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Glare is the annoying or even painful sensation created by a bright source of light in the field of vision. In the worst condition, light can have excessive and uncontrolled brightness, and with less light, it can be disabling or simply uncomfortable.

Glare is subjective, and sensitivity to glare can vary widely. There are many ways of categorizing glare, and these are all based on different levels of the physical discomfort created as one’s forward visibility is reduced or totally eliminated.
Disability Glare is the reduction in visibility caused by intense light sources in the field of view like this headlamp picture.
Discomfort Glare is the sensation of annoyance or even pain induced by overly bright sources such as the disastrous effect on this unsuspecting Sumo wrestler.
The de Boer Glare Rating Scale was developed in 1967 and it is commonly used for the measurement of outdoor light glare.
Unified Glare Rating (UGR)
UGR stands for Unified Glare Rating and is a numerical measure of how much glare is emitted by indoor luminaires. Glare can adversely affect well-being and productivity in the workplace, and t he UGR glare index for discomfort glare is ranked on a scale, which ranges from 5 to 40, with lower numbers indicating less glare, where the higher the glare index the higher the level of glare.
UGR in Plain English:
Overview : In practice, you need to understand that a luminaire with a UGR under 13 will create no noticeable glare, while a rating of over 28 will certainly distract people.
UGR Under 16
Close hand-eye functions such as Technical Drawing and Illustration.
UGR Under 19
Reading, writing, training, meetings, computer-based work. So, for example, in an office workplace you should not fit luminaires with a UGR rating greater than 19.
UGR Under 22
Crafts and light industry.
UGR Under 25
Heavy industry such as assembly and manufacturing.
UGR Under 28
Railway platforms and foyers.
While glare levels for lighting can be measured by both of these systems, one must not lose sight of the fact that glare is an important part of the lighting fixture selection process.

These scales can serve as a good guide to back up the common sense approach for illumination in workplaces and in education, which is that visual comfort is essential.
Bill Nagengast, Lighting Engineer
Solas Ray Lighting
Holds over 20 patents in the lighting industry.
TJ-38 8.16.18