While any light will do when it comes to reading, there are certainly better options for you out there depending on your goals. If you are looking to read for entertainment before bed and do not mind falling asleep you might be better off with a more yellow light, but if you are looking to read a big old textbook for hours on end you might be better off with a bright white light.
LED lights are great for reading due to the many options available as well as their affordability and long life. LED lights can also come in yellow or white temperatures depending on your needs. They have adjustable brightness and you can get a flood or spot beam depending on your needs.
Is White Light Better For Your Eyes?
The color of light you use will depend on what you want to do. If you are looking for a light to read, then a yellow light will be better suited if you are looking to read before going to bed.
White light is considered to be cold, intense, and more direct thus keeping you more alert and focused. White light is not necessarily better for your eyes, so long as you are using enough light of course, but if you are looking for a light temperature that will help you stay focused for longer periods of time you are better off going with white light.
Is Cool White or Warm White Better For Eyes?
Warmer temperatures of light will always be more soothing for your eyes. Think of it in this manner: if you stare at a super bright, white, light you will squint, but if you stare at a warmer, less bright light your eyes will more easily handle it.
Whether a light is better for your eyes or not is totally up to you. Light is, at the end of it all, light unless we are speaking of IR (infrared) or UV (Ultra Violet / Black Light), which is used for other purposes. The best thing to do when considering the color of light is to try it out for yourself and see if yellow makes you sleepy and if white keeps you focused.
Are LED lights good for reading?
LED lights are a great option for reading, especially on a budget, because of their low cost of manufacturing and lengthy life span. Not only are LED lights widely available, but they come in so many different colors. When it comes to reading you can purchase a lamp made specifically to clamp onto your book, a headlamp, or even one of those fancy neck lamps that wrap around your neck and light your book spectacularly.
You definitely want to look for an LED that has adjustable brightness levels, possibly different colors if you want to read out doors (red light preserves night vision Click the link to read our post on what the red light is for on a headlamp!), and a comfortable method of lighting your books. If you do not want to risk damaging your books we recommend a neck or head lamp as they will not make any contact with your books.
Are LED Lights Good For Your Eyes?
We all know that UV radiation is bad for your eyes. If you want to choose a light source that emits the least amount of UV rays, you will definitely want to go with some LED bulbs or lights. LEDs are not the cheapest up front, but they will certainly save you money in the long run as they are highly efficient and produce no UV rays.
There is a wide variety of LED bulbs or lights to choose from and the best part is they can be dimmed down easily unlike normal halogen or incandescent warm light bulbs. If you are looking for a lighting option solely based on your eyes’ health, you may want to consider some of the following tips to preserve your priceless vision:
- Get regular eye exams
- Use an e-reader to read books instead of a tablet or phone which can emit lots of blue light
- Use UV protecting sunglasses when outside as much as possible
- Take breaks regularly where you look away from your monitors in order to relieve your eyes
- Use relevant brightness level on your monitors. If your monitors are the only source of light in the room, and they are lighting the whole room, you might want to bring the brightness down a notch, or two, or ten.
Which Light Is Best For Reading?
An LED light, without a doubt, it one of the best solutions available for reading given their wide availability, price, and life span. If you are looking for options you may already have at home, however, you will be better off with a halogen or fluorescent bulb over a traditional incandescent bulb. Halogen and fluorescent bulbs will be brighter which will illuminate your reading space much better and make things easier on your eyes.
As far as LED lamps used for reading, you have a number of popular choices:
- Desk Lamps
- Headlamps
- Neck Lamps
- Clip-on Book lamps
- Headboard lamps
What Wattage Is Best For Reading?
While this is a great question, the answer can be misleading as wattage is no longer an indicator of brightness. In the old days when incandescent light bulbs were the rage, higher wattage meant higher brightness. In today’s energy efficient markets where LED is a big competitor for all other sources of light, wattage is merely an indicator of energy expenditure. The number to look for instead would be lumens.
How Many Lumens For A Reading Lamp?
Lumens are somewhat new to most people when they are on the search for a lighting device. A 40 Watt bulb would equal to about 450 lumens. This is usually the standard comparison for wattage and lumens, but let’s be real no one will want to read with a 1000 lumen light next to them. A decent 500 lumens is a great amount for light bulbs, but the best part of LED lights is the ability for them to dim or brighten, usually via an app, which is why they have become so popular.
If you are going to be reading with the light directly on your book you will definitely want to stay under 500 lumens. If you get a brighter light then you will certainly want a model that can be dimmed for night time reading.
What is the best lighting for reading?
The best light for reading will be an LED lamp. Some of the choices available will be in the form of the clip-on lamp, the bookmark lamp, a neck lamp, or a headboard lamp. Another great option is the end table or nightstand lamp. If you must, you can also opt for a headlamp, but make sure to purchase one with an adjustable hinge and flood beam to avoid neck and eye strain.
If you are reading in a bright room you will want more light. The opposite is true for a darker room. Your eyes want an environment that is evenly lit if they are to remain as rested as possible. When reading, the eyes tend to drift off of the page and if they are constantly adjusting to a much brighter light outside of the book page they will quickly become one tired set of eyes.
What Is The Best Light Color Temperature For Reading?
The color of light is measured in Kelvin to make things even more confusing for someone looking for a simple answer. The degrees K you will most often encounter will range from warm whites (more yellow light) at the mid 2000s Kelvin to the colder whites (more blue light) in the mid 6000s K.
Warmer color will be softer and more cozy feeling so you will want to opt for lights in the 2000s Kelvin spectrum. If you are reading for school or work and have to maintain strict and disciplined focus, you will want a more focused feel by using the higher end of the Kelvin spectrum at the mid 6000s.