What is glare?

One of the annoying factors for the human eye is glare. Improper placement with poor quality of lighting equipment causes it to occur. This phenomenon leads to unfortunate consequences such as damage to the health of the eyes and nerve discomfort. When designing the lighting of office, residential and commercial environments, it should be noted that the lighting does not cause glare. In this article, we will fully examine the factors that are effective in light glare. Then we will examine its different types and categories and introduce solutions to prevent this from happening. Stay with us until the end of the article.

What is glare?

In the definition of this phenomenon, it can be said that light glare is a dazzling radiation of disability or visual discomfort. This happens when the intensity of the light that is in the field of view is greater than the intensity of the light that the eye is used to. If we want to explain it in simple language, it should be said that light glare means too much light entering your eyes, so that the eye cannot cope with it. This phenomenon causes eye damage and lack of focus.

Types of light glare

Light glare is divided into two levels based on the effect it has on the human eye:

1. limiting surface

This level of glare causes a contiguous halo of light in the retina. Limiting glare is caused by the disturbing ambient light shining into our eyes with high intensity and at a sharp angle. To solve this problem, you only need to create the right angle between the light source and the line.

2. Level of discomfort

Maybe we all have experienced the level of discomfort. This level occurs when a person’s vision decreases while staring at a light source, and as a result, they involuntarily look elsewhere.

This happens mostly when you are directly exposed to a strong light source such as the sun or artificial light sources such as spotlights or projectors. At the level of discomfort in light glare, a person can hardly see around and tend to shield their eyes, just like when the light is shining directly on you and use your hand as a shade.

3. Level of failure

At the level of impairment, the person’s vision is momentarily impaired, but this is not noticeable until looking at anything other than the light source. This happens when, for example, the light of a lamp shines on your laptop screen and you are unable to read the writing on the screen.

Factors causing glare

Among the factors that cause glare are:

1. Using lights that are inappropriate.
2. Lights or windows are placed in an inappropriate position.
3. There is high reflectivity at different levels.

Ways to eliminate light glare in indoor spaces

The glare of light in indoor spaces has negative and unfavorable effects on the eyes and mind. In the following, we point out ways that can prevent this phenomenon in indoor spaces.

1. In indoor spaces, instead of using old incandescent lamps, use LED light sources for lighting.
2. One of the important points to pay attention to when installing the light is the installation height.
3. In the design and light engineering of a closed space, you should pay attention to always consider the color of the walls darker and choose the color of the floor darker than the walls. This makes the reflection coefficient of the environment more optimal and standard.
4. It is better to remove shiny objects that reflect light and cause glare or cover them with materials that eliminate glare.

Ways to eliminate light glare in open spaces

1. Make sure the lights are installed correctly.
2. Designing high ceilings and using built-in lights is one of the best solutions to prevent light glare, especially in commercial places, offices and offices. This solution is the best option for hiding the light source and lighting up the space at the same time.
3. Use anti-glare lamps and lights such as Edison’s light line.
4. Don’t forget that direct sunlight can also cause glare. Choosing the right place to place the window can prevent this phenomenon to a large extent.

UGR invoice

UGR stands for Unified Glare Rating. The literal meaning is the integrated rank of dazzle. This factor is a unitless quantity for artificial lights. As you know, artificial light is the light that is obtained through the conversion of electrical energy.

Usually, the UGR factor is between 10 and 30. This factor gives us information about the psychological effect caused by light glare. The higher the number, it means that the lamp in this environment has annoying glare for a higher percentage of people, but if the number is lower, it indicates a low level of glare. For example, a value of 19 for UGR means that 65% of observers feel They are not disturbed by light.

For the UGR factor, the following values ​​are used as a basis:

10 = imperceptible
13 = Somewhat noticeable
16 = tangible
19 = acceptable
22 = unacceptable
25 = almost unpleasant
28 = unpleasant

Of course, it should be noted that UGR is not a characteristic of the lamp, but this factor depends on the installation environment, the background and the viewing angle of the observer. The amount of UGR cannot be measured directly. In general, lights that have a wider light surface, such as LED panels, have less UGR ability. Concentrated light fixtures are likely to produce a higher UGR.

last word

Light glare is a complex and important topic. This phenomenon can be prevented by using tricks. But the most effective and best way to prevent it is to use high-quality products that prevent light glare.

Edison light line is one of the products of Danesh Banyan Meh Sazan Company. This first-in-100% Iranian product has a combined lens and reflector optical system.

The use of the combined lens and reflector optical system in this product helps to increase the visual comfort factor and prevents light glare. It is a very suitable option for places where employees are present for many hours or office uses where low UGR index is part of their design requirements.