Best magnifying glasses sorted by category

Magnifying glasses come in different sizes, shapes and strengths and may have other features such as inbuilt lights or interchangeable heads.

Scroll down to find my picks in each of these categories:

  • Best magnifying glasses with LIGHT (magnify 2x – 20x)
  • Best LARGE magnifying glasses (magnify 2x – 4x)
  • Best SHEET magnifiers (magnify 2x -3x)
  • STRONGEST magnifying glasses (magnify 5x – 20x)

 

Magnifying glasses with light

A lighted magnifier will give you better results than a non-lighted one.

A brighter page alone helps most people with low vision when reading.

When a light is built into the magnifying glass it means you don’t have to worry about physically moving to a brighter location to read or complete your task. Furthermore, even if you were in a bright room, holding the magnifying glass and your hand above reading material as you read blocks the light coming from other sources.

I’d highly recommend spending the extra few dollars to get a magnifying glass with light built in.

Digital magnifiers are the strongest magnifiers and, as they are electronic, they have strong light built into them to light up the viewing material, and even have a bright, lighted screen to enhance the brightness of the display. Click here to learn more about digital magnifiers.

This section lists standard (non-electronic) magnifying glasses with lights. These are typically battery operated, with AA or AAA batteries that need to be replaced from time to time.

 

Lighted magnifier pick   

Fancii Illuminated LED Handheld Magnifying Glass Set

Lighted magnifying glass set with interchangeable headsBuy Fancii illuminated magnifier from AmazonPros

This set comes with the one handle and 3 interchangeable heads. The largest head is 2x strength, the middle size 3.5x strength, and the small head is 10x strength. All three heads are illuminated with LED lights built in. Switch the heads by pressing buttons either side of where the head attaches to the handle to detach one head, then click on another head.

Buying a set is economical, and adaptable as you can use the different heads for different sized print and different tasks.

Available in a black or blue handle. It comes with a money back satisfaction guarantee

Cons

The relatively low levels of magnification in this set means it is mostly suitable for very mild vision loss.

People with arthritis or other physical limitations may find it difficult to switch the heads.

 

Illumizoom Magnifying Glass with LED Light and Interchangeable Heads

Best magnifying glass set of 3 for mild to moderate vision problems

Buy Illumizoom magnifier from AmazonPros

This is similar to the Fancii illuminated set above, but has slightly higher magnification levels. It is suitable for people with relatively mild vision loss.

  • Interchangeable illuminated heads
  • 2.5x, 5x and 16x lenses
  • Use different sizes for different sized print and different tasks
  • Bonus credit card sized magnifier, carry bag and cleaning cloth
  • Requires 3 standard AAA batteries
  • Money back satisfaction guarantee
  • Economic magnifying glass bundle with 3 in 1

 

Pick for moderate vision loss

AboveTEK Handheld 4.2-Inch 20X Magnifying Loupe  

AboveTEK 4.2" magnifying glass with built in lightsBuy Abovetek from AmazonPros

This magnifier is the strongest one available without going to electronic magnification. It provides a strong 20x magnification, and is very bright with 12 LED lights. It requires 2 AA batteries.

The lens itself has a diameter of 4.2″, and the entire device is 8″ in length. It is made of a durable, scratch and shatter resistant acrylic lens.

This is an affordable option for those with moderate vision loss.

Cons

Though the lens is relatively large for magnification of this strength (20x), there may be some distortion of the image around the edges of the lens.

 

Top quality pick for mild vision loss

Eschenbach Mobilux Pocket LED Illuminated Magnifier

Quality rectangular magnifying glass by Eschenbach Buy Eschenbach from AmazonPros

This is a high quality, German made magnifying glass. Eschenbach is the top quality brand of magnifying glasses, often recommended by optometrists. It costs more than most but is the top of the line without going to a digital magnifier.

This model provides 3.5x magnification which is suitable for mild vision loss. It has bright LED light built in.

Users particularly like the rectangular lens and comfortable size which is very lightweight (4.8 ounces). The dimensions are 8.3″ x 3″ x 1.6″

Pros

Higher cost.

 

Top quality pick for moderate vision loss

Eschenbach Mobilux LED 38D 10x 35mm 151110

Quality strong magnifying glass by Eschenbach Buy Eschenbach Mobilux from AmazonPros

This is a high quality, German made magnifying glass. Eschenbach is the top quality brand of magnifying glasses, often recommended by optometrists. It costs more than most but is the top of the line without going to a digital magnifier.

This model provides 10x magnification which is suitable for moderate vision loss. It has bright LED light built in.

Users particularly likethe comfortable size which is very lightweight (3 ounces). The dimensions are 6.5″ x 3″ x 1.5″

Pros

Higher cost.

 

Large magnifying glasses

Most people’s request is to see as much as possible with the magnifier at one time, to minimize having to move the magnifier as you read.

With standard glass or acrylic magnifying glasses, the stronger the level of magnification the smaller the size of the magnifier lens. This is because the glass needs to be cut at a deep curved angle to provide a strong level of magnification.

Therefore large magnifying glasses are suitable for people who only need a small amount of magnification (2x – 4x).

 

Large magnifying glass pick

MagnifyLabs Oversized 5 Inch Magnifying Glass

Circular large magnifying glass for low vision usersBuy MagnifyLabs magnifier from AmazonPros

This very large circular magnifying glass is a good, simple, budget magnifier for someone just starting to use a magnifying glass. The circular lens has a 5″ diameter with 3x magnification.

The product is lightweight for its size at 10.08 ounces and is made of a scratch resistant and shatterproof acrylic lens for durability. It comes with a lifetime warranty and money-back guarantee.

Cons

This magnifier is only suitable for very mild vision loss. It also has no inbuilt lights, which means won’t be as good as lighted magnifiers.

Larger magnifying glasses aren’t as portable as smaller ones, because they are heavier and won’t fit in a pocket.

Rectangular magnifying glass pick

Jumbo Size Magnifying Glass by MagniPros with Wide Horizontal Lens

Rectangular large magnifying glass for the visually impaired

Buy Jumbo magnifiying glass from AmazonPros

Users like the rectangular lens on this product, as it nicely lines up with reading along straight lines. You can change your grip to hold it at different angles for both horizontal and vertical viewing. It is relatively lightweight at 7.2 ounces.

It is an affordable option for someone beginning to use a magnifier, and provides a low 3x level of magnification.

It is durable and has a shockproof and scratch resistant acrylic lens. It also comes with a lifetime warranty and money-back guarantee.

Cons

There are no built in lights. It is too large to put in a pocket.

 

Sheet magnifiers

Sheet magnifiers are popular because they are affordable, convenient, light-weight and cover a large surface area.

Note that they only provide a small increase in magnification, so won’t be enough for people with severe vision impairments.

They may be a good starting point for people who only need a slight increase in the size of text to read.

 

  Sheet magnifier pick     

Chef’s 1st Choice Full Page 3x Magnifier (2 pack)         Best sheet page magnifier for mild vision lossBuy Chefs first choice sheet magnifier from AmazonPros

This full page size (8.5″ x 11″) sheet magnifier provides 3x magnification. Made of durable plastic, it is lightweight and tough. It comes in an affordable 2 pack. It is easy to use because you hold above an A4 page and read with minimal movement required.

Cons

As this only provides 3x magnification it is only suitable for mild vision loss. It is not possible to get a sheet sized magnifier stronger than this unless you get a desktop digital magnifier.

 

Strongest magnifying glasses

Old senior man using Merlin HD desktop electronic magnifierThe STRONGEST low vision magnification is digital magnification. These are also known as digital magnifiers, electronic magnifiers, video magnifiers and low vision cctvs.

These are much stronger even than the best quality magnifying glasses with light, and can have up to 70x magnificaion.

Even better, the viewing display is much bigger than a magnifying glass too. See the page on digital magnifiers to look at the options available under that category.

Strongest optical magnifying glasses

Here, I cover the strongest traditional, non-electronic, magnifying glasses. These are made from glass or acrylic and work by refracting light to make an image appear larger. As explained above, without the aid of electronics, stronger magnification calls for smaller sized lenses because of the way the lens needs to be angled to refract the light.

As magnifying glasses go up in strength, they go down in lens size.

While it is possible to buy stronger magnifiers without inbuilt lights, I would advise against getting one of those.

You will get much better results with a magnifying glass with light built into it. This is because high contrast alone helps most people with low vision. Secondly, holding the magnifying glass and your hand above the reading material as you read blocks the light coming from other sources in the room.

For the strongest glass/acrylic magnifying glasses, look at the section below on magnifying glasses with light, and look for the magnification level you need.

The highest strength magnifying glass, without going to digital magnification, is usually around 20 x magnification. However, most people won’t initially need a magnifier that strong. With many eye conditions, such as macular degeneration, vision deteriorates over time, and people will need to upgrade to stronger magnification as the condition progresses.

For mild levels of vision loss, a magnifier of around 4x could be a good starting point to enable you to read fine print such as magazines and newspapers. The size you need at any particular time will depend on the size of the writing you’re trying to read, so you may need a few different strength magnifying glasses.

 

Best Digital Magnifiers

Portable video magnifier by Humanware displaying colors reversed

 

If you want very strong magnification, or do large amounts of reading, see the page on digital magnifiers to look at the electronic magnification solutions for low vision.