Lighting Tip #48 - Desk Lamps

Appropriate task lighting is essential in areas where it is needed the most, such as at an office desk. Whether it is for reading or working on a computer, a desk lamp can reduce eye strain and enhance the ease of the task being done.

  1. Make sure that the head of the light is above your head at a seated position, but not directed toward your eyes - approximately 35” from the ground or higher.
  2. Place the lamp on the opposite side of the hand that you write with to avoid shadows across the desk.
  3. Leave at least 4” of distance from the edge of the desk to the edge of the lamp, to avoid knocking it off.  
  4. Choose a “cool” colored light bulb between 2700k and 4500k to reduce eye strain.

Tip: To choose a high-quality light for this type of task lighting, look for LED with a high CRI rating, which measures how true colors look beneath a light.