In 1924, the International Commission on Illumination adopted the function of relative spectral luminous efficiency V(λ), which made it possible to move from subjective methods for assessing light sources of radiation to objective methods for measuring light quantities, constructing a system of light quantities, and creating standards for reproducing units of light quantities. Research in the field of physiological perception of light has continued and continues throughout these hundred years. This article is devoted to a brief review of materials from studies of actinic properties of the visual apparatus, i.e. spectral weighting functions of human perception of optical radiation, taking into account adaptation to various lighting conditions, as well as taking into account studies of fundamental physiological reactions of the visual system. 1. Sysoeva, E. V. A Retrospective of Artificial Lighting from Ancient Times to the Present Day // Light & Engineering, 2023, Vol. 31, # 2, pp. 77–84.
2. ‘Suggestions for observation of annular eclipse of the sun, 1858, March 14–15’, Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 18 No 4 129; ‘Observations of the annular solar eclipse’, Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 18 No 5 184.
3. Abney, W. 1896 The photographic values of moonlight and starlight compared with the light of a standard candle // 1896, Proc. Roy. Soc. 59, рр. 314–25.
4. Kartashevskaya, V.E. Eyes Spectral Sensitivity Determination [Opredeleniye Spektral’noy Chuvstvitel’nosti Glaza] // Proceedings of VNIIM named after D.I. Mendeleev “Research in the field of light measurements” [Trudy VNIIM im. D.I. Mendeleyeva “Issledovaniya v oblasti svetovykh izmereniy”], 1952 issue 17 (77), pp. 3–16.
5. Tikhodeev, P.M. Light measurements in light and engineering [Svetovyye izmereniya v svetotekhnikeve] / Moscow: Gosenergoizdat, 1962, 465 p.
6. Hyde, E.P. Photometry at the United States Bureau of Standards // Illum. Eng., 1908, № 1, рр. 761–770.
7. Cahan, D. The institutional revolution in German physics 1865–1914 // Hist. Stud. Phys. Biol. Sci., 1985, 15, 20.
8. Paterson, C. C. and Raynor, E.H. Photometry at the National Physical Laboratory // Illum. Eng., 1908, #1, pp. 845–854.
9. Lummer, E. and Brodhun, E. Photometrische Untersuchungen // Z. Instr. 1889, 9, рр. 41–50 and 461–465, quoted in Kangro H. Early History of Planck’s Radiation Law / (London) 152 р.
10. Kaiser, P.K. Photopic and mesopic photometry: yesterday, today, and tomorrow // Proceedings of Golden Jubilee of Colour in the CIE (Bradford), 1981, pp. 29–32.
11. Hyde E.P. A comparison of the unit of luminous intensity of the United States with those of Germany, England, and France // NBS publication, 1907, B 3, 65, S50.
12. Vautier, T. History of the CIE 1913–1988 / Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage 1989, Vienna.
13. Johnston, Sean F. A History of Light and Colour Measurement / University of Glasgow, IoP – Institute of Physics Publishing, 2001, 292 p.
14. Sharpe, L.T., Stockman, A., Jagla, W. and Jägle, H. A luminous efficiency function, V*(λ), for daylight adaptation // Journal of Vision, 2005, # 5, pp. 948–968.
15. Meshkov, V.V., Matveev, A.B. Fundamentals of lighting engineering [Osnovy svetotekhniki] / Energoatomizdat, 1989, 432 pp. 16. Khazanov, V.S. On the question of the possibility of using the method of discrimination acuity as a fundamental method for determining the visual efficiency of radiation [Khazanov V.S. K voprosu o vozmozhnosti ispol’zovaniya metoda ostroty razlicheniya v kachestve fundamental’nogo metoda opredeleniya zritel’noy effektivnosti izlucheniy] // Svetotekhnika, 1979, No. 9, pp. 13–15.
17. Wout van Bommel “Interior Lighting Fundamentals, Technology and Application” / ISBN 978-3-030-17194-0; ISBN 978-3-030-17195-7 (eBook), https://doi.org/10.1007/978–3–030–17195–7 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019, 481 p.
18. CIE S 017/E‑2020: International Lighting Vocabulary (numbered 17–23–034).
19. Blevin, W.R. Optical radiometry – one hundred years after Stefan and Boltzmann // New Developments and Applications in Optical Radiometry, IOP Publishing Ltd, Bristol, 1989, pp. 1–9.
20. Blevin, W.R. Photometry and Radiometry: The Past and the Future // Proceedings of CIE 22nd Session, Melburn, 1991, Vol. 2, pp. 33–36.
21. Blevin, W.R. and Steiner B. Redefinition of the candela and the lumen // Metrologia, 1975, # 11, pp. 97–104.
22. 16e Conférerence Générale des Poids et Mesures, Comptes Rendus, 1979, 100 p.
23. BIPM: The International System of the Units (СИ) / 2019, 9th edition.
24. ISO/CIE DIS 23539–2021: Photometry – The CIE system of physical photometry
25. Stolyarevskaya, R.I. Applied Photometry: Review of Retrospective and Reality Part 1: Candela and Watt, from Incandescent Lamp to LED // Light & Engineering, 2023. Vol. 31, # 3, pp. 139–150.
26. Stolyarevskaya, R.I. Applied Photometry: Review of Retrospective and Reality Part 2: LED Challenge to Photometry // Light & Engineering, 2023, Vol. 31, # 4, pp. 65–77.
27. CIE 191–2010: Recommended System for Mesopic Photometry based on Visual Performance. Vienna.
28. CIE TN 007–2017: Interim Recommendation for Practical Application of the CIE System for Mesopic Photometry in Outdoor Lighting.
29. CIE 170–2015 Fundamental Chromaticity Diagram with Physiological Axes – Part 2: Spectral Luminous Efficiency Functions and Chromaticity Diagrams / Vienna: CIE, 2015.

• Previous article
• Next article

• actinism
• actinic properties
• visual perception
• photopic relative spectral efficiency V(λ)
• scotopic relative spectral light efficiency V’(λ)
• mesopic relative spectral light efficiency Vmes; m(λ)
• photopic relative spectral efficiency for a viewing angle of 10 degrees V10(λ)
• fundamental cone or physiological functions of relative spectral luminous efficiency VF(λ)