Arc and flourescent lighting have a much narrower spectrum than gas or incandescent lighting. Light from the red specturn is virtually abcent. One who attempts to read under flourescence quickly develops eyestrain from both the barely detectible 60 cycle flicker and the absence of red specturn light.
Many European countries, Switzerland notably, have banned flourescence unless an window with natural light is available within 50 feet of a worker. Studies have shown a higher incident of accidents when the sole source of light is flourescence (one sees less since red objects appear very dark). Things under flourescence do look strange, but it is because the optic nerve is receiving no information from the red spectrum. Regards, Rod Stites Tulsa, OK