Good eyesight starts with light {Review and giveaway of 3M LED5000 Polarizing Task Light}

There is a part of my body that I am pretty proud of. You honestly won't guess it. It's the eyes. Oh yeah, they may be small but they have been kind to me by scoring a visual acuity of 6/6 for the vast majority of my life. Yes, I said majority. While I can't assure they are still the same now, at least I do not have to make friends with glasses or contact lenses at the age of 31.

Seeing how inconvenient, distressing and costly it can get once you become myopic, one of my biggest wishes for my children is that they can maintain good vision and learn to take care of their eyes. Recently, the husband contracted a case of corneal ulcer as a result of infection due to prolonged wear of lens and had to go for frequent checkups at the specialist clinic. Combined with the fact that Angel is getting ready for primary school, the global prevalence of smart devices and the undeniable truth that Singapore has one of the world's highest myopia rates, all of these just sounded the alarm bells and made me determined to take bigger steps in working towards good eyesight for my kids.    

Here are some eye care tips that many of us may know of but it is always good to recap them. Other than bearing them in mind, we have to make sure we put them into practice especially for our little ones.

It's not hard to realise that one of the key factors in ensuring good eyesight is light. According to a survey done by 3M Singapore through random sampling of 300 male and female respondents aged 25-55 years old, findings show that 71% of these respondents felt that the room lighting alone is sufficient for reading, 55% do not know the difference between LED and florescent lamps and 51% are unaware about the physiological effects of excessive light glare.

I will be the first to admit that while I never did feel that room lighting is adequate for the kids to read and write, I also never made the effort to get a proper lamp for them or myself. Until now. And you bet I wish I had done that earlier because yes, a good task lamp makes the world of a difference.

At the launch event of 3M LED5000 Polarizing Task Light, my world was instantly lit up when I learnt about light and brightness. Did you know? Brightness levels are measured in illuminance (lux), not watts which measure power consumption levels. Depending on the intensity and nature of the work, different lux levels will be required. For instance, studying requires a minimum of 800 lux while watching TV needs only 150 lux.

Image source: 3M

Another sad but true fact is that glare susceptibility increases with age, so the older we get, the less our eyes will be able to withstand glare. That essentially means that a 40-year-old blogger will require twice as much light as a 20-year-old blogger to accomplish the same writing task. *did you just hear me gasp?*

Through a simple quiz where you choose your preferred brightness levels when writing, reading and using a mobile device, we discovered our lighting profile and both Angel and I fall into the "Wanderer of the Shadows" category. This means that while we are not too fond of darkness, we do not like things to be overly bright either.

Last but not least, we also learnt that LED lamps are energy-saving, lasting and eco-friendly. Unlike traditional fluorescent lights, LED lights do not use mercury, minimise UV rays and provide a steady source of light that does not flicker.

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Introducing the all-new 3M LED5000 Polarizing Task Light

Image source: 3M

Here's showing you the features of our new LED5000 and why we are simply so in love with it.

- Modern and Stylish
Sleek and streamlined design with a textured finish

- 5 levels of brightness (90-880 Lux)
Adjustable through a simple touch sensor panel

- Hassle-free
No assembly required

- Energy and cost saving
The LED light lasts for up to 40,000 hours and while a fluorescent lamp uses 30Watts or more, 3M LED Polarizing Task Lights use 1.3– 12Watts

- Portable and Lightweight
At 0.8kg, it is the lightest of the 3M LED Polarizing Task Light series

- Space Saving
Has a clamp feature and can be completely retracted
 
- Compact base
Has anti-skid pads to stay in place

- Electromagnetic Interference Test (EMI) Certified
Prevents disruptions to other devices such as smartphones when in use

In addition to the beautiful exterior and chic design, it is also worthwhile to know about the technology in this lamp that makes it superior. Over the years, 3M has been continuously improving the technology and design of their lamps to provide better reading comfort. One of the key factors to their success is a technology unique to the company: the 3M Polarizing Filter Technology.

The LED5000 is fitted with 3M’s Polarizing Filter Technology, which consists of a 3M proprietary optical film to reduce glare by up to 80%. While most other lamps allow normal light rays comprising both comfortable and harmful light to enter, the 3M polarizing optical film only filters comfortable light through; at the same time, it converts the harmful rays into optimal lighting as well. As such, only optimal light reaches your eyes, minimizing eye strain and allowing for longer hours of comfortable reading.

Image source: 3M

There, so this is how my blogging corner looks like now. Personally, I love the sleek white and minimalistic design of the LED5000; it doesn't even take up much space but it sure makes its presence felt. It may be too early for me to say but I'm hoping I will never have to buy a pair of glasses until *touches wood* I suffer from presbyopia (老花眼) one day.

Far more importantly, it feels good knowing that the coming to 5-year-old and 2-year-old kiddos, who still have a long way to go in life, now have an awesome lighting buddy with them whenever they read, study, draw or write. A light that has no harmful rays, reduces glare, protects eyes, saves costs, does not heat up and is safe for children to use - Perfect.

While all of us hope for good eyesight, I think it is fair to say that every home needs a good task light. Do you have one in your house already?

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If you don't, well, here's a chance for you to win for yourself a sleek white 3M LED5000 Polarizing Task Light too!

To participate, leave a blog comment below with your name, email address and tell me your favourite feature of the LED5000. Remember to click on the Rafflecopter widget to indicate that you have commented and to increase your chances of winning, you can follow the rest of the options.

The winner will be contacted by email and will have to respond within 72 hours or a new winner will be picked. This giveaway is open to readers residing in Singapore only and the prize will have to be self-collected from 3M's office located at 1 Yishun Avenue 7, Singapore 768923.

All the best, everybody!

a Rafflecopter giveaway The 3M LED5000 Polarizing Task Light is now available in two colours - Sleek White and Jet Black, retails at $239 (w/GST) and is available at Best Denki, Popular Bookstores and other leading retailers. For promotions and more information, visit their website or FB page.

Disclosure: We were invited to the launch event of the 3M Polarizing Task Light LED5000 and received a sleek white lamp as shown in the pictures for review purposes. All opinions are our own.