Hand Held Magnifying Glass

Low Vision Magnifier

What should you look when selecting a handheld magnifying glass and how do you know which low vision magnifier to choose?

Just like I keep extra reading glasses in my bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, by the computer, etc. - keep a lighted magnifying glass close at hand to help reduce frustration and to make it easier to see and read.

You can buy these inexpensively on line.

Large Magnifying Glass

The larger the power of the magnifier, the smaller is the field of view.

If you are looking for a large magnifying glass that provides a large viewing area, the power that is available will be less than a small magnifying glass.

Usually the highest power that can be used in a hand held magnifying glass is 20x and the field of vision is very small.

If your magnification needs are greater than that or you are wanting a larger viewing field, then you may want to consider a handheld electronic magnifier.

Hand Held Magnifier

√ The Lens Size

The lens size needs to be large enough to see as much as possible and/or small enough to be carry in your pocket or purse. You will see less print the smaller the magnifier, but you will see more clearly. The stronger the magnifier, the smaller the lens.

√ The Magnification

Magnification is the ratio between the apparent size and the true size of the viewed object behind the lens. If an object behind the lens appears ten times larger than its true size, and the object is in focus, the magnification is 10X.

Find out from your eye specialist the recommended magnifying power for you. Do not be tempted to buy stronger magnification than what you need.

When you purchase and use a stronger magnifier, the smaller the lens size and the less wording you will see.

√ Focal length

Focal Length has do to with how far the magnifier needs to be from your eyes and from the object.

The stronger the magnification, the shorter the distance between the magnifier and the object.

However, if you are able to read a book with a 2x hand-held magnifier, the magnifier can be several inches away from the book and your eyes can be several inches away from the 2x hand-held magnifier.

There are two types of lenses:

√ Glass lenses

Glass lenses allow more light to be transmitted through the lens and usually have very clear optical qualities. It is hard, but not impossible, to scratch a glass lens.

√ Acrylic lenses

Acrylic lenses are very lightweight compared to glass lenses. They normally don't break or shatter and are scratch resistant. Many of today's magnifiers are acrylic and have exceptional optical qualities.

Lighted Hand Held Magnifier

The combination of light and magnification often works the best.

My father-in-law who has wet macular degeneration prefers a lighted magnifier to one that does not have any illumination.

And his favorite light for a magnifier is an LED light.MaxiAids carries an assortment of pocket magnifiers. But my father-in-law likes the one that folds up easy and uses AAA batteries. Some lighted magnifiers use the tiny button batteries that he finds too hard to remove and replce.

Handheld Lighted Magnifier

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