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Researchers from Fudan University and OPPLE Lighting developed a model that uses age-related changes in the eye to guide white-light spectrum choices. In a test with 34 volunteers aged 70 and older, two optimized spectra improved color-sorting performance compared with a simulated daylight reference; wider testing in everyday settings remains necessary.
Researchers from Fudan University and OPPLE Lighting have developed a computational model to guide white-light designs around age-related changes in vision, reporting that two model-selected spectra improved color-sorting performance among 34 volunteers aged 70 and older. The findings, published in Optics Express, point to a way to make colors easier for older adults to distinguish while retaining familiar color appearance, though the approach still needs testing in everyday settings.
The model estimates how well a person may distinguish similar colors by combining the light’s spectrum, the wavelengths reflected by colored objects, and age-adjusted sensitivity in the eye’s three types of cone cells. The researchers said conventional color-quality measures do not account for the way the eye’s lens gradually yellows with age and absorbs more short-wavelength light.
The team used the model to assess 11,541 possible light spectra meeting standard white-light and color-rendering requirements near 5,000 kelvin, a neutral, daylight-like color temperature. It selected two options: P1, optimized for color discrimination, and P2, intended to balance discrimination with natural-looking colors. For a modeled 85-year-old observer, the researchers predicted that P1 would recover about 49% of age-related loss in color discrimination and P2 about 36%.
In the human test, participants completed a color-sorting task under P1, P2 and an LED-simulated D50 daylight reference. Illuminance and color temperature were nearly identical across the conditions. Both optimized spectra produced significantly better performance than the reference, according to the study. Twenty-six of 34 participants performed better under P1, while 22 improved under P2. The report does not establish that the lighting improves vision in daily life or prevents errors in specific tasks.
The findings address a practical design question: lighting can appear similarly white and meet conventional color-rendering criteria while still differing in how well it helps older people separate similar colors. A spectrum tailored to age-related visual changes could be relevant in homes and care facilities, where people may need to read labels, sort medication, judge food or choose clothing.
Those applications are potential uses, not outcomes tested by this study. The experiment measured color sorting under controlled conditions, not independence, medication safety or performance across a range of household activities. The work’s immediate contribution is evidence that spectrum selection can affect color discrimination even when illuminance and color temperature are nearly the same.
The researchers also say the selected spectra met conventional white-light chromaticity and color-rendering criteria, suggesting they could be considered for settings used by people of different ages. Whether they preserve preferred color appearance across diverse users and tasks requires further evaluation.
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Why the Eye Model Matters
With age, the eye’s lens tends to yellow and absorb more short-wavelength light. That can alter how light reaches the retina and make some similar colors harder to distinguish. Standard lighting assessments usually represent color vision mathematically, but the researchers said these measures do not fully capture age-related shifts in spectral sensitivity.
The study links a model of those changes to the choice of a white-light spectrum. Its authors describe this as a practical connection between modeling aging vision and designing lighting. The research was published as “Enhancing color discrimination in older adults through age-adaptive spectral optimization of lighting” in Optics Express. The report lists Qi Dai of Fudan University as the research team leader and says OPPLE Lighting is working toward practical lighting products.
“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
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Real-World Performance Still Untested
The reported human test involved 34 adults aged 70 and older and a controlled color-sorting task. The source does not provide enough information here to assess how well the result would generalize to larger or more varied groups, or whether performance would hold across different environments and tasks.
The researchers said further studies should test the lighting in everyday settings, at other commonly used illuminance levels and color temperatures, and with people across a wider age range, including younger users. The source does not report whether the spectra have been evaluated for long-term use or how users of different ages would rate the appearance of objects under them.
color discrimination lighting for elderly
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Testing Before Product Adoption
OPPLE Lighting is working to translate the findings into practical products, according to the report. The research team says additional studies are needed before wider adoption, including testing under everyday conditions and with broader age groups. That work would help determine whether the controlled color-sorting results carry over to shared homes and care settings.
Dai also said the approach could be extended to study how displays appear to older viewers or to groups with known differences in spectral sensitivity. The researchers said such applications would require dedicated modeling and human testing. The report does not give a timeline for product availability or for the next studies.
white light spectrum for aging eyes
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Key Questions
What did the researchers develop?
They developed a computational model that estimates color discrimination using a light source’s spectrum, object reflectance and age-adjusted sensitivity in the eye’s cone cells.
Did the lighting improve color discrimination in older adults?
In a controlled color-sorting test, both model-selected spectra improved performance compared with an LED-simulated daylight reference among volunteers aged 70 and older. The study did not establish effects on everyday tasks.
How many people took part in the test?
The test included 34 adult volunteers. Twenty-six performed better under P1, and 22 performed better under P2, compared with the reference condition.
Are these lighting products available?
The report says OPPLE Lighting is working toward practical products, but it gives no availability date. The researchers call for further testing before wider adoption.
What further research is needed?
The researchers say studies should test the approach in everyday environments, under other common lighting levels and color temperatures, and with people across a wider age range.
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