What To Look For In Magnifying Lamps

When you're looking at magnifying lamps trying to choose which one is right for you it can be a little confusing. What you want to know is how much the magnifying glass magnifies but there are several terms used to describe the power of the lens.

So when looking at magnifying lamps you may see the lens power expressed as Dioptres, percentage and power that is often expressed in times (as in 1.75x). A Dioptre describes the curvature of a lens. If you wear glasses you might have noticed the terms used on the optician's notes. As the curvature of a lens increases and becomes thicker the Dioptre increases and so does the magnification. So the higher the Dioptres the greater the magnification.

By dividing the Dioptres by 4 and adding 1 you end up with the power. So 3 Dioptre divided by 4 is 0.75 plus 1 gives a lens power of 1.75x. In percentage terms this would be expressed as 175%.

So what does this all mean in practical terms? Basically if you use a magnifying lamp which is specified as being 2.0x then the image through the lens will be double the size.

As a general rule the larger the lenses are on magnifying lamps the lower the magnification. Some lamps come with an extra smaller lens fitted that can be used when you need an occasional high power magnifying glass.

Of course the lens is only one part of a magnifying lamp, there is also the light to be considered. The light on magnifying lamps is designed so that it shines onto the object you're looking at and not into your eyes.

But don't neglect the type of bulb that comes with your lamp. Anything that requires you to work with similar colours should have you looking for magnifying lamps with daylight bulbs fitted. These simulate the type of light you get sitting in good sunlight. They give the best accurate colour and help reduce eyestrain. If you intend to use your lamp for reading then again you should opt for a magnifying lamp with a daylight bulb to ensure the best quality light and the least eyestrain.