Harsh light at home and work: dimmable bulbs, desk lights and tinted glasses

What to look for in bulbs, lamps and tinted glasses

Harsh light is usually a mix of too bright, too cold and too direct, so look for warmth, dimming and control, in that order.

• Colour temperature, in kelvin (K). Lower numbers are warmer and yellower; higher numbers are cooler and bluer. 2700K is the usual warm white. The Tapo L510B is fixed at 2700K, the Hue kit's bulbs are listed as 2200K to 6500K, and the BenQ ScreenBar runs 2700K to 6500K in eight steps.
• Brightness, in lumens. The Tapo L510B gives 806 lumens flat out. How far a bulb dims matters more than its maximum: a bright bulb you can take down to a glow beats a dim one you cannot change.
• Fitting. Most UK ceiling pendants take a B22 bayonet cap; screw-in E27 and small E14 caps are common in lamps. Both bulbs here are B22, so check your fittings before ordering.
• Flicker. Some people notice LED flicker, especially at low brightness. BenQ says the ScreenBar is certified flicker-free. We could not find a flicker statement for the Tapo or Hue bulbs.
• Control. Tapo needs no hub, dims from its app, and TP-Link says it can run schedules plus sunrise and sunset modes. The Hue kit includes the Hue Bridge, which runs schedules and routines across your lights.
• Tint, for glasses. FL-41 is a rose tint sold for indoor light; the Braddell set adds a darker brown FL-60 pair for outdoors.

Can you fix the light instead of your eyes?

At home, usually yes, and it is cheaper than it sounds.

The National Autistic Society lists bright and fluorescent lighting and bright sunlight among common sensory triggers, and sunglasses or tinted glasses among the things autistic people use. Glasses are the right answer in places you do not control. At home, it is often easier to change the light itself.

A sensible order:

1. Swap the ceiling bulbs. Two Tapo L510B bulbs cost under £15 and take a big overhead light from full to a low glow from your phone. If you want the lights to fade down by themselves in the evening, the Hue kit does that on a schedule.
2. Add light at desk height. Once there is a lamp where you work, the ceiling light can stay low. The BenQ ScreenBar clips to the top of a monitor and throws light down onto the desk rather than at your face or the screen.
3. Warm the screen. f.lux, or your computer's own night mode, shifts the display warmer after dark, so the brightest thing in the room is not a cold white rectangle.
4. Keep glasses for everywhere else. Supermarkets, offices, waiting rooms.

What can you do about lighting at work?

You usually cannot swap office strip lights yourself, so start with your desk and what you wear, then ask.

A ScreenBar gives you your own pool of light, which makes it easier to ask for the panel directly above you to be switched off or turned down. f.lux or a built-in night mode takes the edge off a bright monitor. FL-41 glasses cover meetings in rooms you do not choose. Beyond that, lighting is something an employer can often change, such as a desk away from a flickering panel or near a window with a blind. Our reasonable adjustments guide covers how to ask.

Are FL-41 tinted glasses worth trying?

They are a relatively cheap thing to try, as long as you know what you are buying.

FL-41 is a rose-coloured tint. The Braddell listing markets its glasses for light sensitivity, fluorescent glare and a list of medical conditions; we are not repeating those claims, and we have not reviewed the evidence behind them. What you get, on paper, is two pairs for under £40: a rose FL-41 pair for strip lights and screens indoors, and a brown FL-60 pair for bright days outside.

Expect everything to look pinker indoors, including colours on screen, so they are less useful for colour-critical work. And do not wear any tint that restricts your vision when driving at night: rule 94 of the Highway Code says not to use tinted glasses, lenses or visors at night or in poor visibility if they restrict your vision.

Things to know

• Night driving. Tinted lenses that restrict vision are out at night or in poor visibility, under rule 94 of the Highway Code.
• Built-in night modes. Most phones and computers have one, often called Night Shift on Apple devices or Night light on Windows. Try it before installing anything.
• f.lux is free for personal use. The site lists it as free on macOS and free on Windows for personal use, with separate corporate editions.
• Bulb specs are the makers'. Tapo's figures are from TP-Link's UK page. We could not find a lumen figure for the Hue kit bulbs on the listing we link, so check the box if brightness matters.
• We have not tested these. Specs are from TP-Link, Philips Hue's listing, BenQ, f.lux and the Braddell listing.