Forum Topic

Macular Degeneration....strong bright reading light required

Hi All! My Mother-in-Law (95) has been diagnosed with MD which is not treatable. She is already using magnifying glasses and her specs prescription has been increased but she still finds it almost impossible to read and equally difficult to write. Apparently a strong bright reading light will assist her to read. I’m trying to find a suitable table and floor lights which are stronger than the LED lights I’ve previously sourced. I’ve read about Serious Readers lights but these are hideously expensive and before I’m committed to taking out a mortgage to buy these I wondered if anyone can recommend an alternative brand which is reasonably priced. Thank you

Joy Griffiths ● 2374d21 Comments

I have Serious Readers lights and they are brilliant. I also have this LifeMax light and it's ugly but very bright and much cheaperhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004OWUQLS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Rie Jewson ● 2374d

Thank you for your suggestion Rie. Would you say that the Serious Reader Light is much better than the Amazon light in terms of its functionality. I’m afraid it’s aesthetics are not my first priority. Would you mind telling me how long you’ve had yours for and also how long is the cable from the base to the plug please. Thank you again!

Joy Griffiths ● 2374d

Hi Joy.My grandmother had something similar to the below and took it with her everywhere.  Couldn't get by without it.There are a number of other options on the RNIB shop site so well worth taking a look there.

Catherine Steele ● 2374d

Joy, I've sent you a PM.

Richard Jennings ● 2374d

My wife had a magnifying mouse which when run over print allowed her to both magnify font size and enhance print/ background using a computer screen.

Jeffrey Cope ● 2374d

We found the Macular Society useful.https://www.macularsociety.org/skills-seeingDespite other gadgets the magnifier with a light was the favourite and the batteries had to be changed long before they were spent.  They should by now have something that you can charge like a mobile phone.  Also had a anglepoise type desk light by the Daylight Company.https://daylightcompany.com/magnifying-lights-and-lamps/It's very difficult to tell without trying them out.Just in case this is of any help.We had a lot of tried but discarded items.  :(https://daylightcompany.com/magnifying-lights-and-lamps/

Philippa Bond ● 2374d

This is also  company that we came across when looking for more magnification without the problem of changing batteries all the time.http://www.optimalowvision.co.uk/about.cfm

Philippa Bond ● 2374d

Thank you all for your suggestions which had given me plenty to think about. I must also say a big thank you to Penny at Chiswick Lighting on Devonshire Road who spent quite a long time explaining flux lumens and lumens to me along with some other relevant technical bits ands about light colour etc. As usual a great help from you all in W4... thank you!

Joy Griffiths ● 2374d

Try daylightcompany.com. I have severe sight loss and am registered blind. I was issued with one of these table lamps early on and find it invaluable.I only ever write with a black felt pen on white paper and then only when it is essential to do so.Hope this helps. MD varies quite a lot and depends where the residual vision is. Be aware of Charles Bonnet syndrome too in case anyone thinks she's losing it. It is quite common with sight loss.

Katrina Black ● 2374d

The SR light is very focused (narrow sphere of projection) which is good for not disturbing people in the same bed and also, probably as a result, I think the light reaches a longer distance so you have more flexibility on where you put the light. The head of the light does get very hot (it's a halogen bulb) so you'd have to be careful - you have to use the floor switch. The Lifemax illuminates a wider area so you need it closer to your hands/book to get the full effect of the light (that's why I got a desk top version, not the floor light version), but I think it's better for e.g. craft work where you need a slightly wider area illuminated. Also fluorescent light bulb so doesn't get very hot. I can't really see much difference in terms of brightness between the two, as long as you hold your book directly under the Lifemax. Cable for Lifemax is 66.5 inches long. I've had both of the lights for something like 8 or 9 years now.

Rie Jewson ● 2374d

I'm pretty sure that I have seen second hand magnifiers (the type that cost over £1,000 new) in the Macular Society magazine.  It may be worth contacting them.If your mother was in the Services then you may be able to get further help from Blind Veterans UK.Katrina you do very well using the computer.  My FIL was in his late 90s when we were struggling with the equipment that he had been using for quite a while.  There is no way he would have managed a computer!  It is difficult learning new machinery as you get older when you can't read any instructions.  We tried hard to get them to use a mobile phone but they never learnt how to and then when he was going into a home for a couple of weeks asked about it again so that we could stay in direct contact but it was by then too late for him to learn.  I'm sure that he just did not expect to live as long as he did.

Philippa Bond ● 2373d

Phillipa I have a small slit of relatively clear vision in one eye the rest is a blur and constantly moving. I use the computer for short periods and at the highest font. Enlarging screens are available but expensive if not working and I no longer can. Phones are available via the RNIB site. I had one for a while but they are expensive. Hand held magnifying glasses with an inbuilt torch are available but the folding daylight table lamps are the most useful. Good light always helps. This info might help someone else.

Katrina Black ● 2373d

For Philippa - sorry I do continually mistype your name!

Katrina Black ● 2373d

Thank you to both Katrina and Philippa for your added suggestions and also to Richard Jennings who has, as always, been extremely kind and supportive. My MIL was in fact in the Land Army....a true Land Girl so there may be an additional avenue to explore. She is, thankfully, still fiercely independent, mobile and capable of doing most things herself. She cooks her lunch and dinner beautifully every day from scratch. Does all her own washing, ironing, shopping (since lockdown shes not able to use the community car service for her weekly supermarket shop) so her cleaning lady does that and she insists on walking into the village for her little bits and bob ‘top up shops. Bless her, she’s broken a 40+ year weekly home visit hairdresser habit, and under duress is washing and setting her own hair. At 95 she’s beyond remarkable and our regular FaceTime calls are hilarious with her regaling to me her escapades. Her failing hearing irritates her enormously but her diminishing eyesight is proving of particular concern hence my efforts to help reduce the affect with stronger/brighter lighting....I’ve ordered online one of the recommended lights which hopefully will make things easier until I’m able to get to visit her. She’s still click clacking away with her charity knitting of children’s jumpers...I’ll be asking for more wool donations soon which hopefully I’ll be able to collect then post to her (along with another supply of Lemon Drizzle cake!). I very much thank you all and she does too. You are collectively known and described by her as ‘that Chiswick thing you ask questions where my wool comes from’.... Thank you!

Joy Griffiths ● 2373d

I posted this earlier, not sure if you have seen it. The SR light is very focused (narrow sphere of projection) which is good for not disturbing people in the same bed and also, probably as a result, I think the light reaches a longer distance so you have more flexibility on where you put the light. The head of the light does get very hot (it's a halogen bulb) so you'd have to be careful - you have to use the floor switch. The Lifemax illuminates a wider area so you need it closer to your hands/book to get the full effect of the light (that's why I got a desk top version, not the floor light version), but I think it's better for e.g. craft work where you need a slightly wider area illuminated. Also fluorescent light bulb so doesn't get very hot. I can't really see much difference in terms of brightness between the two, as long as you hold your book directly under the Lifemax. Cable for Lifemax is 66.5 inches long. I've had both of the lights for something like 8 or 9 years now.

Rie Jewson ● 2372d

Thank you again Rie. I had indeed missed your earlier post with this very useful information. Thank you for reposting and for all the info... I’m learning a lot about lighting that’s for sure! Thank you

Joy Griffiths ● 2372d

Have you considered nudging her towards a backlit Kindle? It would also enable her to have the typeface as large as she chooses.

Susan Kelly ● 2372d

Great that your MIL is managing a smartphone and using Facetime.  They are great for taking photos/showing you what she is having trouble reading etc. We are always using Facetime to show problems fixing or adjusting computers or plumbing or thermostats etc.  These are good for expanding the size of the text..Re the Kindle Susan mentions there was a really good thread started by Jill Merrett recently.

Philippa Bond ● 2371d

Hi Susan and Philippa.... her iPad is used absolutely only for FaceTime and she only learnt how to use it under duress as she was desperate to keep in touch with her great grandchildren in Australia....and, on the back of that, with me and my son on occasion; usually when she’s frightened it’s not working and thinks I can fix it from London. I’ve tried to encourage her to use it for other things but she’s fearful she’ll mess it up, press the wrong thing and loose the FaceTime icon which would cause a major panic. Periodic system upgrades which inevitably change her homepage layout create a huge upset for her. It’s such a shame she’s so far away otherwise I could spend the necessary time over weeks to help her learn other functions but that’s not feasible...  She really wants to read her newspaper in paper format and do her crossword but at the moment that’s impossible...fingers crossed a new stronger, brighter light will help, at least in the short term. Thank you both for your suggestions.

Joy Griffiths ● 2371d

Joy, when my husband was sent home from hospital to die five years ago, his eyesight was completely messed up. A Kindle with a backlight enabled him to keep reading for the few weeks he had left, with enormous typeface. They're really easy to use. A separate device would mean she wasn't afraid of losing her iPad functions.

Susan Kelly ● 2371d

Thank you Susan.....and I’m sorry that you lost your husband. I’ll look into a Kindle for her, maybe I’ll borrow one for when I’m next able to visit, to ‘tempt’ her. I’ll certainly look into what can be loaded onto it. Thank you again.

Joy Griffiths ● 2371d