The contrast ratios involved in classroom lighting should be considered so rooms can be set up to maximize productivity without increasing eyestrain. Too much or too little light can inhibit the student's ability to see the task effectively. Comfortable light levels will vary with the individual as well as the task. The more rapid, repetitive, and lengthy the task, the more important it is to have enough light. With these types of tasks, the eye is more vulnerable to fatigue and the student or worker to declined productivity.
Children often use computers in a home or classroom with less than optimum lighting.
The lighting level for the proper use of a computer is about half as bright as that normally found in a classroom. Increased light levels can contribute to excessive glare and problems associated with adjusting the eyes to different levels of light. Different colors of light will create different moods or atmospheres that will affect a student's sense of well-being and level of productivity. This can be achieved by altering the lighting sources, or installing a special filter that can be placed between the lens and lamp of a fixture, or fit as a sleeve over each lamp. Classroom lighting that was acceptable in the past is no longer acceptable today.