Magnifying Glasses

Magnifying Glasses

Magnifying glasses are useful both for everyday life and for certain professions. A magnifying glass is a convex converging lens. If an object is within the focal length of the magnifying glass, an upright image will be created. Magnifying glasses with smaller magnification are used for reading. Reading aids normally have between 2 and 5 times magnification.

Magnifying glasses for reading

Bar magnifiers and dome magnifiers

Bar magnifiers and dome shaped magnifiers can both be placed directly on the reading material. The distance between the reading material and the magnifier is fixed, ensuring that the image is always sharp.

Classic magnifying glasses for reading

Magnifying glasses for reading have a large field of vision and thanks to the large lens diameter they are both common and popular. The large field of vision means that the user can vary the distance between their face and the magnifying glass when the distance between the magnifying glass and the reading material is kept the same. If there is a large enough distance between the eyes and the magnifying glass, it’s even possible to get a three dimensional image. Magnifying glasses for reading with a light or magnifying glasses with a spacer to ensure the correct distance are very useful and make reading even easier.

Loupes for those tiny details

Loupes with a high power of magnification are used in areas such as the jewellery and watch industry; the loupe is used for checking, measuring or seeing features of a product which aren’t visible to the naked eye. The very small size of a loupe means that it needs a completely different approach to viewing the object compared to a magnifying glass for reading. When using a loupe, the distance between the magnifying lens and the object is fixed. When looking through the magnifying glass, the distance between the magnifier and the eye must be as small as possible so as to allow the widest possible field of vision.

A standard kind of loupe is the folding magnifier - these are also available with multiple magnifying lenses. This kind of loupe comes with two or three magnifying lenses which can be clipped over each other to increase the magnification of the individual lenses. For example, if one magnifying lens provides 10 times magnification and the other provides 6 times magnification, by placing one of the top of the other the total will be 16 times magnification. Using this kind of loupe takes practice. This is because most people aren’t used to putting both the magnifying glass and the object they want to see directly in front of the eye.

A list of types of magnifying glasses and reading aids

• Dome magnifiers
• Bar magnifiers
• Magnifying glasses for reading
• Full sheet or credit card sized magnifier (Fresnel lens)
• Hands free magnifying glass

Magnifying glasses or loupes used to see the tiniest details

• Watchmaker's loupe
• Linen tester
• Folding magnifier
• Magnifying spectacles