The effect of increased ambient lighting on detection accuracy in uniform and anatomical backgrounds

Benjamin J. Pollard; Amarpreet S. Chawla; Noriyuki Hashimoto; Ehsan Samei

doi:10.1117/12.772932

13 March 2008 The effect of increased ambient lighting on detection accuracy in uniform and anatomical backgrounds

Benjamin J. Pollard, Amarpreet S. Chawla, Noriyuki Hashimoto, Ehsan Samei

Proceedings Volume 6919, Medical Imaging 2008: PACS and Imaging Informatics; 69190R (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.772932
Event: Medical Imaging, 2008, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Under typical dark conditions found in reading rooms, a reader's pupils will contract and dilate as the visual focus intermittently shifts between the high luminance monitor and the darker background wall, resulting in increased visual fatigue and the degradation of diagnostic performance. A controlled increase of ambient lighting may, however, minimize these visual adjustments and potentially improve reader comfort and accuracy. This paper details results from two psychophysical studies designed to determine the effect of a controlled ambient lighting increase on observer detection of subtle objects and lesions viewed on a DICOM-calibrated medical-grade LCD. The first study examined the effect of increased ambient lighting on detection of subtle objects embedded within a uniform background, while the second study examined observer detection performance of subtle cancerous lesions in mammograms and chest radiographs. In both studies, observers were presented with images under a dark room condition (1 lux) and an increased room illuminance level (50 lux) for which the luminance level of the diffusely reflected light from the background wall was approximately equal to that of the displayed image. The display was calibrated to an effective luminance ratio of 409 for both lighting conditions. Observer detection performance under each room illuminance condition was then compared. Identification of subtle objects embedded within the uniform background improved from 59% to 67%, while detection time decreased slightly with additional illuminance. An ROC analysis of the anatomical image results revealed that observer AUC values remained constant while detection time decreased under increased illuminance. The results provide evidence that an ambient lighting increase may be possible without compromising diagnostic efficacy.

Citation Download Citation

Benjamin J. Pollard, Amarpreet S. Chawla, Noriyuki Hashimoto, and Ehsan Samei "The effect of increased ambient lighting on detection accuracy in uniform and anatomical backgrounds", Proc. SPIE 6919, Medical Imaging 2008: PACS and Imaging Informatics, 69190R (13 March 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.772932

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available