VISTAMATIC Vision Panels Enhance Natural light in Healthcare

The Importance of Light in Healthcare Environments

¹Light in healthcare plays a critical role in supporting human health and improving performance. It enables visual tasks, regulates the body’s circadian rhythm, supports mood, and drives important chemical reactions. Research shows that higher light levels improve performance on complex visual tasks—especially as people age and require more light to see clearly.

In healthcare settings, light has a direct impact on patient outcomes. Exposure to proper lighting has been linked to reduced depression, shorter hospital stays, improved sleep patterns, less agitation in dementia patients, reduced pain levels, and better adjustment to night shifts among staff. Additionally, workplaces with access to daylight report higher employee satisfaction. Light is also essential for vitamin D production and is used in treatments such as phototherapy for neonatal jaundice.

Balancing Light, Health, and Privacy

Ensuring that both patients and staff receive enough light is crucial for health and well-being. Ideally, healthcare spaces should use a combination of natural daylight and electric light. Natural light is preferred by most people, comes at no cost, and brings psychological and physiological benefits. Therefore, it should be a key part of any healthcare lighting design.

²Natural light doesn’t just feel good—it activates specific processes in the body. It supports the circadian rhythm, which regulates hormones like cortisol and melatonin. These hormones influence alertness, stress levels, immune response, and energy. Designing healthcare spaces to reduce barriers between indoors and outdoors, while integrating cues from both natural and artificial light, can enhance these benefits.

However, improving daylight exposure often creates privacy challenges. Striking the right balance between patient privacy and natural light is not easy—but it is essential.

VISTAMATIC: Light Control and Privacy in Harmony

At VISTAMATIC, we are committed to solving this challenge. Our privacy glass solutions are designed not only to protect patient privacy but also to support environments where light can enhance healing.

To further this goal, we recently certified three of our graphic options for their light-control capabilities:

• Black vinyl – Offers a blackout effect for sleep studies or deprivation centers.
• White vinyl – Also provides strong light-blocking for controlled settings.
• Sandblasted finish – Enhances natural daylight while maintaining visual privacy.

All three options can be applied to any VISTAMATIC Vision Panel. To explore the full range of data on visible light performance, view our complete Visible Light Transmittance Report.

References

¹ The Impact of Light on Outcomes in Healthcare Settings by Anjali Joseph, Ph.D., The Center for Health Design (Issue Paper #2, August 2006).

² Healthcare Design Insights by Mahlum, Issue 01, Autumn 2009, “Daylighting.”