At Spectrasol, we live and breathe light and closely follow developments in this field. That’s why we couldn’t miss the conference Light, Darkness, Life 2025: The Path to Change, which took place on September 11, 2025, at the National Library of Technology in Prague’s Dejvice district. The gathering of experts brought forward many important topics from the world of lighting that are gaining traction in the Czech environment: the impact of light on human health, the importance of proper placement of lighting in interiors, and the issue of light pollution.
It’s great that the topic of light hygiene is increasingly drawing the attention of politicians and public administration. This was reflected in the opening remarks of the conference, delivered by Senator Jiří Dušek and Anna Pasková, Director of the Department of Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development at the Ministry of the Environment. Both speeches focused on the issue of light pollution and support for healthy lighting in buildings.
Light as medicine and prevention
Professor Martin Anders, Head of the Psychiatric Clinic of the First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, spoke about the impact of light on physical and mental health. Diseases affecting modern society — such as depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, or asthma — are significantly related to changes in how light influences the modern human body, known as circadian disruption. One of the solutions is proper lighting and, in case of problems, phototherapy, as demonstrated by many studies and clinical experiments. An example is the installation of full-spectrum Spectrasol lighting at the Vondráček Institute. The positive effects of phototherapy on mental disorders are also confirmed by Dr. Jana Kopřivová from the National Institute of Mental Health (NUDZ).
Light distribution and quality in interiors
Lenka Maierová from the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings (UCEEB) of the Czech Technical University in Prague followed with a topic that concerns us all — interior lighting. If lighting is not properly designed, it can lead to fatigue, reduced energy, poor concentration, and long-term problems with vision and overall health. According to Dr. Maierová, three components are essential for good interior lighting: sufficient light levels, proper distribution of light within the space, and spectral composition that most closely resembles natural daylight.
Biological lighting
Associate Professor Petr Baxant (Brno University of Technology) introduced the concept of the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) — Melanopic EDI Lux, a modern way to measure lighting in terms of its biological effects on humans. This concept examines how light influences our biological clocks and compares electric lighting with natural daylight. He also mentioned the recommendation that the daylight standard for lighting should be the CIE standard D50, i.e., a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 5000 K. (We completely agree — Spectrasol lights have been shining at around 5000 K since the very beginning of production.)
During the conference, several examples of Spectrasol technology installations were presented (for example, at the General University Hospital in Prague and the National Institute of Mental Health). At our information booth, we had the opportunity to discuss important topics and answer curious questions. We are very pleased that interest in healthy full-spectrum light is growing and that people are increasingly aware of its importance and effectiveness. We are glad we could be part of it.
Translated using AI
