A practical metric for melanopic metrology

Abstract

Over the past decade, there has been a growing interest in lighting research on the effects of the recently discovered melanopsin receptor (also referred to as the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell) and its impacts on health and vision. Presently, there is not a generally accepted metrology for dealing with the spectral response of the melanopsin receptor as applied to both lighting and vision research. A proposition to handle this issue from a vision science perspective has been presented in 2014 in the journal Trends in Neurosciences and from a more lighting perspective in 2017 in Lighting Research and Technology. These propositions are complex, and do not retain the CIE standard definition of a lumen. In this paper, we propose an approach based on effective watts and melanopic/photopic ratios that is both simpler and more closely aligned with CIE standard unit definitions. In addition, we include some practical examples of how such ratios are accessible now, and can be used for both lighting and vision research as well as applications.