The Best Reading Lights

Guide to Picking a Good Reading Light
Why a Reading Light is Necessary
Many notice that children sometimes read almost in the dark. That is because their eye sight is still good enough to do so. However, as people grow older, their eyes don't pick things up in the dark as well as they did when they were kids. By middle age, a clear light is needed to view things. By age 60, it is obvious that a good light needs to be nearby for people to read effectively. That is why having a good reading light is so important to anyone is beyond a young age.

If you are reading without the proper lighting, you develop eye strain and this often leads to headaches. However, reading in the dark doesn't hurt eye vision in the long run. Still, it is best to avoid those nagging headaches.

How to Correctly Use a Reading Light
There are some ways to properly use a reading light in the correct fashion. For instance, make sure the light is over the other shoulder from your dominant hand. If you are right-handed, make sure the light shines down over the left shoulder in order to prevent the hand casting shadows during the reading session.

Make sure the light also bounces away when it contacts the book and not back into your eyes. You don't want to deal with any glare while reading. Also avoid strong light contrasts when reading a book or from a tablet. If you light a room generally and then add a reading light, you are fine. However, two light sources that are of very strong contrasts could also lead to eye strain.

Having some sort of light shade or cover to a reading light is also helpful. You don't want too much immediate brightness in your vicinity. Besides potential for eye strain, a bright light actually isn't good for those who are trying to fall asleep. Being close to a light that is left on or remains bright can cause people to fall into a shallow sleep that can still leave them tired in the morning. If it is a quick nap, then the person likely is okay, but usually the long, deep sleep in the evening is preferable for someone to wants to wake up refreshed and ready to tackle a new day.

The Ideal Reading Light
The best reading light prevents eye strain, which leads to tiredness. A person may want to read a book for hours on end and the right kind of light while make it happen even for the elderly.

A good reading light also might have a dimmer switch or at least a dial that can adjust the brightness of the light. Older eyes are more sensitive to glare, so a dimmer can help ease that issue for them.

Understand what you are going to be doing in regards of a reading lamp. Reading or writing doesn't require as much light, something along the lines of 300-500 Lumens would be adequate. For work requiring more attention to detail such as drawing an illustration or embroidery, at least 1000 Lumens would be preferable.

Understanding the Brightness Needed
Sometimes, having a brighter light helps especially if you are going to use it as the sole source of light within a room. This is a scenario that occurs for late-night reading right before bedtime. You would turn off all the lights and leave only whatever passes as the reading light on. When you are finished reading and ready for bed, you turn off the light and go to sleep in darkness. In this situation, a somewhat brighter and more ambient light would be preferable.

However, if you want a reading light for the daytime in a somewhat lighted room, then the light needs to be more focused on the immediate surroundings. If a person also doesn't have good eye sight and are tired of wearing corrective lenses and want to read without them for a change, adjust to have more brightness in the light.

Usually for bulbs and lamps, there is a wattage signature, W, which shows you bright it can get. The higher the number, the brighter the light it will shine. Lower models are around 25W or 40W which would generate 250-450 Lumens. As a general rule, a reading light should be at least 500 Lumens which would be slightly more than a 40W bulb or lamp. Usually, a 50W-60W bulb is fine for in regards to a reading light. For brighter light, a 60-watt bulb would generate 800 Lumens and a 75W would generate 1100 Lumens.

Choosing the Lighting Type
There are different lighting types such as fluorescent, incandescent, and LED lighting.

Of the lot, fluorescent lighting tend to be energy-savers. They are compact and usually last a long time. However, they sometimes cause a flickering sensation in the lighting and that doesn't make them that conducive for a reading light.

Incandescent generally is a good choice because the lighting it provides is consistent and steady. There are no flickering issues with these types of light.

The LED lighting is the most powerful and it projects close to daylight even in darkened rooms. The only downside is that it can sometimes be susceptible to a glare for situations such as reading.

Dealing with Different Looks
Keep in mind that even a reading lamp is a piece of furniture. As such, you would want the lamp to blend in with its surroundings or the room's style in regular viewing. There are many different types of reading lights such as a small night stand version or a tall lamp that arches downward. There are table lamps and floor lamps and even lamps that can have a unique appearance.

If you are wanting a reading light for the bedroom, then the look and style might not matter much. But, if the lamp winds up in a reading room that is often visited upon, then be more open to its appearance.

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This page about Reading Light was composed by V. Tobies and published by Alternative.me.
It was last updated on 2024-04-19 08:11:00 and has been viewed 5522 times.