Most of us have to deal with print that is too small to read with the unaided eye. A frequent question we get is “How strong a magnifying glass do I need” for books, prescription bottles, or assembly instructions? A common misconception is that a 10X magnifier is the minimum magnification for these otherwise routine tasks. For most people, a simple, inexpensive handheld magnifying glass may be all you need.
What Can’t I Read?
If you can make out words in the first paragraph of the eye chart, the weak hand magnifier, 2.5X, should be enough.
If you struggle to read the bottom paragraph of the chart below, you’ll need a stronger magnifier, 3.25X should be enough.
See our magnifier page for products that will help.
This is a typical eye chart your optometrist will show you for reading needs. If you can read the top paragraph you need little if any help. If you can only read the bottom one, read the recommendations in the next paragraph.
So What Magnification Do I Need?
The macula is the part of your retina with the highest density of cone cells. It sees what is directly in front of you and offers the greatest detail that you need for reading. Your peripheral vision is outside the macula, uses rod cells, and detects motion, like a baseball that’s about to hit you.
Think of magnification in terms of how much area your macula is using to see something. A 2X magnifier expands a word so that it uses twice the area, i.e. twice as many cone cells. This might not seem like much but it should make most or all of the paragraphs above comfortably readable.
The largest (4″/100mm) magnifier in the picture above magnifies the least but it means you can scan a larger area like a map & see more adjacent streets or words without moving the magnifier. The smallest hand magnifier (2″ 50mm) should be enough for most fine print. [Note: We no longer supply the metal rim 75mm magnifier but offer a plastic rim version instead.
Still Can’t See?
We offer 4 different plastic body, glass lens folding pocket magnifiers. They start at 5X & go up to 15X & can useful for very small print.
Comparison of Plastic Body Folding Loupes
| Model | Magnification | Lens Diameter | Best For | Eye Chart Clarity* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5X Keychain Loupe | 5X | 30mm | Everyday carry, quick label checks | Down to ~1.5mm text |
| Dual 5X Lens Loupe | 10X | 30mm | Hobby details, coin inspection | Down to ~0.75mm text |
| Triple 5X Lens Loupe | 15X | 30mm | Fine fossil details, stamp flaws | Down to ~0.5mm text |
| Fixed Dual Lens Loupe | 10X | 50mm | Large field of view, promotional use | Down to ~0.75mm text |
*Based on test chart; some smaller text sizes may not be listed on the left column but can still be resolved with higher magnification loupes.
If you have some form of eye disease like macular degeneration, we have a 2-magnifier combo for this.
Or, if you want to see really small stuff, a geology loupe & cell phone together can give you 25X or more magnification.
The scrolling required to get anywhere with this is just too tricky.
You don’t even provide any guide as to common levels of magnification for typical levels of eyesight deterioration.
Made worse by the fact that many hand held, low cost magnifiers, (one for every room in the house) are rated at x3 or x5 but clearly barely increase text size by 50% & then only when held in what might be regarded as extreme positions.
You must be viewing on a phone. Scrolling on a desktop seems easy enough.
Eyesight deterioration can be caused by simple aging to macular degeneration to cataracts, etc. The intent wasn’t to address all of these but mainly simple aging which doesn’t always need a lot of magnification.
Thanks for the feedback though. Might be time for a rewrite.
I’m that senior who can no longer read the ‘shrinking’ letters on different materials. I have one with a light, but feel I should now look into obtaining a stronger one (with light). Too much for me to understand. I do know that a larger magnifying glass provides lesser strength, but the one I have now has a vision field a bit less than 2 x 2 with a stronger circle at the bottom. I don’t recall the power, nor is it shown anywhere on the unit. It actually seems ok, but I have to squint for the best results.… Read more »
A light is useful only if you are in a darkened room. Otherwise, bright ambient light is probably better.
There are a few options. We have a bundle of 3 different hand magnifiers. Or just try the smallest one; the 50mm (2″) might be stronger than the one you have.
Another option could be a folding magnifier, http://www.indigoinstruments.com/magnifiers/geology_loupes/10X-loupe-folding-magnifier-23201-5.html. This also has a 2″ diameter lens but is 10X magnification. It should enlarge just about anything you would encounter.