golden hour as a specific example of lighting properties that humans tend to subconsciously really enjoy and evoke that as a source of inspiration for lighting your home spaces. Maybe you don't care for the overly warm temperatures but you enjoy the diffuse, desaturated look.

This is more just a comment written to get folks who are considering lighting to think critically about it for the first time. The average person plops a bright stand lamp in a corner of the room and calls it a day, maybe with a dimmer if they're a bit advanced. The fact that you have an opinion about golden hour lighting means you're already beyond that point :)

Re: How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

#292

Post by Xcelerate »

blackeyeblitzar wrote: post #290
Karrot_Kream wrote: post #23

A lot of the guidelines that are used to light a scene for a camera are also quite useful for lighting a room for yourself, just with less light needed as the human eye has a much higher dynamic range than a camera sensor: * Use diffuse light. This usually means multiple light sources bouncing and diffusing light off surfaces (ceilings, walls, etc) or diffusers. * Minimize shadows. Shadows lead to contrast which can…

Is there a way to diffuse light from overhead recessed lighting? For me the ‘soft’ LED bulbs I have aren’t enough. I wish there was some kind of diffusion cover I could put on the outside of the recessed housing that softens the light further but also doesn’t look like I hacked something together. But I also wonder - why has there been such wide adoption of overhead recessed lighting? To me they’re a big part of why…

That’s funny cause I’m going the exact opposite direction and trying to remove the diffuse lighting and replace it with very hard and bright lighting that has a spectrum as similar to sunlight as I can find/afford.

Recessed lighting with parabolic reflectors collimates light conically, which is more similar sunlight than omnidirectional lighting that passes through a diffuser. The sun is basically a point source so far away that the light rays that reach us are almost parallel. To me it feels much “cozier” than soft lighting, which gives everything a bland, washed out look and makes me sleepy during the work day.

I was even thinking about replacing my surface mount LED lighting with recessed cans. But everyone is obviously quite different in their preferences haha. If you want more diffuse lighting, there are filters and lenses they sell that you can slide into the cans.

Re: How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

#293

Post by blackeyeblitzar »

Xcelerate wrote: post #292
blackeyeblitzar wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a way to diffuse light from overhead recessed lighting? For me the ‘soft’ LED bulbs I have aren’t enough. I wish there was some kind of diffusion cover I could put on the outside of the recessed housing that softens the light further but also doesn’t look like I hacked something together. But I also wonder - why has there been such wide adoption of overhead recessed lighting? To me they’re a big part of why…

That’s funny cause I’m going the exact opposite direction and trying to remove the diffuse lighting and replace it with very hard and bright lighting that has a spectrum as similar to sunlight as I can find/afford. Recessed lighting with parabolic reflectors collimates light conically, which is more similar sunlight than omnidirectional lighting that passes through a diffuser. The sun is basically a point source so f…

Wow that is a very different take. I’m on the verge of going to floor lamps only.

> If you want more diffuse lighting, there are filters and lenses they sell that you can slide into the cans.

Any idea what they’re called or what to look for? I’ve tried searching and only found whole recessed cans that come with those filters but not something that I can fit into the cans I already have.

Re: How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

#294

Post by plun9 »

DoingIsLearning wrote: post #193

On the topic of WFH eye strain but less on lighting. There was a post a while back where the author proposed using a laser projector as a means of reducing eye strain. She referred to lighting as a factor but I assume the major benefit is the increasing distance to the screen such that your eyes are focused on a point much further away than conventional screens (and I assume eye strain is not linear with distance). I…

I think the arrangement from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42232741 should become more popular. Focus distance is absolutely an issue, and you can probably convince yourself of that by just staring out a window or across the room for a while and comparing the eyestrain you get from that versus reading a book for an extended period of time.

Re: How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

#295

Post by plun9 »

Mali- wrote: post #218
DoingIsLearning wrote: post #193

On the topic of WFH eye strain but less on lighting. There was a post a while back where the author proposed using a laser projector as a means of reducing eye strain. She referred to lighting as a factor but I assume the major benefit is the increasing distance to the screen such that your eyes are focused on a point much further away than conventional screens (and I assume eye strain is not linear with distance). I…

On your question about popularity - I would put it down to expense and noise. The fans go like mad (especially on the cheaper projectors) and to get parity with a decent monitor, you have to spend thousands.

You could potentially save on glasses and LASIK. You could also potentially use the same projector to watch TV and videos.

Re: How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

#296

Post by xnx »

gehwartzen wrote: post #135
stevenAthompson wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do almost exactly this, but instead use a cheapish 65" 4k/60hz TV instead. I can see bits of my surroundings with my peripheral vision, but only with the parts of my vision that are already blurry. I suspect that 85" was chosen to maximize immersion for gamers (cover the entire field of view), rather than to minimize eyestrain. For me doing development work on a 65" from about 1.5m is close to ideal.

I have a 4k projector setup which I use from time to time instead of my regular 27” monitor. It makes a pretty big difference especially as it is reflected light. I can sit in front of it for hours without any noticeable eye strain. It’s fine for doing graphical work or web browsing but really not ideal for things like code or excel as I lose my place too often with my eyes having to dart around further. Might just b…

Can the eye distinguish between emitted and reflected light?

Re: How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

#297

Post by jwr »

Izkata wrote: post #271
qweiopqweiop123 wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always heard you should be in line with the top of your monitor when looking straight ahead. A quick google has says the said. Either way we're on the same lines - too many people are looking up too much when looking at the monitor. It takes more effort than looking down.

GP said too low, not too high. I'm thinking a typo though because that doesn't make much sense to me and I agree with you - I always have to adjust monitors as low as they can go in the office.

Not a typo. Most monitors are too low. You should not have to bend your neck to look at your monitor.

But some office setups have other issues, such as chairs that are too low, or desks that are too high, in which case your monitor might end up at the right height, but that doesn't mean much if the rest of your setup is wrong.

Begin with the desk+chair: they need to be set up so that when your hands are on the keyboard, your elbows form a right angle, or very close to it. Look at piano players for reference. Most setups fail that test. But once you get that right, you will notice that your monitor is way too low and all the stands are too low, which was my point.

You need to be looking at the top third when staring straight ahead, otherwise you will need to bend your neck to look at the lower part of the monitor and you will end up with neck pain. Top third, ideally around 2/3 of the monitor, so not the very top.

Re: How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

#298

Post by moffkalast »

camhart wrote: post #15

A big thing not often spoken about with eye strain is dry eye caused by the lack of blinking due to focusing on screens too close to our face. This is an evolutionary phenomenon--close dangers cause extreme focus without blinking. Extreme focus on close items reduces our blinks. Our eye lids have glands in them that release oils on your eye with each blink. These oils help prevent the watery part of your tears from e…

Wouldn't an app that randomly turns the screen black for a split second every few minutes be able to induce blinking as a response?

Re: How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

#299

Post by kccqzy »

This article potentially answers a question I've had for a long time: why I find working at night more pleasant than working during daytime. I thought I was just a night owl.

But actually my daytime setup relies on the sun coming in from the windows just like the author's first illustration. For night time I don't have a ceiling light so I naturally have multiple lamps scattered across the room (depending on where the outlet is) all with fabric wrapped light fixture (because they look good).

I suspect many people might be in the same situation.

Re: How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain

#300

Post by tarcar »

chronogram wrote: post #208

I use similar standing lights with diffusers in every non-door corner, and I agree that the quality of light matters, though that doesn't mean it has to be expensive. I used E27 bulbs with RA 95, only 1521 lumen each but the light is much better than the 2500 lumen bulbs I had before. They were very cheap at a discount store (Action in the Netherlands). I use a remote to turn the whole group in a room on.

Interesting! What type of diffusers are you using?
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