I read for an hour every night, and for years I did it under a ceiling light that made my eyes burn by page twenty. Then I bought a proper reading lamp, and the burn went away. Here is what I learned about choosing one, plus the three I would buy again.

The rule: warm and adjustable

Reading lights should be warm, around 2700K to 3000K, and bright enough to light the page without glare. Cool white light, the 5000K daylight stuff, is for task work, not winding down. And the lamp should point where you look, not into your eyes.

Three lamps that earned their spot

• An adjustable LED desk lamp with a gooseneck arm. About 25 dollars. I aim it exactly at the page and the warm setting is easy on my eyes.
• A classic banker’s lamp with a green shade. About 40 dollars. The shade blocks the bulb and throws light down onto the page. It also looks great on a desk.
• A clip on book light. About 15 dollars. This one clips to the book itself for bed reading, and my wife loves that it does not light up the whole room.

What to avoid

Uncovered bulbs glare straight into your eyes, and cheap LED strips flicker, which causes headaches even if you do not notice the flicker. If a lamp gives you a headache in ten minutes, it is flickering. Return it.

Dimming matters

A lamp with stepless dimming lets you match the light to the time of night. Bright for the first chapter, dimmer as you get sleepy. Most good LED lamps in the 25 to 50 dollar range have it built in.

Bottom line on my setup

I keep the gooseneck LED on my desk and the clip light by the bed. Together they cost less than one fancy designer lamp, and my eyes stopped complaining. If you read at night, this is the upgrade that matters.