LEDs, Automation, and Design in Visual Ergonomics : Assessment of a Prototype Eye Examination Room

Abstract: St. Eriks Eye Hospital in Stockholm Sweden built a new hospital faced with the challenge of designing new examination rooms. The hospital collaborated with a group of researchers for guidelines in designing the internal building environment due to the narrow and specialized field of eye healthcare. A prototype examination room (PER) was subsequently made in reflection to their guidelines and in 2019 an assessment on the new design was needed. The new design includes an automated lighting program with multiple stages in addition to other elements like LED lights. The elements assessed           here include illuminance, luminance, glare, flicker, illuminance uniformity, color temperature, color rendering, and layout. The results of the PER assessment are compared to that of current examination rooms to further contrast the new design. Swedish and European Standards of the work environment were used as a base for the assessment. Additional resources include field specific literature, the researcher’s guidelines, and additional hospital design guides. This information formed the theoretical basis and was used to create a dialogue for interviews. The qualitative data retrieved from the interviews included information about work routine and technology challenges. The interview data was analyzed to identify emerging themes used to propose suggestions for improvements including remote control designs. Technical measurements of illuminance and luminance were performed with a Hagner S2 and Hagner Screenmaster. Measurements of glare were performed with a Nikon 4D camera and LMK software from TechnoTeam (Germany) to generate UGR values. Energy saving features were identified and implications on energy use was calculated from the specifications of the luminaires in each examination room. Results show the PER met European standard EN 12464-1:2011 requirements for glare, desk workstation illuminance/luminance, flicker, color rendering, color temperature, and illuminance. Requirements not met include poor illuminance uniformity in stage 2 and 3 of the PER’s automated lighting program. The new PER design leans toward sustainability and reduced energy consumption by incorporating efficient LED luminaires and an energy saving program. When compared to the current rooms, the PER features trends of improvement in illuminance, luminance, glare, flicker, color temperature and color rendering. Recommendations for improvement include new designs of the PER remote control and a proposal to use video technology as a learning tool of the new automated program.