As the lighting market continues to segment, Signify prioritizes human-centric solutions to safeguard visual health.

Introduction:

Amid the trend toward specialization and segmentation in the lighting market, global lighting leader Signify recently launched two eye-care desk lamps for different user groups: the all-new Philips Xuantan LED desk lamp designed for elementary school students, and the Philips Xuantai LED desk lamp crafted for people who spend long hours at their desks. Delivering expert-level desktop lighting experiences through excellent light quality, these products set a new benchmark and model for eye-care desk lamps.

The trend of myopia at a younger age is severe. Desk lamps for reading and writing provide care

In recent years, the issue of myopia among children and adolescents in China has become prominent. According to data released by the National Health Commission, the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents in China reached 52.7% in 2020, showing a trend toward younger ages. Among them, the myopia rate for 6-year-old children across various regions exceeded 9%, with the highest reaching 19.1%. The myopia rate among primary school students rose rapidly from 12.9% in first grade to 59.6% in sixth grade.

Lighting is a key factor affecting the visual health of children and adolescents. A healthy, safe, and human-centric light environment helps alleviate eye strain and prevent myopia. To facilitate children's home study, many parents purchase reading and writing desk lamps. According to iResearch, the market size for reading and writing desk lamps in China is approximately RMB 2.4 billion, and it is expected to grow further with the upgrade of education-related consumption.

The Big Test of Lighting Technology in Small Table Lamps

In the overall home lighting environment, reading and writing desk lamps, serving as auxiliary lighting, often play a neglected role. In fact, reading and writing desk lamps put the application of "light" to the greatest test.

Generally, the acceptable range of luminance for daily activities is relatively wide, and the requirements for light stability are relatively low. However, reading and writing involve close-range eye use, which significantly raises the requirements for various performance indicators such as uniformity, stability, color rendering index (CRI), and safety. Among these, primary school students, as a specific group whose eyes and bodies are still growing and developing, have more stringent and unique consumer demands for desk lamps used for reading and writing.

According to medical research, newborns have very weak vision, less than 0.1; by around age 6, it reaches 1.0, close to the adult standard. Under normal circumstances, before age 12, the human eye axis grows at an average rate of 0.3-0.4 mm per year, slows down after age 12, and basically stops around age 20. Therefore, elementary school students' eyeballs are highly plastic and easily affected by various factors, leading to myopia and other conditions. This naturally imposes higher requirements on desk lamps used for reading and writing at close range for extended periods.

However, the current reading and writing desk lamp market is mixed, with uneven product quality. It is not uncommon for eye-protection desk lamps to fail to protect eyes or even cause harm. Truly knowledgeable brands that understand light and deliver quality lighting are few.

Signify: Ultimate light quality, creating a professional desktop lighting experience

As a global leader in lighting, Signify is always guided by user needs, creating comfortable, healthy, and human-centric lighting experiences through excellent lighting technology and products.

Signify believes that reading and writing desk lamps are a niche segment that is often overlooked in daily life, yet is particularly crucial for protecting the vision of children and adolescents and poses the greatest test for lighting technology. For many years, Signify has been deeply engaged in the field of eye-care desk lamps for children and adolescents, and its products are highly popular in the market.

For example, since entering the LED era, from the portable dimmable Kujie series desk lamps in earlier years, to the Xuantai LED smart eye-protection desk lamp launched in 2019 mainly for middle school students and long-term desk workers, and then to the Xuantan LED smart eye-protection desk lamp tailored for elementary school students this year, Signify has continuously refined and deepened its research on reading and writing desk lamps, combining desktop lighting with children's health, attention, learning efficiency, and habit formation, upgrading towards healthy lighting and smart lighting.

It is reported that Signify desk lamps have always adhered to the following three principles.

(1) High standards and strict requirements. The core technology of eye-protection desk lamps lies mainly in the light source. Leveraging its leading position and technical accumulation in the field of light sources, Signify has launched the "Eyecare" lighting formula to meet the "eye-protection lighting" needs of teenagers in multiple aspects. Taking the Philips Xuantai LED desk lamp as an example, its various technical parameters have reached or even exceeded the national standards and requirements for reading and writing desk lamps (as shown in the table below).

△ Table: National Standard for Reading and Desk Lamps

(2) Supported by multiple technologies. To ensure healthy and comfortable light quality, Signify has adopted several innovative technologies in the detailed design of its desk lamps. For example, the Xuantai LED desk lamp features 113 polarizing lenses on its light-emitting surface, which work with reflectors to create a polarized projection effect. Children can place the desk lamp slightly farther away, yet the light still projects directly onto the desktop below them. This approach not only helps avoid eye damage from direct light and encourages good sitting posture, but also reduces reflected glare on screens when children use electronic display devices.

(3) Adhere to human-centered design and continuous updates. Signify offers a rich variety of products with an extensive product line; even its desk lamps have diverse applications. Signify consistently upholds the principle of starting from the essence of light, continuously updating its offerings, and implementing human-centered designs tailored to different age groups, eye usage habits, visual conditions, and light sensitivity levels among adolescents.

For example, the Xuantai LED desk lamp features a lamp cap light-emitting surface up to 39 cm long, maximizing light coverage and making it suitable for heavy-study users such as middle school students. To facilitate use in university dormitories, Signify has also specially launched clip-on lamps and rechargeable lamps. This year, Signify has introduced the Xuantan series of desk lamps, which have higher technical requirements and are tailored for elementary school students, adding many intuitive and automated features to help them develop good study habits.

People-oriented, staying true to the original intention of light

With technological advancements, research into the impact of lighting on health, mental state, attention, and work efficiency is becoming increasingly in-depth. Lighting is no longer just about illumination; the application requirements for light are becoming more segmented and specialized for different groups and scenarios, upgrading towards healthy lighting and smart lighting.

For example, from the perspective of the human life cycle, research on healthy lighting for all ages is underway, targeting different life stages such as children and adolescents, the elderly, and pregnant women. Lighting applications for various specific scenarios such as learning, office work, entertainment, and shopping are also becoming increasingly mature.

Lighting science is opening a brand-new door. In this context, lighting companies should return to the essence of light and break through involution with innovation.

In the future, Signify will always adhere to a people-centric approach, creating ideal lighting environments for a wide range of users. In the field of eye-care desk lamps, Signify will continue to deepen its expertise, safeguarding users' visual health with ultimate light quality!