by Brianna Crandall — June 28, 2017 — Good light leads to good health, and for millions of people who spend their days under desk lamps, the latest innovation in better-for-you lighting could change their mood, focus, work productivity and overall health, says OttLite Technologies.
The Amplify desk lamp is part of the healthy new WorkWell series by OttLite. (CNW Group/OttLite Technologies Inc.)
OttLite is introducing a new series of desk lighting specifically for the workplace that delivers what the company says is the closest thing to natural daylight available indoors. Two years in development, the OttLite WorkWell series uses an exclusive proprietary light-emitting diode (LED) formulation that is said to reduce eyestrain and eye fatigue by 51% compared to today’s top-selling desk lamps.
John Sheppard, CEO of OttLite, explained:
Our newest line of lighting is truly revolutionary, even for a company like ours that has been focused on bringing the benefit of natural light to consumers for more than 25 years. We worked with a team of researchers and lighting engineers to create a proprietary light source that is as close to the spectral output of the sun as possible. Eyes work best in balanced, natural light, and when eyes are clear, rested and focused, you can see better. When you can see better, you can work better, with improved mood, energy and alertness.
The science behind the OttLite WorkWell Series is based on the visual spectrum, in which each wavelength of light interacts with the eye in a different way that is critical to vision and overall health. When one part of the spectrum is out of balance — like the blue spike found in most LED lighting — the light creates strain as eyes try to compensate for lack of contrast or color inaccuracy caused by too much or too little of a certain part of the spectrum. In independent testing, the new OttLite LED lighting in the WorkWell line of products performed 51% better on the Eye Fatigue Index (EFI) than the 20 best-selling LED lamps on Amazon.
Robert Randelman Ph.D., an expert with over 25 years of experience in photonics technology relating to LEDs, fiber optics and light measurement, conducted tests on the OttLite WorkWell Series and the leading competitive LED lights. Dr. Randelman explained the additional importance of color rendering for commercial design requirements of office lighting:
The OttLite WorkWell LED desk lamps have a Color Rendering Index of 95.3 compared to the competitor average of 83. This is a significant difference, which shows that OttLite’s technology provides more comfortable viewing and more accurate, truer color rendition. Both are factors that have been recognized by the WELL Building Standard as a contributor to workplace comfort and well-being.
Healthy lights are one piece of the growing trend towards healthier workplaces — a trend that is being driven directly by consumers. In a recent consumer study conducted by Russell Research, 86% of respondents said they consider lighting to be an important part of their overall health, and 96% indicated that quality of light is very or extremely important, while only 76% responded that the design and style are very or extremely important in choosing lighting for reading and computer work.
The OttLite WorkWell Series of desk lamps provides the benefits of healthy light, as well as stylish, high-end design; high-quality diffusers for smooth, clear illumination; flicker-free adaptors; and key functionalities such as powerful USB charging ports, multiple brightness settings, adjustable designs, and low-energy-consuming, long-lasting LEDs.
The ground-breaking WorkWell lighting series was on display at the NeoCon show earlier this month in Chicago.
