Did you know that older people need considerably more light to read than younger people? I’d never thought about it until my optician told me yesterday. He said it isn’t just the print size that is important, it is the lighting too. His claims about how much extra lighting is required seemed a little far-fetched and so I googled it and found this on the Diocese of Peterborough website:

Lighting levels for the congregation generally need to be of at least 150 lux. Elderly people need six times the lighting levels necessary for a teenager to be able to read comfortably.

There were other interesting tips on lighting there too, like it is boring to have the same level of light everywhere, and that the highest concentration of light should perhaps be at the altar where the action is happening…..

Anyway, the optician seemed to think that the congregation would be mostly elderly and hence need great lighting. He asked me what the average age is and I think he was expecting the answer 95! Cheek! The congregations have people of all ages in them including youngsters like me 🙂

By the way I am enjoying my new varifocal contact lenses 😉