New Eye Model Guides Lighting Designs For Aging Adults

TL;DR

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Researchers from Fudan University and OPPLE Lighting developed a model that accounts for age-related changes in the eye to help design white-light spectra. In a test of 34 adults aged 70 and older, two model-guided spectra improved color-sorting performance compared with a simulated daylight reference; real-world performance and wider use have not yet been established.

Researchers from Fudan University and OPPLE Lighting have developed a computational model to guide white-light designs for aging eyes, and tested two model-selected spectra in adults aged 70 and older. In a controlled color-sorting test, both options improved participants’ performance compared with a simulated daylight reference, a result that could inform lighting for homes and care facilities but still needs testing in everyday settings.

The model estimates how well a person can distinguish similar colors under a given light. It combines the light’s wavelength spectrum, the wavelengths reflected by colored objects and age-adjusted sensitivity estimates for the eye’s three cone types. The approach accounts for the gradual yellowing of the eye’s lens, which absorbs more short-wavelength light as people age.

The team used the model to assess 11,541 possible spectra meeting standard requirements for white light and color rendering near 5,000 kelvins, a neutral, daylight-like white. Researchers selected two: P1, optimized for color discrimination, and P2, designed to balance discrimination with natural-looking colors. For a modeled 85-year-old observer, the team estimated that P1 would recover about 49% of age-related loss in color discrimination and P2 about 36%. Those figures are model predictions, not measurements of recovery in the volunteers.

For the human test, 34 volunteers aged 70 and older completed a color-sorting task under P1, P2 and an LED-simulated D50 daylight reference. Illuminance and color temperature were nearly identical across the three conditions. The researchers reported significantly better test performance under both optimized spectra than under the reference. Individually, 26 participants, or 76.5%, improved with P1; 22, or 64.7%, improved with P2.

Lighting Designed for Aging Eyes

Color discrimination can affect routine tasks such as reading labels, sorting medications, judging food and choosing clothing. The researchers say lighting tailored to age-related changes in color vision could support older adults with these activities while keeping object colors familiar. These are potential applications, not outcomes measured by the color-sorting trial.

The work also addresses a limitation in conventional lighting assessment: standard color-quality measures use mathematical representations of human vision that do not account for age-related shifts in sensitivity across wavelengths. The study suggests that two white lights with similar conventional characteristics may differ in how well older adults can distinguish colors under them.

The team reports that the selected spectra met conventional criteria for white-light chromaticity and color rendering, which could make them relevant to shared spaces used by people of different ages. Whether they preserve natural color appearance across a broad population and in varied tasks remains a matter for further testing.

From Vision Model to Light Spectrum

The study, published in the journal Optics Express, describes a way to connect models of aging vision with practical lighting design. The researchers first incorporated estimated age-related changes in the eye’s lens and cone sensitivities, then used that model to compare candidate spectra under standard white-light constraints.

Lead researcher Qi Dai of Fudan University said the aim was to use knowledge of age-related vision changes to design white light that could measurably help older adults distinguish colors while retaining conventional lighting color-quality requirements. The team included researchers from Fudan University and OPPLE Lighting.

The human evaluation was a controlled task involving adults aged 70 and older, rather than a long-term study in homes or care facilities. OPPLE Lighting is working toward translating the findings into lighting products, according to the report. The researchers say further studies are needed before wider adoption.

“As people age, the lens inside the eye gradually yellows and absorbs more short-wavelength light, which can make similar colors harder to discriminate.”

— Qi Dai, research team leader at Fudan University

Everyday Performance Still Untested

The study does not establish whether the lighting improves performance in homes, care facilities or other everyday environments, or whether benefits persist with extended use. The reported human test involved 34 adults aged 70 and older; the source does not report a comparison group of younger participants or establish effects across a wider age range.

The researchers say additional work should test the approach at other commonly used illuminance levels and color temperatures, and assess lighting with people of a wider range of ages, including younger users. The findings also do not show that either spectrum improves every color-related task or produces the same benefit for each older adult. The model’s predictions for an 85-year-old observer should not be confused with the measured outcomes in the volunteer test.

The report does not provide a timeline for product availability or detailed results from testing in real-world settings. The team also says applying the approach to displays or other groups with different spectral sensitivities would require dedicated modeling and human testing.

Further Trials Before Wider Use

OPPLE Lighting is working to translate the research into practical lighting products, but the source gives no release date. Before wider adoption, the researchers call for studies in everyday settings and tests across other common illuminance levels and color temperatures.

Further trials involving a broader range of ages could help establish how well the model supports shared spaces and whether the observed color-sorting advantage carries over to daily activities. The published report does not say when those studies will begin or what products may result.

Key Questions

What does the new eye model do?

It estimates how well a person can distinguish similar colors under a particular light spectrum, accounting for age-related changes in the eye’s lens and cone sensitivities. Researchers used it to select candidate white-light spectra.

Did the tested lighting improve color discrimination?

In a color-sorting test, researchers reported significantly better performance under both model-selected spectra than under a simulated daylight reference. The test involved 34 adults aged 70 and older and does not establish effects in every setting or task.

What are P1 and P2?

P1 was selected to optimize color discrimination. P2 was designed to balance color discrimination with natural-looking colors. In the test, 26 of 34 participants improved under P1 and 22 of 34 under P2.

Can consumers buy lighting based on this research now?

The report says OPPLE Lighting is working toward practical products but gives no availability date. The researchers call for further testing in everyday settings before wider adoption.

What further research is needed?

The researchers call for testing in everyday environments, at other illuminance levels and color temperatures, and with people across a wider age range, including younger users.

Source: rss