Lighting is one of the most overlooked and underemphasized components of our indoor environment. Whether working at the computer or in a warehouse arena, our field of vision needs to be free of reflections and sources of glare. Our lighting needs to prevent problems, not cause them. Lighting is effective when it allows us to see the details of a given task easily and accurately.

The lighting in the room should be soft and not as bright as the screen. Put the screen in a spot where there is no glare from the windows or lights. Sit at least 50 centimetres from the screen, and position it so that you look downward at it, at an angle of about 20 degrees. When you're working for a steady period, take occasional breaks from the screen and relax your eyes by looking at a distance for a few minutes.

An important factor that affects our ability to see well is the quality of light. Good-quality light creates good visibility and visual comfort, and involves brightness, contrast, as well as the quantity and the color of light. Contrast between a task object and its immediate background must be sufficient to enable the student to clearly view the task. The contrast ratios involved in classroom lighting should be considered so rooms can be set up to maximize productivity without increasing eyestrain.

Comfort in lighting is a very individual concern, and must be addressed on a one-to-one level; no one lighting pattern will work for every working situation. Those in charge of classroom lighting need to learn what is available to help them make the right choices for the students. As lighting and vision are interdependent factors, both must be considered when designing a classroom environment for maximum efficiency. It is imperative that we increase our awareness and knowledge of how lighting affects schoolwork.