Waiting Room Lights For Medical Or Dental

floor lamp

We’ve all spent anxious moments of our lives in the waiting rooms of doctors and dentists. For patients and their friends or family, it’s helpful to relax as much as possible before consultation or treatment. A well-kept, well-lit waiting room plays a vital role in putting visitors at ease and instilling them with confidence in their surroundings. Waiting room lights say a lot about any medical practice and can help make patients’ experiences more bearable, if not enjoyable.

Lighting That Is Worth Waiting For…

Ceiling lights

Waiting rooms should never be murky, oppressive places. A good level of general lighting can be achieved using recessed ceiling lights. Though it’s possible to use surface-mounted fittings and pendants, recessed luminaires are unobtrusive, need little maintenance, and deliver an even spread of diffused light.

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The LED Light Panel is energy efficient and long lasting. LED panels are a good money-saving replacement for old fluorescent fittings, too.

LED Downlights combine superb energy efficiency with longevity. Many downlights are fire-rated which means they can be used in fire-rated ceilings and are a hygienic lighting solution, offering nowhere for dust or dead bugs to gather. Recessed LED lighting is increasingly used in medical environments for its low running costs and cleanliness.

An adjustable downlight  is useful for spotlighting pictures or other pleasant distractions. A dimmable light can be controlled in accordance with any window light entering the room.

Wall lights

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Although wall lights add to the ambient light of a room, they are especially useful for creating mood. Uplighters decorate bare stretches of wall with warm patterns of light, resulting in a cosy feel that helps calm frayed nerves. Wall lights can also be used to frame various aspects of a room; placing them either side of pictures, doorways, or windows, achieves this.

Table lamps

 

Table lamps are a common feature of many waiting rooms, helping to promote relaxation while also adding to ambient light. A classically styled luminaire like the Dar Oporto Table Lamp will suit traditional or modern settings. You may wish to place magazines under a table lamp, though this is safer in a corner where the lamp is less likely to fall. Use LED bulbs in easily accessible fittings to prevent children from burning their fingers on the glass.

A table lamp with a pale fabric shade allows significant light out into a room, whereas a dark or black shade subdues outward light and emphasises the warm glow of the bulb. This is true of the black Zaragoza 3-Light Table Lamp, which still emits a strong up-and-down flow of light with a glass diffuser to cut out glare. Dark-shaded luminaires are good mood makers.

Floor lamps

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A well-chosen floor lamp improves a room aesthetically, but it can also be a handy source of task lighting. In a waiting room, one or two floor lamps provide places to read, especially for older patients who may need a stronger light to discern text comfortably. A classic standard lamp is good for reading, since the light directly beneath it is stronger than the light sent through its shade.

An arced floor lamp such is ideal for reading, with a shade that sends light downwards and can be positioned over a seat. Reading usually requires a minimum light intensity of 300 lux, though this might increase to 500 lux for more mature eyes. Floor lamps provide this level of light for anyone that needs it.

To avoid visual fatigue, there should not be too much contrast between ambient light levels and reading lights (or ambient light levels and a TV screen).

Home from home

Waiting rooms are a little like living rooms with extra chairs. They don’t typically include luxurious sofas or showy decorative lights, but the aim is to inspire confidence and make patients feel as comfortable as possible. Carefully chosen waiting room lights will help achieve exactly that.

For more useful information and guidance see our Lighting Advice section.

andrew-author-bio

Andrew Evangelidis Head of Buying

Andrew is an experienced buying professional who takes an entrepreneurial approach to identify new lighting solutions and ensure Lyco have first-to-market ranges for our customers. Having previously worked for well known brands such as Wickes, Carphone Warehouse and Toys R Us, Andrew has now turned his hand to sourcing commercial lighting and ensure our customers receive top brand quality products at marketing leading prices. He manages a team of commercial and decorative buyers who travel the world finding new products that our customers don’t even know they need yet.