Lighting Optics Explained: A Guide to Choosing the Best Optics for Your Space
Lighting is about more than just brightness. How light spreads, how it feels, and how it interacts with a space all play a role in creating a comfortable and productive environment. That’s where lighting optics come in.
In this guide, we’ll explain what optics are, how different types affect your space, and why PROLine square optics are a smart choice for offices, workspaces, and professional environments.
What Are Lighting Optics?
Optics are the lenses or diffusers inside a lighting fixture. They control how light behaves and how it looks in a room.
How Optics Affect Light
Optics influence:
- Beam spread - how far and wide the light travels.
- Illumination uniformity - how evenly light covers a space.
- Glare - how bright the light appears to the eyes.
- Colour rendering - how accurately colours appear under the light.
The right optic can make a room feel balanced, comfortable, and productive, while the wrong optic can create glare, shadows, or uneven lighting.
Why Optics Matter in Professional Spaces
In offices, classrooms, or retail spaces, lighting affects comfort, focus, and productivity.
Effects of the Wrong Optic
- Harsh glare can cause eye strain and fatigue.
- Uneven lighting creates shadows and bright spots.
- Poor colour rendering affects detailed tasks and product displays.
Benefits of the Right Optic
- Visual comfort - reduces eye strain during long working hours.
- Even illumination - keeps desks, meeting rooms, and open-plan areas consistently lit.
- Productivity - lighting that supports focus and reduces fatigue.
- Professional aesthetics - clean, modern lighting complements office and retail design.
Good optics are not just a technical detail - they directly impact how people feel and perform in a space.
How to Choose the Right Optic
When selecting optics, consider these factors:
Purpose of the Room
Tasks like working, reading, or displaying products require uniform, glare-free light.
Room Layout
Open areas benefit from wide coverage, while long or narrow areas may need more directional control.
Glare Control
Choose optics designed for a low Unified Glare Rating (UGR) to maintain comfort.
Design Style
Square or louvered optics provide a clean, modern look suitable for offices and retail environments.
By evaluating these factors, you can select optics that match both the functional and aesthetic needs of your space.
Types of PROLine Optics
Different optics shape light in different ways.
- Standard Optics (Opal)
Deliver broad coverage and even illumination for open areas such as corridors, reception zones, or breakout spaces.
- Square Optics
PROLine’s square optic design: a cellular grid of square apertures that tightly controls light, reducing glare and ensuring a smooth, even distribution. These square optics typically provide a 90° beam angle, excellent UGR (Unified Glare Rating) performance - often <14, and a CRI above 90 for accurate colour rendering.
The full range of optics available for Proline available through Custom Linear Lighting:
Every project comes with its own set of demands - from the shape and size of the room to the activities taking place inside it - which makes choosing the right optic a key decision. The good news is you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Our Lighting Design Team offers a complementary service to guide you through the options, helping you match the right optic to your goals. Whether you need broad, welcoming light for open areas or precise, low-glare illumination for focused work, they’ll make sure your lighting system enhances both the way your space looks and the way it feels.
Why PROLine Square Optics Are Ideal
This PROLine Customisable Linear Lighting System comes standard with square optics, designed for low glare, even illumination, and accurate colour rendering.
Benefits for Workspaces
- Low glare maintains a comfortable environment for employees
- Even light distribution across desks, meeting rooms, and open-plan offices
- CRI >90 ensures accurate, vibrant colours for design, retail, and detailed tasks
- Flexible installation: suspended or surface-mounted for different layouts
- Modern aesthetic complements any interior
PROLine square optics create spaces where employees can work comfortably, focus better, and feel at ease.
Make Light Work for Your Space
Understanding lighting optics helps create spaces where people can work comfortably, focus better, and feel at ease. With PROLine square optics, you get low glare, even illumination, and accurate colour, making them an excellent choice for offices, retail spaces, and work environments.