Effects of horizontal illuminance and screen luminance of large-size self-luminous display device on students’ visual comfort, appraisals and concentration

Previous studies have established that both screen luminance and background illuminance influence occupants’ visual experience while using visual display terminals for office work. Yet, scarce attention has been paid to the pervasive large-size self-luminous displays particular in the education scenarios. The current study ( N = 24) employed a within-subject design to investigate effects of horizontal illuminance (200 lx, 500 lx and 800 lx at the table) and screen luminance (50 cd m −2 and 100 cd m −2 ) on students’ visual comfort, alertness, subjective appraisals and concentration performance. Results revealed that viewing brighter screen (100 cd m −2 ) induced more profiles in visual and performance outcomes than exposure to higher illuminance (800 lx). Yet, viewing screen of 50 cd m −2 induced better concentration and higher satisfaction under 500 lx than 800 lx condition. Exposure to 800 lx rendered the lowest visual fatigue for viewing screen of 100 cd m −2 but the worst concentration for viewing screen of 50 cd m −2 . These findings suggested that not to watch dim screen in bright room and watch bright screen in dim room for gaining visual and non-visual benefits. The optimal combination of screen luminance and ambient illuminance are still worth investigating in future studies on integrative lighting design in educational settings.