Our Rating
Summary:
4.3
Sometimes using a 10,000-lux therapy lamp isn’t the right option. It’s the recommended light level for many cases of seasonal affective disorder, but isn’t always the correct solution. That’s why the 5,000-lux Verilux HappyLight Liberty Personal Light Therapy Lamp is a good option to consider. The lower brightness levels can be less bothersome, while it’s higher levels of portability allow you to take this lamp almost anywhere.
It’s a compact light source that weighs just 1.5 pounds. Put it on your desk, next to your bed, or even on your couch so you can use it while you watch TV.
Key Features of the Verilux HappyLight
This is one highly durable product that has been built to withstand the rigors of portability. It can withstand a drop from up to 1 meter with consistency in our trials and features a UV-filtered output so that it can be used on a daily basis and for extended use. It doesn’t overheat like other therapy lamps tend to do, so it can be used in small spaces. In return, you can receive the circadian rhythm balancing that your doctor may be recommending.
Here are some of the other features to consider when looking at the Verlilux HappyLight.
- It has been manufactured with Optix lenses, which allows the therapy lamp to reduce the amount of glare that is produced. This creates less eye fatigue compared to other therapy lamps.
- Flicker elimination technologies have been included with this lamp as well, which reduces discomfort and fatigue even further. It also makes light therapy an option for people who may have challenging health needs.
- It offers a 6-foot polarized two-prong cord so that it will work with most standard outlets.
In order to receive the full 5,000-lux, users will need to position the light about 8 to 10 inches away from their face. This makes it an effective product, but it can be difficult to complete tasks with this proximity need.
Our Observations of the Verilux HappyLight
If you’ve been diagnosed with a seasonal affective disorder and your symptoms are severe, this lamp may struggle to meet your needs. It is bright and effective, but the reduced lux and size can make therapy sessions stretch out to nearly 2 hours for some people.
The reality of using this bright light therapy product is that you’ll likely receive 2,500-lux instead of the maximum 5,000-lux that can be produced.
There is no timer available on this product either. If you forget to turn it off after a session, the lifespan of the included bulbs will be reduced. Heat isn’t an issue with this lamp, but older bulbs do have an increased chance of producing a flicker.
Our Grade for the Verilux HappyLight Liberty Personal Light Therapy Lamp: B
This is a light therapy option for perhaps a mild case of SAD, but not much more. It is extremely portable and can produce results, especially with the anti-glare technologies, but it also requires extremely close proximities to do so. This makes it a useful therapy option for people with specific needs, though for generalized therapies, this lamp may struggle to keep up with you.
