When we think about reading, we often picture the text, the font, or the posture… but rarely the light.
Yet lighting plays a role as essential as the words on the page. Light that’s too bright creates glare; light that’s too dim leads to eye strain. Somewhere between the two lies the balance that shapes our attention, visual comfort, and reading pleasure.
For several years now, researchers in cognitive ergonomics and neuropsychology have been studying how lighting impacts reading. Their findings converge: light directly influences our ability to decode, understand, and remember a text.
It affects our alertness, our mood, and our biological rhythm — and for some readers, such as those with dyslexia, it can make the difference between smooth concentration and significant mental effort.
This article will help you understand why lighting matters so much when we read, which settings to prioritize, and how to design lighting that truly supports your eyes — whether you’re a parent, an educator, or a reader seeking more comfort.
Why Light Matters So Much When We Read
Reading isn’t just “seeing letters.” It’s a dialogue between the eyes, the brain, and the surrounding light.
Every word we decode engages our vision, attention, and memory circuits. And light acts like a silent conductor that sets the tempo of this cognitive symphony.
1.1. What light does: vision, attention, biological rhythm
Light helps our eyes distinguish contrasts, follow the lines of text, and regulate our level of alertness.
Studies in visual ergonomics show that well-calibrated lighting can increase attention by 20 to 25% and significantly reduce reading errors. Stable, diffused light improves letter recognition, while flicker or glare forces the brain to constantly “rebuild” what it sees.
But light affects more than our visual field.
It also synchronizes our circadian rhythm, the 24-hour cycle that governs alertness, fatigue, and concentration.
Light that’s too cold or too intense late in the day disrupts this rhythm and can interfere with memory. Meanwhile, well-adjusted natural or artificial light boosts cortisol production (the hormone that keeps us awake) and enhances cognitive performance.
💡 In short: light influences your brain the way a soundtrack shapes a film — it sets the tone, the rhythm, and the clarity of the experience.
1.2. Light & concentration: a direct link
When lighting isn’t adapted, the first consequence is eye strain.
Your pupils contract and dilate more often, your eyes search for the right focus point, and your mental effort increases. The result: loss of attention, choppy reading, headaches, and even reduced comprehension.
In children, this may look like restlessness or a sudden urge to “move on.”
In adults, it often shows up as mental fatigue — rereading the same sentence several times without retaining it.
Tests conducted in classrooms and workspaces show that soft but sufficiently contrasted lighting increases sustained attention by more than 30%.
That’s the whole purpose of good lighting: support the text without overshadowing it.
1.3. Why dyslexic readers need special attention
For readers with dyslexia, reading requires greater cognitive effort.
Every word activates more regions linked to visual processing and working memory. Poor lighting adds an extra burden: glare, shadows, or contrasts that are too strong or too weak.
On the other hand, well-designed ergonomic lighting can significantly reduce cognitive load.
It helps the reader distinguish letters more clearly, stabilize their gaze, and maintain focus for longer.
That’s why lighting becomes a powerful tool for inclusion and comfort: a simple adjustment can transform the reading experience.
💡 Our tip
Observe how you read: do you lean toward the light? Do you avoid reflections? These small habits can reveal whether your lighting is tiring your eyes without you noticing.
The Essential Lighting Settings to Know
Improving reading comfort doesn’t require major changes. Small adjustments in intensity, color, and direction can greatly influence clarity, concentration, and eye strain.
The goal isn’t technical perfection — it’s balance: light that supports your vision without overwhelming it.
Natural or artificial light: the winning duo
Daylight remains the best ally for reading. It’s rich in contrast, color-accurate, and its intensity naturally shifts throughout the day, supporting your biological rhythm.
But in reality, we often read at night or in dim rooms. That’s where artificial lighting steps in — as long as it’s well chosen.
A reading lamp directed toward the page, with adjustable intensity and even diffusion, helps avoid two common issues:
• light that’s too weak, forcing you to squint and tiring your eyes
• light that’s too direct, creating glare and reducing concentration
The best setup is a harmonious combination: maximize natural light during the day, and complement it in the evening with soft, well-positioned artificial lighting.
Intensity and color temperature: finding the right balance
Two key factors determine lighting comfort:
• intensity, measured in lux
• color temperature, measured in kelvins (K)
For reading, experts generally recommend around 500 lux with a color temperature between 4,000 and 6,500 K — a “neutral to cool white” light.
This type of lighting helps maintain alertness without creating glare, mimicking daylight conditions.
But ideal lighting isn’t the same for everyone.
• Children doing homework often need slightly stronger light.
• Adults reading in the evening may prefer warmer tones (around 3,000 K) to avoid disrupting sleep.
The key is adjustability: a lamp that lets you modify brightness and color temperature adapts to every reader and every moment of the day.
Lighting quality: uniformity and visual comfort
Good lighting isn’t just about intensity.
It must also be uniform (no shadows or halos) and free from flicker. These micro-variations, often invisible, can still cause discomfort: eye tension, headaches, or subtle blur.
Lamp positioning matters too.
Ideally, place the light source slightly behind and to the side of the reader — opposite the writing hand — to avoid casting shadows.
For screens, avoid direct reflections: a side light at a 45° angle works best.
Stable, well-directed, gentle light acts like a visual breath, helping the eyes glide smoothly from one line to the next.
Adapting lighting to the task and the reader
Each reading situation has its own needs:
• For long reading sessions, choose uniform, cooler light to support alertness.
• For evening or relaxing reading, use warmer, dimmer light.
• For screens, control glare: avoid overhead lights, use soft side lighting.
For dyslexic readers, the golden rule is flexibility: adjusting the light to the task, moment, and energy level.
A simple button or smart sensor can turn a lamp into a true learning tool.
5 Practical Ways to Improve Reading and Concentration
Good lighting is more than brightness: it’s a visual environment.
Here are five simple ergonomist-approved tips to improve reading comfort and concentration.
1. Choose an adjustable reading lamp
A reading lamp is like a pair of glasses: it needs to fit you.
Pick one with variable brightness and color temperature, so you can adapt the light to your fatigue level or the time of day.
For dyslexic readers, this adaptability is especially helpful: brighter light makes letters easier to distinguish, while soft light reduces harsh contrast.
Tip: try different levels for a few minutes and notice when your eyes “naturally settle” on the text.
2. Position the light the right way
The position of the lamp directly impacts reading quality.
Light should come from the side and slightly from behind.
Right-handed readers place it on the left; left-handed readers place it on the right.
For screens, a 45° side light reduces glare.
Sometimes, simply rotating the lamp arm cuts eye strain in half.
3. Improve light around the screen
Reading or working on a screen requires constant visual adjustments. Too much darkness increases contrast; too much brightness causes glare.
The solution: balance screen brightness with the room’s ambient light.
Use a soft lamp behind or beside the screen, avoid backlighting, and adjust your monitor so it blends with the room.
Tools like the Lili Light Screen are designed precisely for this: reducing eye strain without sacrificing clarity.
4. Adjust color temperature throughout the day
Light needs are different at 10 a.m. than at 8 p.m.
• Cool light (5,000–6,000 K) boosts attention earlier in the day.
• Warm light (2,700–3,000 K) helps you unwind at night.
Some modern lamps adjust automatically — ideal for children studying in the evening or readers who want to stay focused without disrupting their sleep.
5. Take “light breaks”
Concentration needs pauses.
Every 20–30 minutes, look away from the text and focus on something far — ideally near natural light. This relaxes eye muscles and re-oxygenates the brain.
Combined with good lighting, this habit significantly improves reading endurance and understanding.
These five habits require no special equipment — just awareness and small adjustments.
And for those who want a more advanced solution, lamps like Lili’s already integrate ergonomic settings: adjustable intensity, concentration-friendly color temperature, even diffusion, and precise lighting angles.
How Lili for Life Fits Into These Recommendations
At Lili for Life, we asked ourselves a simple question:
What if light could help dyslexic readers read more comfortably?
Our mission isn’t to improve reading for everyone — it’s to make reading more accessible to those whose brains process words differently.
Lili products — lamps and screens — are based on research in neuroscience and visual ergonomics.
They emit stable, even, adjustable light designed to reduce cognitive load and support concentration.
This approach doesn’t “fix” dyslexia.
It creates conditions where the brain receives cleaner visual information — supporting smoother reading and learning.
Soft, structured light
Lili Light is specifically calibrated to offer optimal contrast and visual perception, adjustable through our connected mobile app.
A tailored light frequency can help dyslexic readers perceive words more clearly — sometimes for the first time in their lives.
It helps distinguish letters, reduces visual fatigue, and supports sustained attention.
A practical tool for daily life: homework, studying, evening reading, or screen work.
Hanae’s story — age 8, dyslexic reader
Her testimony captures our entire mission: helping dyslexic readers rediscover the pleasure of reading without overload or discouragement.
With gentle, stable, adapted light, the Lili lamp creates conditions for smoother, clearer, more confident reading.
Choosing the Right Product for Your Needs
Lili lamps are designed for reading and writing on paper.
Lili screens are designed for digital reading and tasks.
Both were developed with a clear objective: support dyslexic learners by offering lighting that aligns with their specific way of reading.
Want to try it?
The Lili Lamp is available with a 45-day trial, money-back guarantee, so every reader can test how this specific light affects their own reading.
Because every brain works differently, we believe in exploring, adjusting, and finding the light that works for you.
The right light can transform the reading experience.
In Summary: Key Takeaways
Light plays a crucial role in reading: it affects attention, visual fatigue, and cognitive comfort.
For dyslexic readers — whose brains use more resources to decode text — adapted, specific lighting can make a real difference.
Remember:
• Good lighting supports reading by reducing decoding effort and eye strain.
• Stable, gentle light improves concentration and reading endurance.
• Adjustable intensity adapts to each moment of the day and energy level.
• Thoughtful lighting design (position, uniformity, natural/artificial balance) transforms the reading experience.
For dyslexic children and adults, these adjustments don’t make reading “perfect” — but they make it smoother, calmer, and more accessible.
Light becomes a tool for confidence — a quiet but powerful ally.
What Comes Next?
If you or your child is dyslexic, start by observing your reading space:
• Is the light too bright?
• Too dim?
• Poorly positioned?
Sometimes a simple adjustment can ease eye strain and lighten the mental load.
With the Lili Lamp, you can go even further:
it uses pulsed light technology (imperceptible to the naked eye), emitting tiny light impulses at an adjustable frequency (for example, between 60 Hz and 120 Hz).
This can help synchronize visual perception between the two eyes for dyslexic readers.
The result: increased visual comfort, smoother reading, and less fatigue.
👉 Discover our Lili Lamp, designed specifically for dyslexic readers.
