The best reading lamps for seniors and low vision

The published guidance on reading with older eyes comes down to three things, and none of them is a particular brand. You need more light than you used to; the lamp has to be close to the page to deliver it; and it has to be placed so it lights the page rather than your eyes.

The distance point is the one most people miss. Light falls off with the square of distance, so a lamp across the room is working four times harder than the same lamp at half the distance. Prevent Blindness makes exactly this point: double the distance and you need a light four times as strong. Moving a lamp closer is free; buying a brighter one to overcome the distance is not.

Brightech LiteSpan - the pick for a reading chair. 2,000 published lumens from a head that aims down at the chair, dimmable, standing beside the seat so the light can be brought close to the page. Publishing its output is rare for a reading lamp, and 2,000 lumens is the kind of headroom older eyes need.
Cons: one fixed daylight tone - which the Macular Society's advice favors but some readers find cool; and CRI is not published.

OttLite ClearSun - for the truest color on the page. A published CRI of 95+, with height adjustable from 47.5 to 64 inches so it can be set low beside a chair or over a table, and touch controls rather than a switch to hunt for.
Cons: lumen output not published; three brightness steps rather than stepless dimming.

BenQ e-Reading - for reading at a table or desk. CRI 95+ over a wide spread rather than one hot spot, with auto-dimming against the room light. For a reader who works at a table - letters, puzzles, a tablet and paper - it lights the whole surface evenly.
Cons: lumens not published; a large base and arm that need real desk space.

Glocusent clip-on reading light - for reading in bed. CRI 90+ with ten brightness levels, clipping to a headboard or a book so the light is inches from the page. Close placement is the whole advantage here.
Cons: no lumen figure; 3.5W is a reading light only; the clip opens to about 1.6 inches.

For fine print, needlework or medicine labels, a lamp with a built-in lens does something no brighter lamp can - see best magnifying lamps.

Low and to the side. Position the lamp below eye level, beside the chair, with the head angled onto the book. Light that reaches your eyes directly is glare, however good the lamp.

Keep the room lit too. A bright pool on the page in an otherwise dark room is tiring. Leave a background light on - a torchiere or a lamp elsewhere in the room - as the Macular Society advises. The room layer is covered in layered lighting.

Choose matte where you can. Glossy magazines and tablets bounce the lamp straight back. The American Academy of Ophthalmology advises shining the light on the reading material and avoiding reflective surfaces.

Pick one color and keep it. The sources differ on warm-to-neutral versus daylight, so try both - but do not mix them in one room. The scale is explained in the color temperature guide.