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Operating theatre lighting

For physicians and medical personnel, surgical operations present the greatest challenges of all in terms of visual performance. For conventional surgery, very high illuminance levels of 10.000 to 160.000 lux are needed in the operating field. Special surgical luminaires are required for this. Minimally invasive surgical procedures require much lower lighting, however: at the site of the surgery, the lighting level must be lowerable to 50 lux, which is the same level specified in DIN 12464-1 for scanning and endoscopic procedures.

What must always be ensured is that the lighting level can be adjusted as required in a single operation. Clean room luminaires protected to IP 65 meet the hygiene requirements of operating theatres. The most suitable light colour is neutral white, with a colour temperature of > 3,800 degrees Kelvin; lamps must have a colour rendering index of Ra ≥ 90.