Neonatal intensive care unit lighting: update and recommendations

Achieving adequate lighting in neonatal intensive care units is a major challenge: in addition to the usual considerations of visual performance, cost, energy and aesthetics, there appear different biological needs of patients, health care providers and family members. Communicational aspects of light, its role as a facilitator of the visual function of doctors and nurses, and its effects on the newborn infant physiology and development were addressed in order to review the effects of light (natural and artificial) within neonatal care with a focus on development. The role of light in regulating the newborn infant circadian cycle in particular and the therapeutic use of light in general were also reviewed. For each aspect, practical recommendations were specified for a proper well-lit environment in neonatal intensive care units.