The clinical importance of environmental lighting to the elderly.

1. Nurses need to be aware of the effects of artificial lights on the aged because the aged spend a greater amount of time under these lights than do younger people. 2. Although the aged require more light than younger people to see, bright lights may cause glare. The use of indirect lighting is recommended to reduce problems with glare. 3. The aged see best under artificial lighting that simulates natural sunlight. 4. Nurses who work in institutional settings should be sensitive to the need for individualized light-dark cycles.