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CFL light bulbs and lighting at conventions
Fri, Sep. 18th, 2009 09:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sasha_featherThose of us with sensitivity to fluorescent lights may be dismayed by the fact that incandescent lights are being phased out in a lot of places. They will be gone from U.S. stores by 2012.
The good news is that CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) are getting better.
I heard on NPR that bulbs marked 2700K are the closest in quality to incandescent light. Those with "EnergyStar" are required to have this type of labeling. The "K" stands for Kelvins and refers to color temperature. The higher the number of Kelvins, the bluer the shade of light.
I'm not sure if the color temperature specificallly is a migraine trigger/aggravator or not. Probably brightness, and just the fact that lights are overhead and shining down, are also factors.
Most conventions I've been to are at hotels or in buildings with bright, industrial-style overhead fluorescent lights. I wear caps or sunglasses to protect my eyes, and also drink a lot of water and carry some excedrin.
Party rooms are usually darker (but also louder) than panel rooms.
WisCon has a designated Quiet Place that is a dark, quiet room with seating for convention members to use during the day, to get away from the brightness and noise of the crowded con. They/we also publish a list of nearby green spaces to go to de-stress. I find these things really helpful.
The good news is that CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) are getting better.
I heard on NPR that bulbs marked 2700K are the closest in quality to incandescent light. Those with "EnergyStar" are required to have this type of labeling. The "K" stands for Kelvins and refers to color temperature. The higher the number of Kelvins, the bluer the shade of light.
I'm not sure if the color temperature specificallly is a migraine trigger/aggravator or not. Probably brightness, and just the fact that lights are overhead and shining down, are also factors.
Most conventions I've been to are at hotels or in buildings with bright, industrial-style overhead fluorescent lights. I wear caps or sunglasses to protect my eyes, and also drink a lot of water and carry some excedrin.
Party rooms are usually darker (but also louder) than panel rooms.
WisCon has a designated Quiet Place that is a dark, quiet room with seating for convention members to use during the day, to get away from the brightness and noise of the crowded con. They/we also publish a list of nearby green spaces to go to de-stress. I find these things really helpful.