Which lights are good for poor vision? This our top 5 reading and hobby lights.

Well this topic is massive, and I am far from an expert but I know what its like to need extra light when your vision starts to worsen and I have been in the lighting industry for 15 years so I have a good idea whats on the market to help you.

Today I’m going to focus on task lighting this is something that we all need and especially so when you have poor vision, even if you don’t have a health condition affecting your eyesight as we age we need more light to see things clearly, have you ever noticed yourself walking towards the window or under a lamp to see the wording a bit better or a colour a little sharper when its in a better light, well this is what the task light will help you achieve.

If you have poor vision you will need help with lighting in general and a total review of the lighting in your property is a good thing.

For me a good task light has the following features:

• It's portable, so you can place it where it suits you.
• Its' adjustable, again so the light can get where you need it
• It's dimmable, sometimes the light is too bright for your eyes and sometimes you just need a to get it as bright as you can.
• It's sturdy, lets not forget when you have poor vision you can easily knock things over.
• It needs to be easy to switch on and off plus the bulb change needs to be simple too no fiddly bulbs and glass shades or metal bits to unscrew.

A good general wash of light I feel is the best, some leds lamps are very directional which can be good, however I have found that having a broader wash of light is not as sharp on the eyes as a pin point.

No glare, this is a must, the glare you get on a light can so dazzling at times its really not nice to look at and can have a blinding effect on people which can at times be a hazard.

Those are the things that I consider when I talk to people with vision loss and I recommend a number of lights to them, I have put some of these together for you now basing it on the task of reading, or craft and hobby work. If you have any extra needs to complete this task please let us know and well see what we can source for you.

Top Spot number one

The USB desk lamp is our favourite, it has a great wide base, nothing to smash, no bulbs to change its bright at 560 lumens with a good even coverage of light and its is dimmable, The thing that pushes it to the top spot is the ability to change the colour temperature of the bulb, it comes with three settings 3000k, 4000k and 5000k giving you the option of choosing a warmer white or a cooler white mimicking daylight, always great if you are crafting.

Number two is the Dice copper floor lamp it can be bought as a single, or triple version, perfect to put behind a chair or sofa and the lights can be angled to suit you, what is special about this it it’s a touch lamp, again nothing to break and its got a good sturdy base, it can also be a table lamp too. It’s a natural white colour at 3000k and gives a great 810 lumens from the triple lamp.

At number three we have the desk lamp, The Canopy….This is a great light as it says on the tin a canopy of light above where you are working, its an LED with around 580 lumens and a natural white colour 3000k, its very sturdy and a a great point is the touch lamp bit to switch it on and off, an adjustable top means the light can be directed.

The number four spot goes to the Frederick table and floor lamps, both have a good wide shade in a metal finish that can take a big bulb so we can increase the wattage, being a screw cap fitting its easier than a bayonet to fit. The floor lamp has a foot switch and the table lamp has a switch on the cable, both can be adjusted to direct the light where you need it, and coming in three colours yopu can still have a choice of interior room design along with its adaptability.

Our final one at number five is the Eunice table lamp, a bit more traditional looking with a grey finish, its sturdy and adjustable, the light can be angled as required, it’s a metal so if it gets knocked it should not break too easily, its height adjustable and switched on the cable, we like the fact you can get a golf ball bulb in here easily, and we can adapt that to be a low energy LED one.