Luxie, luxie.

Just the other day I finally got around to updating the Web program to some lux-goodness.  It’s something Alex wasn’t that big on, but I happen to think is not just interesting but also pretty key.

You might find it interesting to know, the amount of available light notably affects your eyesight.

(Which also, “night blindness” isn’t really a thing, at least not in most cases.  It’s just a matter of those optometrist prescriptions haven’t been refreshed in a while, eyes adapted to that artificial focal plane, and are just ready for more of that addictive prescription to see clearly even at night.)

Great stuff, glasses.  

sarcasm

But, lux.

If there’s more light, you can see better.  (until there’s too much light, at least)

If you can see better, you don’t need to have the screen (or printed page), as close to your eyes.  Less close to your eyes = less focusing muscle strain + less of the wrong kind of stimulus.  

Light, it turns out, can be a very important tool in keeping your eyes healthy.

Over the years I quantified this “how much light” question, with some very basic science experiments.  I’ll show you how to reproduce them. 

Back when I started, I carried around a light meter, like a huge, huge nerd.

But you don’t need to!

The very cool thing is that if you have a smartphone, you can download any of a number of light measuring apps.  And since you know about centimeter, you can combine ambient light and your centimeter distance with some real insight of how available light affects your eyes.

Here’s how you do it:

1.  Download a light measuring app.  It should show results in lux.

lux-measuring

Pick one that doesn’t have a bunch of ads.

2.  Check whether it uses the front or back camera for measurements.  (this is important)

3.  Point that camera in the direction that your eyes face, and see what the lux-number is.  In other words, if it uses the front (selfie) camera, don’t point the screen at your face.  Point the screen in the direction that your eyes are looking.  Check the lux number.

That last point, because the number can vary a lot, depending on the position of your light source (window, lamps, etc)

4.  What’s the lux?  Write it down.

5.  Now check your centimeter distance (here’s the story on how that works and here’s the calculator link).

6.  Compare how far you can see clearly, before there is blur, in 200 lux, and 500 lux, and 1000 lux.  

7.  Marvel at your results confirming all the wisdoms you just absorbed.

Remember, less distance equals more focusing muscle strain, and more of the wrong kind of stimulus. You may notice that the 1,000 lux is a magic number for just about the best distance you’ll get.

Why a 1,000?

Here’s something totally weird.

1,000 lux is equal shaded outdoor lighting.  If you were to sit under a nice tree in the park, on a nice sunny afternoon reading a book in the shade … you’ll find that to be right around 1,000 lux.

So weird.  “Nature”.

And while we’re at weird, here is another weird one.  Actually, this might explain the whole entirety of humans relationship with nature.  

Type “natural light” into Google image search.  

natural-light

I don’t even have words for this one.

Either way.

And also, your eyes are calibrated like the finest of fine instruments, to function properly, in nature.  

8 hours of staring at a screen, behind fake-focal-plane-creating-glasses, in a room with 500 lux from some narrow UV spectrum fluorescent bulb …. isn’t it totally inconceivable how that totally natural environment could possibly cause headaches, eye strain, dry eyes, and increasing myopia?

Office-Cubicle

Well hello there, image copyright violation.

If you are a member of my BackTo20/20 awesome-ness program, you probably noticed how I sneakily just reintroduce you to various aspects of the natural state.

Slowly and over time, with various tricks and adjustments to suit modern lifestyles, granted.  But if you zoom way out, that’s all it is.  I’m helping you undo the problems created by unnatural environments, compounded by profit motivated, unnatural “treatments”.   Not so much amazing guru-ness really, once you get it all sorted out.

Now go check out those luxens in your daily work environment.

Cheers,

– Jake