ABSTRACT
The contribution of the environment to health, well-being and quality of life is a
central theme in this book. The relationship itself and the terms involved are
complex, and have different meanings and defi nitions in different situations. For
example, ‘quality of life’ when used in situations involving visually impaired
people has a very narrow defi nition. It is the degree to which a person’s vision
loss impacts on their ability to carry out a series of daily tasks that they need or
wish to do – for example, reading newspapers, negotiating steps, crossing roads
and preparing food. This is appropriate for the immediate medical concerns of
those involved (that is, ophthalmologists and optometrists) and, furthermore,
from the perspective of environmental support for these activities, an application
of basic lighting design principles (that is, maximising visual contrast and mini-
mising glare) can produce real benefi ts.
