CLINICAL

  OPTICAL

ILLUMINATE THE OPTICAL

PUT PATIENTS IN THE MOOD TO SHOP WITH PROPER LIGHTING

FEW THINGS set the mood more than the right lighting. Whether it is the subdued glow of an elegant restaurant or the bright lights of a Disney attraction, the lighting tells you a lot about where you are and affects the way you feel. Because the optical area is a retail space, the lighting should resemble high-end stores that sell personal fashions.

I asked a lighting expert for ways to enhance one’s optical area with lighting. Here are her top four tips.

1 LOOK UP

Ceilings can be changed to make a dramatic statement with lighting. Realize that you can mix different ceiling treatments for a unique look. For example, adding a perimeter of drywall can create tray ceilings, or recessed borders, that allow for a beautiful wall washing of light.

2 SWITCH TO LED

Upgrade compact fluorescent and halogen lighting to LED. Though the costs are greater than the aforementioned lighting up front, they are more “green,” and you will save in the long term with reduced energy costs of up to 40%. Also, these lights require less maintenance, as the typical LED bulb lasts four to five years. This simple retrofit can make a significant difference in all areas of your office.

For example, our office recently added a strip of LED tape light to the underside of our current cabinets and glass shelves, and it has been a huge upgrade in the appearance of our frame merchandising.

3 SELECT THE RIGHT LED COLOR/TEMPERATURE

It is important to choose the right color temperature with the correct color-rendering index (CRI). The CRI is a scale of 0 to 100 that measures how well a light source shows object colors “realistically” or “naturally” in comparison with a “reference” light source, such as daylight. Light sources that mimic “reference” light score highest on the CRI. The optimum value for the CRI is anything greater than 90, which will render all the colors more vibrantly. For example, with the help of our lighting expert, we were able to determine that the ideal color temperature for our optical areas is 4,000°K.

4 VARY YOUR LIGHTING

Create interest by mixing up your lighting. For example, make a statement with pendant lights hung from above your reception desk or dispensing tables. Consider wall sconces to wash walls of hallways with reflected light. Use recessed, multi-head LED fixtures in your ceiling to highlight your displays, and then use LED lights within the fixture to showcase the frames. The possibilities are endless.

A BRIGHT FUTURE

Upgrading the lighting throughout your retail space is an easy and affordable way to breathe new life into this area, highlight your merchandise and create a welcoming, inviting retail environment in which your patients will want to shop. OM

Thank you to Blanca Rivera for her help with this article.

DAVE ZIEGLER, O.D. is a senior partner at Ziegler & Leffingwell Eyecare in Milwaukee, Wisc., and a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. Email him at daveaziegler@gmail.com, or visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment.