The Mattingly Line of Magnifiers Are the Brightest on the Market!

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness Magnifier Brightness Study:

"The illuminated stand magnifiers with the highest reflective illuminance for all types of text and at all almost all distances were the Mattingly LED Advantage brand…"

The Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, the premier international, interdisciplinary journal of record on blindness and visual impairment, published an independent study in April, 2010, which compared the Mattingly LED Advantage (now in its second generation and called the SMARTMag) magnifiers and the other major brands of LED magnifiers. The study is "Contrast Sensitivity Function Scores, Choices of Illuminated Stand Magnifiers, and Reading" by Bryan Gerritsen, and can be obtained by request through jvib@afb.net.

As a summary, regarding stand magnifiers the study shows: "The illuminated stand magnifiers with the highest reflective illuminance for all types of text and at all almost all distances were the LED Advantage brand with the 8-millimeter handle."

"Christiansen and Gerritsen (2006, 2007) reported a strong correlation between a person’s score on a test of contrast sensitivity function and his or her preferences for illumination with a low vision device for reading. For instance, persons with low scores, such as 25% or 10% on a test of contrast sensitivity function (such as the LEA test), manifested a strong preference for low vision devices with very bright illumination."

"Because of the correlation between poor scores for contrast sensitivity function and individuals’ preferences for illuminated stand magnifiers or CCTVs with the brightest illumination, the quest of professionals is to help individuals find the devices with the highest illumination. This study sought to measure objectively the reflectance illumination of the most common illuminated stand magnifiers…"

"The major brands of illuminated stand magnifiers that I measured included LED Advantage, with 8-millimeter and 5-millimeter LED handles; Coil xenon plug-in and LED battery handles; Eschenbach halogen plug-in (with nonrheostat) and LED battery handles; a PowerMag SMD (surface-mounted diode) LED handle; and the Schweizer Kryptostar rechargeable."

American Foundation for the Blind Magnifier Brightness Study:

The American Foundation for the Blind conducted an independent study which compared the Mattingly LED Advantage (now in its second generation and called the SMARTMag®) magnifiers and a competitors brand. The study published in May, 2010 is "Lighting Up Your World: A Closer Look at Illuminated Magnifiers, Part 2" by Morgan Blubaugh, Lee Huffman, and William Reuschel and can also be seen at www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw110205.

As a summary, regarding hand-held magnifiers the study shows: Across its entire line of magnifiers, Mattingly offers noticeably higher illumination over the competitor. The Mattingly magnifiers range from 7 to 79 percent brighter than the competitors brand.  The study also pointed out that the brightness of the Mattingly magnifiers lead to shorter battery life.  Shorter battery life is a trade off for increased brightness. 

And with regards to the stand magnifiers the study cites: Among the stand magnifiers, again, we found the LED Advantage line provides significantly more illumination the competitor. The Mattingly stand magnifiers are 10 to 200 percent brighter than the competitors brand.  The study again pointed out that the brightness of the Mattingly magnifiers lead to shorter battery life.  Shorter battery life is a trade off for increased brightness. 

Lighting can be as important for reading as magnification. For low vision users, often the brighter the LED is, the better they may read. This is particular true if they have poor contrast sensitivity.