Abstract

Summary

This PhD thesis establishes that the spectral content of a light source significantly affects discomfort glare, with ipRGC excitation (melanopic content) being the dominant driver over correlated color temperature in interior lighting conditions. Lighting designers should consider melanopic irradiance levels when evaluating glare discomfort, particularly for high-luminance sources, and among psychophysical evaluation methods, the method of constant stimuli, paired comparison, and magnitude estimation are recommended for reliable glare assessment.
Abstract

Key Findings

  • ipRGC excitation dominates over correlated color temperature (CCT) in determining discomfort glare from white light sources
  • For identical levels of ipRGC excitation, discomfort glare increases with higher CCT
  • Glare source luminance was set at 150,000 cd/m² against a 20 cd/m² background at 20° above the visual field center
  • Three psychophysical methods were identified as most reliable for discomfort glare evaluation: method of constant stimuli, paired comparison, and magnitude estimation
  • Physiological measures (pupillometry, EMG, EEG, ECG) showed no significant difference between glaring and non-glaring conditions under typical interior lighting, suggesting limited utility at these luminance levels
Categories

Categories

Eye Health & Vision: Investigates discomfort glare perception in interior lighting, evaluating psychophysical and physiological measurement methods for characterizing this visual phenomenon.
The Science of Light: Demonstrates that spectral power distribution influences discomfort glare via intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), with melanopic content dominating over correlated color temperature effects.
Authors

Author(s)

M Iodice
Publication Date

Publication Year

2020
Citations

Number of Citations

2
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