There are few things more important than your sight. If you’re here, you know that protecting it with the best light for eyes is vital to maintaining great vision. But, is using a desk lamp good for your eyes?
In short: yes, but you need to be aware of how light affects your sight and the measures you can take to maintain your sight. These include reducing blue light exposure, taking some time away from your computer screen, and making sure your new lamp has a color rendering index (CRI) higher than 80. Don’t worry, we will explain this later.
Finding the best desk lamp for eye protection is not always simple, but with our guide to the best eye-caring desk lamps on the market you will be able to shop in peace. If you have remembered to wear your glasses, that is!
Eye Care Issues
In October 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report detailing issues about vision impairment around the world. It emphasizes just how important caring for your eyes is; at least 2.2 billion people around the globe are visually impaired. Almost half of these people (1 billion) have an impairment that is preventable or has not been treated.
The report found that people living in areas of the world with better access to regular checkups, treatment, and eye care, had fewer cases of blindness. However, in the developed world, spending more time inside sat at your computer screen leads people to suffer from myopia (nearsightedness).
What should we take from this report? That people should spend more time outside if possible, and do everything they can indoors to maintain their sight. If you spend your day sitting at a computer screen, this might include using an eye-caring desk lamp.
What Can We Do to Protect Our Eyes?
Looking after your sight is no small matter. There are a few steps you can take to make sure your vision stays as perfect as possible:
- Take an annual eye exam
It might seem obvious, but before you think about the best desk lamp for eye protection, consider when your last eye exam was. It’s important to go at least once every two years, or more often if you have a pre-existing condition such as diabetes. In the US, the cost of an eye exam varies based not just on where you live, but the types of tests included and if you need a contact lens fitting. Make sure you ask why you are having the tests done and what is included if the fee seems too good to be true!
- Do eye exercise frequently… no, seriously!
Got a gym membership you never use? Why not go there, take a seat on a weights machine and do your eye exercises? It could be more fun and requires a lot less effort. Though there is not much evidence that eye exercises are effective at maintaining vision—asking if a desk lamp is good for your eyes is probably a better approach—you can try exercises like “20-20-20.” Stare at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds, after you have spent 20 minutes on the computer.
- Get adequate relaxation for your eyes
Giving your eyes a proper break from screens is even better than doing the “20-20-20” trick. Taking a walk would be perfect; getting out in nature and natural daylight is the best light for eyes and for keeping your vision tip top. Taking time to read in the evening instead of being on social media is also a great start. Not only will you be broadening your mind while you relax instead of absentmindedly scrolling through Twitter, but you will be taking time away from blue light. This means you might find yourself sleeping easier!
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet
The key to everything, eating healthily and getting all the nutrients you need is incredibly important for vision. Having enough vitamin C and E is said to be good for eyesight, as well as omega-3 fatty acids. This means eating fish and nuts is supposed to be good, especially for people who have dry eyes.
- Wash hands and avoid rubbing eyes
You’ll have heard this a lot recently with the new coronavirus, but did you know that touching your eyes can damage your eyesight? You have thousands of bacteria on your hands at any one time and you do not want these to be transferred to your delicate eyes. Make sure you wash your hands often and touch your eyes less—wash for at least 20 seconds for more effectiveness.
- Protect against chemicals
Not many of us are in labs after high school but wearing proper protection when dealing with chemicals is important. This is not just to stop unwanted liquids splashing in your eyes and damaging them. Fumes from chemicals can also burn your eyes and ruin your eyesight. This one might seem dramatic, but it is always worth taking note of!
- Use an eye-caring desk lamp
Finding the right kind of lighting is really important. The best light for eyes will always be natural daylight, as long as you are not staring directly into the sun of course. When you are choosing indoor lighting, using the best desk lamp for eye protection is the easiest way to make sure you are maintaining your vision without even thinking. No more squinting!
What Kind of Lights are Harmful to Eyes?
Anyone whose stared into the bright dentist light and had watering eyes knows that not all lamps are good for you. Without built-in safety features, it is hard to tell if a desk lamp is good for your eyes. Some unhealthier features that normal lamps might have are:
- Blue light: sunlight is made up of many different colors. Red have long wavelengths and less energy, and at the other end of the scale, blue have short wavelengths and more energy. White and fluorescent lights expose your eyes to more blue wavelengths, as well as computer and phone screens.
- Glare: when lights are really intense they create a glare, which is discomfort or loss of ability to see momentarily as the eye adapts to the level of light. Too much light entering your eyes for too long is bad for them and disorientating for you.
- LED lamp stroboscopic affect (Flicker): LEDs, or light emitting diodes, do not always make the best lights for eyes. This is because they can have a near-imperceptible flicker that can cause eye strain, headaches, and even epileptic seizures.
- Extremely high Correlated Color Temperature (CCT): when lamps are referred to as white, warm, and so on, the description is of their color temperature. This is measured in Kelvins (K). A warm light is around 2700K, a cool white is around 5000K. The higher it is, the bigger strain is put on your eyes.
- Low Color Rendering Index (CRI): color rendering is the ability of a lamp to show true to life colors. Streetlights, for instance, do not always show the true color; cars can seem different colors at night under streetlights. 80 is the ideal CRI for indoor lighting.
Which is the Best Light for Eye Strain Relief?
Natural daylight will always be the best for your eyes, but if you are going to choose a desk lamp that’s good for your eyes it should be a warm yellow light.
Nine Factors to Consider When Buying an Eye-caring Desk Lamp
Number one consideration when looking for the best desk lamp for eye protection is that it has a stable and adjustable brightness of at least 400 lumens. Lamps with about 400 lumens are plenty bright enough for reading and working—learn more about them here. Remember, wattage is not the factor that determines light intensity. Always look for the lumens.
As we mentioned before, numbers two and three on your list should always be checking for a CRI of around 80-90 (anything above 90 is really too high) and seeking one with a wide range of color temperatures. Finding a color customizable desk lamp is good for your eyes because you can find the right warmth to suit every occasion.
The fourth and fifth things to look at when buying an eye-caring desk lamp is that it has glare reduction, with no flickering. TaoTronics TT-DL13 Desk/Table Lamp is precision built to stop LED flickering, helping you focus on what matters.
There are also some other features you should look for that are more general. Just finding the best light for eyes when you’re choosing your desk lamp is not enough!
So, numbers six through nine on our list that you need to check for are:
- diverse lighting direction;
- a long lifespan;
- a great warranty;
- a good aesthetic. Well, you need something that fits your room!
So, What is the Best Desk Lamp for Eye Protection?
We have looked at how you need to get a desk lamp that’s good for your eyes as a key part of maintaining and protecting your vision. Finding the best light for eyes is an easy way to make sure your day-to-day life is working for your sight, not against it. We recommend one of TaoTronics amazing eye-caring desk lamps. Sleek, modern, and stylish, the flicker free LEDs are a perfect addition to your home.
Disclaimer: We are not Doctors or Optometrists. This website is not intended for the purpose of providing medical advice and all content is for informational or entertainment purposes. Please consult a licensed healthcare official or provider before making any decisions about your eyes and health. If you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.