New Eye Model Guides Lighting Designs For Aging Adults

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Researchers from Fudan University and OPPLE Lighting developed a computational model that accounts for age-related changes in the eye to help design white-light spectra. In a test involving 34 adults aged 70 and older, two model-selected spectra improved color-sorting performance compared with a simulated daylight reference; everyday benefits and wider use still need further study.

Researchers from Fudan University and OPPLE Lighting have developed a computational model that uses age-related changes in the eye to guide white-light design, reporting improved color-sorting results among 34 volunteers aged 70 and older. The work, published in Optics Express, suggests lighting spectra could be tuned to help older adults distinguish colors while keeping familiar objects looking natural, though the approach needs testing in everyday settings.

The model estimates how well a person can distinguish similar colors by combining the lighting spectrum, the wavelengths reflected by objects and age-adjusted sensitivities of the eye’s three types of cone cells. The researchers said conventional color-quality measures do not account for the way the lens gradually yellows with age and absorbs more short-wavelength light.

The team evaluated 11,541 possible spectra that met standard requirements for white light and color rendering near 5000 kelvin, a neutral, daylight-like white. It selected two options: P1, optimized to improve color discrimination, and P2, designed to balance discrimination with natural-looking colors. For a modeled 85-year-old observer, the team predicted P1 would recover about 49% of age-related loss in color discrimination and P2 about 36%. Those figures are model predictions, not results measured in the volunteer test.

In the human test, participants performed a color-sorting task under P1, P2 and an LED-simulated D50 daylight reference. Illuminance and color temperature were nearly identical across the three conditions. Both optimized spectra produced significantly better test performance than the reference, according to the researchers. Twenty-six of 34 participants improved under P1 and 22 of 34 under P2. The report does not establish whether those test results translate into better performance across a person’s daily activities.

Lighting That Accounts for Aging Eyes

Color discrimination can affect routine tasks, including reading labels, sorting medications, judging food and choosing clothing. The researchers say lighting tailored to age-related vision changes could support older adults in homes and care facilities while retaining characteristics suitable for shared spaces.

The study’s practical point is that changing the mixture of wavelengths in white light may improve color distinctions without simply making a room brighter or changing its overall color temperature. The team reports that both selected spectra met conventional criteria for white-light chromaticity and color rendering. If follow-up studies confirm benefits in daily environments, designers may have another way to make indoor spaces easier to use for people whose color vision changes with age.

That possible benefit remains a research prospect rather than an established outcome. The reported test involved a limited group of older adults and a color-sorting task. It does not show that the lighting improves independence, safety or medication use in real-world settings.

How the Spectra Were Selected

The study addresses a gap between standard lighting measurements and changes in vision over time. As the eye’s lens yellows, it absorbs more short-wavelength light, which can make some similar colors harder to tell apart. The researchers incorporated age-adjusted sensitivity into a model that links light, reflected color and the eye’s cone responses.

Lead researcher Qi Dai of Fudan University said the team wanted to use knowledge about aging vision to design white light that measurably helps older adults distinguish colors while retaining conventional lighting color-quality requirements. The researchers describe the model as a practical connection between describing age-related vision and designing illumination.

The paper, by Lu and colleagues, was published in the Optica Publishing Group journal Optics Express in 2026. OPPLE Lighting is working toward translating the findings into lighting products, according to the report. The paper also says the approach could be adapted to displays or other groups with different spectral sensitivities, but that would require separate modeling and human testing.

“As people age, the lens inside the eye gradually yellows and absorbs more short-wavelength light, which can make similar colors harder to discriminate.”

— Qi Dai, research team leader at Fudan University

Limits of the Volunteer Test

The reported human test included 34 adults aged 70 and above and assessed performance on a color-sorting task under controlled lighting. The source does not provide enough detail to establish how large the practical benefit would be in homes, care facilities or other settings, or how long any advantage might persist during ordinary use.

The researchers say further work should test the approach in everyday environments, at other commonly used illuminances and color temperatures, and with people across a wider age range, including younger users. It is also unclear which specific products will use the spectra, when they might reach consumers, or whether the results will hold across different tasks and individual vision differences.

Further Testing Before Wider Use

OPPLE Lighting is working toward practical products based on the findings, according to the report, but no product release date or specifications were provided. The next research steps identified by the authors include testing the lighting in everyday settings and under a broader range of illuminance and color-temperature conditions.

Studies involving people of different ages would help assess whether the selected spectra suit spaces shared by older and younger users. Until those tests are reported, the findings support the model’s potential and the color-sorting results in this volunteer group, not a conclusion that the lighting has been proven to improve daily functioning.

Key Questions

What did the new eye model do?

It estimated color discrimination using the light spectrum, the wavelengths reflected by objects and age-adjusted sensitivity in the eye’s cone cells.

Did the lighting improve color discrimination in older volunteers?

Researchers reported significantly better color-sorting performance under both optimized spectra than under an LED-simulated D50 daylight reference among 34 adults aged 70 and older. The test does not establish benefits in everyday settings.

What are P1 and P2?

P1 was selected to optimize color discrimination. P2 was designed to balance color discrimination with natural-looking colors.

Are these lighting products available now?

The report says OPPLE Lighting is working toward translating the findings into products, but gives no release date or product details.

What further research is needed?

The researchers call for testing in everyday settings, under other common lighting conditions and with people across a wider age range. They also say adapting the model to displays would require dedicated modeling and human testing.

Source: rss