Eye he alth and visual acuity largely depend on the quality of lighting when reading, working or studying. Reading lamps are subject to a number of requirements, among which are safety and ease of use. Manufacturers offer a variety of models in construction, light source, size and design. Our article is designed to understand the range of reading lamps and help you choose the best model for your home.
Features
Readers have some functional features that distinguish them from other types of lighting.
- Adjusting the distance to the illuminated object.
- Choose the angle and direction of the light. A narrow beam of light brightly illuminates a small area of the work surface, without blinding the eyes and without disturbing the household when reading at night.
- Setting the light intensity. ThisThis feature allows you to adjust the brightness of the reading light to a comfortable level for the eyes, taking into account the ambient light.
When choosing a lighting device, it is necessary to take into account its future location, material and design.
The planned location affects the design of the luminaire. A floor lamp is suitable for the living room. It will not only allow you to read comfortably, but also highlight the functional area in the room, emphasizing the style of the interior. For the bedroom, wall lamps for reading in bed are a good option, and for the workplace, a table lamp is a good option.
Lighting devices are made of plastic and metal, complementing them with ceiling lamps made of ceramics, silicon and acrylic glass. The most reliable and durable are metal lamps, but they tend to heat up, so high-quality hard plastic is preferred for children's rooms.
The color scheme and design of the lamp is chosen based on the interior style of the room. It should organically complement the interior and emphasize zoning.
Views
Depending on the location, reading lights can be divided into floor lamps, sconces, tabletop and portable models. Consider them in more detail.
Outdoor
Floor lamps are floor lamps equipped with one or two light sources to make the reading process as comfortable as possible for the eyes. Floor lamps do not require additional installation, and they are easy to move. The best lighting formaintaining eye he alth is considered a smooth transition from general lighting to accent lighting on a book. In this case, the eyes strain less when reading small print. That is why many models of specialized floor lamps for reading are equipped with two light sources: local and accent. The first, as a rule, with a closed ceiling, to create soft local lighting of the zone, and the second on a flexible leg is designed directly for reading. Often, floor lamps for these purposes are complemented by a small table for a book.
Wall-mounted
Wall reading lights are designed to be mounted on the wall near the resting place: sofa, bed, armchair. Like floor lamps, they are often equipped with two light sources: for local lighting and for reading. The latter is placed on a cranked holder or a flexible leg, which allows you to adjust the direction and angle of incidence of the beam. These sconces are perfect for the bedroom. The reading lamp shines with a directional beam directly on the book or needlework and does not interfere with the rest of the partner. The sconce switch is located on the appliance, so you don't have to get up to turn off the lights before going to bed.
Desktop
Desk lamps are the most common lighting fixtures for reading and working at a computer. Ophthalmologists recommend placing the light source at eye level, so the lamps are equipped with an adjustable leg for individual adjustment and a dimmer to switch the brightness of the light. Classic althe cone-shaped cover diffuses the light flux well, without tiring the eyes when reading. The color and design of the lighting fixture can be anything, but for work and study, white, beige and green shades should be preferred, which promote concentration.
Portable
Flexible clip-on reading lights deserve a special mention. They are more compact than table lamps. The main advantage of such models is mobility. The lamp on a clothespin can be placed on a table, cabinet, headboard, chair armrest or hanging shelf. Such models can be powered both from the mains and from rechargeable batteries. There are very small clip-on lights that attach directly to the book. A small bright LED will illuminate the page well without disturbing the household when reading at night. Such devices allow you to adjust the brightness of the light for comfortable reading and maintaining visual acuity.
In addition to the aforementioned portable clip-on lights, there are frames for these purposes. They are a rectangular magnifying glass with LED lighting around the perimeter. Such a device will allow you to comfortably read in the dark, including small print. The brightness and tint of the light are adjustable. Compact size, light weight, economical battery consumption makes the reading frame an indispensable attribute of the traveler. In addition, the device can be used to illuminate the screentablet.
For reading e-books
Some e-books do not have their own backlight, so users are forced to use additional light sources. The most popular are rechargeable LED lamps on a clothespin or USB. The latter are attached directly to the port, have a flexible leg, as well as one or a pair of bright LEDs. Light intensity can be adjusted according to ambient light to minimize screen glare. The reading frame is also popular with users due to its compactness and ease of use.
Advantages and disadvantages of light sources
Reading lamps are equipped with all types of household lamps, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's dwell on them in more detail.
Incandescent lamps
These devices are the cheapest light sources. They emit light in the yellow-red spectrum, immediately after switching on they shine at full power, do not contain harmful substances. However, tungsten lamps have a very low efficiency, consume a large amount of electricity and get very hot. The service life of such lamps is only about 1000 hours. Reading lamps, as a rule, are located near the hands and face, so if you are not careful, you can get burned from a ceiling lamp heated by an incandescent lamp.
Halogen bulbs
Halogen light sources are an advanced incandescent lamp. They consume slightly lessthe amount of energy and have more compact dimensions compared to incandescent lamps and a service life 4 times longer, but they are still hot and sensitive to contamination of the surface of the bulb. The lamps emit light that is closest to the light of the sun, which has a positive effect on the comfort of the eyes when reading.
Fluorescent lamps
The fluorescent light source lasts twice as long as a halogen lamp, is more efficient and provides comfortable reading light. Such elements are heated to a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius and emit a uniform diffused light. However, they have serious drawbacks: instability to voltage drops in the network and frequent on / off, as well as the use of mercury compounds in the design. If such a lamp breaks, a person can get serious poisoning. Because of this, fluorescent light sources require special disposal measures.
LED bulbs
These devices are compact in size and almost do not heat up during operation, due to which they are actively used in portable lamps. Their service life is up to 100,000 hours, which corresponds to 11 years of continuous operation. LEDs consume a minimum of energy and emit bright light. The light shade can vary from cold to warm and allows you to choose the most comfortable radiation for the eyes. Such lamps are often equipped with a dimmer. LED reading lights do not have a strobe effect, the so-called flicker, which is very tiring for the eyes.
Eye he alth and visual acuity largely depend on the quality of lighting when reading. When choosing a lamp, you should first of all pay attention to the light source and the safety of the device.
