Magnifiers

Choosing A Magnifier

Choosing A Magnifier Many people purchase a magnifier to assist them with fine or detailed tasks. Most have normal levels of vision, but if you are wanting to purchase a magnifier because of reduced vision, it is essential that you have consulted your Doctor, Optician or Consultant Ophthalmologist (eye doctor). The reason for this, is that you may have an eye condition which requires treatment or that can be improved by the provision of conventional spectacles.

If you have consulted the above and have been informed that your visual condition cannot be further helped, then please enjoy browsing our website, we do offer advice and guidance, but unless we have provided a full clinical evaluation via the Eyes At Home service, we do not accept any liability for any claim arising in connection with this.

About Magnifiers

When the normally clear lens within your eye becomes cloudy and opaque, it is called a cataract. Cataracts vary from small areas of cloudiness to large opaque areas that cause a noticeable loss of vision. Cataracts are most often found in persons over the age of 60, but they are also occasionally found in younger people, including newborns.

No one knows exactly what causes cataracts. It is known that a chemical change occurs within your eye that causes the lens to become cloudy. This may be due to advancing age or it may be the result of heredity, an injury or a disease. Excessive exposures to ultraviolet radiation, cigarette smoking or the use of certain medications are also risk factors for the development of cataracts. Cataracts usually develop in both eyes, but often at different rates.

Currently, there is no proven method to prevent cataracts from forming. Wearing sunglasses can protect your lens from harmful UV rays. A diet rich in antioxidants (such as Vitamins A, C, E, Zinc Selenium & Magnesium) is seemingly also beneficial.

Cataracts develop without pain or redness, some indications that a cataract may be forming include blurred or hazy vision, the appearance of spots in front of the eyes, or the feeling of having a film over the eyes. Increased sensitivity to glare, especially at night may be experienced.

In the early stages of a cataract, where vision is only minimally affected, your optometrist can prescribe new lenses for your glasses to give you the sharpest vision possible. When the cataracts start to interfere with your daily activities and glasses cannot improve this vision, your optometrist will refer you to an eye surgeon who may recommend the surgical removal of the cataracts.

About Magnifiers

There are many types of magnifier (Low Vision Aid) and it can be very difficult to choose which will most suit your requirements, we therefore offer some guidelines and basic information.

A large magnifier is not powerful, the power of a lens governs it's size, the greater the magnification power the smaller the lens becomes!
It is impossible to make a high powered magnifier which covers a large area.
The stronger a magnifier is, the closer you will need to position it to the object in view and consequently to your eye!

Suitable magnifiers can help to maintain independence.
If you are able to make out the headlines on Newspapers then a magnifier will probably be of help in most reading tasks.
It is not easy to use a high powered magnifier, they enlarge the viewed object, but only provide a small field of view ie: you can only see a few letters at a time.
You will need to be motivated to succeed, keep trying it does get easier!

You cannot harm your eyes by using a magnifier.

Types of Magnifier:

In general there are 8 main types of magnifier (Low Vision Aid)

  1. Hand Magnifiers.
  2. Stand Magnifiers
  3. Illuminated Magnifiers
  4. Bar Magnifiers
  5. Dome & Brightfield Magnifiers
  6. Spectacle Mounted
  7. Telescopic
  8. Industrial / Scientific Bench and Hobby Magnifiers
  9. Electronic magnifiers

All of the above are available in various shapes, sizes and magnification power.

Hand Magnifiers

Available in powers from 1x magnification to 12.5x magnification.
They are generally easy to use but require a steady hand and have to be held at a continuous distance from the viewed object. They are also available in small pocket versions which are easy to carry around and can be used when shopping, map reading etc. These are used when wearing your distance glasses or without spectacles if these have not been prescribed.
Remember, the higher the power of magnification, the closer you will have to hold the magnifier to your eye and the closer the print will need to be to the magnifier.

Stand Magnifiers

Stand magnifiers are available in powers from 1.7x to 20x magnification, these have the advantage of having built-in legs which enable the user to maintain the correct focal length at all times. It is also possible to write underneath the lower powered varieties.
Many of the stand magnifiers are also available as illuminated versions eg: Eschenbach System Vario or Coil Raylite Series.
Generally these type of magnifiers should be used whilst wearing any reading glasses you have been issued.

Illuminated Magnifiers

Both hand and stand magnifiers are available in illuminated versions, illumination is helpful in most cases especially when using high powered aids, as the necessary close working distance often results in your head casting a shadow on the page.
There are both battery and mains versions available, the most recent addition to these ranges, are the LED illuminated versions, these are battery powered but provide a more white light with the added advantage of never having to replace bulbs and a longer battery life.
The new AT8 Range of Rechareable illuminated magnifier avoids the need to constantly change batteries and might be worthy of consideration

Bar Magnifiers

Bar Magnifiers are lenses which lie flat on a page and magnify one line of text, whilst the concept appears useful, these are only available in relatively low powers (3x max) and can be susceptible to reflections and distortions.
Some versions are also available with a guide line incorporated, this can make location and therefore reading somewhat easier eg: Eschenbach 2606.

Dome & Brightfield Magnifiers

These are magnifiers which rest flat on the page and have the appearance of a paperweight. They are always in focus and have the ability to harness the surrounding light. This type of magnifier is especially beneficial to those who are short sighted who often find other types of magnifier difficult to use.
Coil has recently developed a range of these magnifiers which have special "shaded" sections, designed to alleviate pattern glare and therefore help those with Dyslexia and other associated reading problems. This type of magnifier is only available in relatively low powers (max 3x).

Spectacle Mounted

This type of aid can be incorporated into a spectacle frame but generally necessitate holding things very close. More popular and easy to use are aids which clip onto existing spectacles and can be used on one or both eyes. The maximum power available for binocular use is 3x magnification and 7x for monocular use.
There are also magnifying glasses available for near and intermediate distance (TV Viewing) these consist of two sets of lenses of which the space between the two can be adjusted, to increase the magnification up to a maximum of 2x magnification (Coil 4090 & 4090/02).

In many cases, TV viewing can be assisted by the use of a TV magnifier, this large magnifier fits in front of the television screen and magnifies the screen (MAGNASCREEN).

Telescopic Aids

These can be spectacle mounted or as is more popular hand held.
Whilst this type of aid can be used for near vision, they usually require specialist prescription and fitting. The hand held versions are generally used to aid distance vision, to view bus numbers, street signs etc and can be a useful mobility aid. Some of these aids do have the ability to focus for near as well. Using a Monocular (hand held telescope) successfully requires much practice and perseverance but can become an invaluable aid. (see using a monocular)

Bench & Hobby Magnifiers

These are usually large magnifiers and therefore low powered, which are mounted on moveable fittings. Many can be clamped to desk or table tops and some are also available on heavy bases. Many in this range are also illuminated which makes then ideal for fine work tasks such as electronics and needlecraft.

Electronic magnifiers

Electonic Aids. These include hand held devices, magnifying software for computers, electronic reading devices And Low vision CCTV amongst others.


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