Visual performance is the ability to perceive and identify objects or small details and visual tasks which have low contrast to the surroundings.
Visual performance: Definition – simply explained
What does visual performance mean?
Visual performance is the term used to describe the perceptual performance accomplished by the eye. The difficulty of a visual task increases upon reduction in colour- or luminance contrast and size of the detail.
An example: the lower the colour- or brightness contrast between printed text and a sheet of paper, the more difficult it is to read the text. The same applies to small font sizes.
What is the difference between visual performance and visual task? The visual performance must be accomplished by the eye as the visual organ, so that the person can fulfil the visual task required (e.g. reading, writing or drawing).
What influences visual performance?
The brighter it is, the higher our visual performance. At an illuminance (measured in lux, lx) of 20 lx, we can only just distinguish people's facial features. Simple work, such as a meeting in a conference room, already needs at least 200 lx, whilst complicated visual tasks, such as control tasks or precision assembly, require up to 2,000 lx. Illuminances of even up to 10,000 lx are required in special cases such as operations in hospitals.
Fundamentally, visual performance increases abruptly with increasing illuminance. However, above 1,000 lx it increases only slowly to then finally decrease at very high illuminances due to the occurrence of glare.
The guideline values for illuminances at workplaces, as specified primarily in EN 12464, range from 200 to 1,000 lx within the framework outlined above. Recommended illuminances in individual cases depend primarily on the size of the visual task and its contrast with the immediate surroundings, whereby very small, low-contrast visual tasks require the highest level of illuminance.
