Disclosed is a sound absorbing lighting panel (100) comprising a sound absorbing member (120); an optical medium (130) over said sound absorbing member; a first set (140) of solid state lighting elements (142) arranged along a first edge of said optical medium; a translucent sheet (150) over the optical medium, said translucent sheet having a non-uniform degree of translucency such as a higher degree of translucency over a central region of said optical medium than over a first region of said optical medium comprising said first edge. A modular surface system including such a sound absorbing lighting panel is also disclosed.