Why Fluorescent Bulbs Offer Superior Magnification

There are essentially two types of magnifier light one can use – the Fluorescent Lamp and the Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamp. In this article, we’ll look at the ones that use fluorescent tubes to generate light. These are not just ordinary lamps with a magnifying glass attached. They are precision engineered magnification aids produced for:

• A wide variety of professional applications (dentistry, philately, entomology etc.).
• Those suffering from degenerative eyesight problems such a macular degeneration
• Those who find it difficult to do work that requires concentration on minute details or text
• Hobby crafts such as embroidery, sewing and crochet where close up analysis is necessary.

The widely recognized advantage of the Fluorescent Magnifying Lamp over other types of lamps is the quality of light generated by the fluorescent tube. It typically has a more “natural” quality and is less harsh, which serves to significantly reduce the amount of strain on the eye. Individuals can use the lamp for prolonged stretches without exacerbating any existing eyesight conditions or causing any unwanted strain. Fluorescent bulbs also use much less energy and generate much less heat than standard incandescent bulbs.

There are several factors to bear in mind when selecting this type of lamp. Let’s start with the main brands on the market. These would include manufacturers such as Ott-Lite, ProMagnify, Daylight, Normande, Fulcrum and HawkEye. Each of these manufacturers engineer and produce magnifying lamps that meet the needs of most commercial and domestic applications. Manufacturers such as Luxo and Aven produce lamps that cater to high end medical and biochemical applications.

The level of magnification of a lens depends on its curvature. The term “diopter” refers to the refractive power of a lens. To translate diopter to magnifying power, simply divide the diopter by four and add 1. For instance, a 5-diopter lens will magnify an object 2.25 times (5 diopters ÷ 4 + 1 = 2.25x). Fluorescent Magnifying Lamps usually have 3, 5 or 8 diopter lenses. Your choice will depend on how much detail you want to see or how poor your eyesight is. However, you must remember that as the level of magnification increases, the field of view becomes narrower. In other words, while powerful lenses make small details of an object look big, you see less of the total object.

Fluorescent Magnifying lamps are available as both floor standing and desktop lamps, so the decision you make on what style of lamp will be guided by whether you will be at a desk when magnifying items. Floor standing lamps come in two varieties – those that offer a low center of gravity with a solid base, and those that at wheeled to offer improved portability. Equally, desktop lamps come in two varieties – with and without a clamp. The magnifying lamp with clamp offers greater stability for the user (as the lamp can be clamped to the desk), but less portability. They are also available in both goose-neck and variable swing arm models.

As you can see, there’s a fair amount to think about in terms of style and magnification levels. Reading independent reviews at a site like Amazon.com is a good way to find out more.

.

Tags: 22w, adjustable arm, daylight spectrum, diopter, eyesight problems, fluorescent bulbs, fluorescent magnifying lamp, glass lens, macular degeneration, magnifier lamp, magnifying floor lamp, optical quality