The Edit — Health & Wellness
10,000 Lux at What Distance? Light Boxes Explained
Lux measures the light landing on your face, not the light leaving the lamp, so a 10,000 lux claim means nothing without a distance. What the number is, how fast it falls away, and how close to sit.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page reads Mayo Clinic’s light box guidance, the physics of the lux, and what 4 makers state about their lamps, as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled, tested or measured.
Circadian Optics Lumos 10,000 Lux Light Therapy Lamp
Good fit Pointing the light straight at a seated face
Not for Working distance: not on the listing
Verilux HappyLight Lucent Light Therapy Lamp
Good fit A fixed spot at the same distance every day
Not for No dimmer to soften a close seat
Verilux HappyLight Luxe Light Therapy Lamp
Good fit A wall spot that fixes the distance for good
Not for Working distance: not given
Good fit A narrow counter or a bedside table
Not for Small panel: expect to sit close
Lux measures the light reaching your face, not the lamp
A lux is 1 lumen of light spread over 1 square metre of surface. Lumens describe what a lamp gives out; lux describes what lands on whatever it is pointed at. So a light box has no single lux figure. It has a lux figure at a given distance, and the honest version of the claim reads “10,000 lux at 12 inches”, or whatever the maker measured.
Twice the distance can mean a quarter of the light
Light from a small source spreads over a sphere, and a sphere’s area grows with the square of its radius. The inverse-square law follows: an object twice as far from a point source receives a quarter of the light. A small panel behaves close to that. A large panel is not a point source and loses light more gently up close, which is why makers of big boxes claim a longer working distance. Treat the law as the direction of travel, not a formula for a broad panel.
| Distance from a small source | Share of the light |
|---|---|
| 1 unit, say 12 in | All of it |
| 1.5 units, 18 in | About 44% |
| 2 units, 24 in | 25% |
| 3 units, 36 in | About 11% |
Mayo Clinic’s range is 16 to 24 inches, and the maker’s figure wins
Mayo Clinic’s typical recommendation is 16 to 24 inches from the face, for about 20 to 30 minutes within the first hour of waking, eyes open but not looking straight at the light. It adds a qualifier that matters here: follow the maker’s instructions about distance. Mayo also notes that a brighter box needs less time each day than a dimmer one for the same effect, which is the inverse-square law turned into a schedule.
The Lumos turns its panel to meet you
The Circadian Optics Lumos panel rotates 270° and stands 21 inches tall in use, so it can face a seated person straight on rather than glancing off the chin. Its listing gives 10,000 lux at 5500K and 3 brightness levels, but no working distance. A lamp that aims well is the next best thing to a stated distance, because the light arrives where it is measured.
Circadian Optics Lumos 10,000 Lux Light Therapy Lamp
A 10,000 lux panel that rotates 270° on a weighted base and stands 21 inches tall in use.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Light | 10,000 lux, 5500K |
|---|---|
| Adjustment | 270° rotating panel |
| Warranty | 4-year replacement |
A panel that angles to meet a seated face, with a 4-year warranty.
Buy it if
- Pointing the light straight at a seated face
Don't buy it if
- Working distance: not on the listing
Verilux’s Lucent and Luxe reward a fixed spot
The Verilux HappyLight Lucent has one button and no dimmer, so the distance is the only control a user has. The HappyLight Luxe adds 4 brightness levels, a 1-hour timer and a wall mount. Mounting a lamp on a wall fixes the distance from a chair for good, which removes the daily guess. Neither listing gives the distance for 10,000 lux.
Verilux HappyLight Lucent Light Therapy Lamp
A thin one-button panel with up to 10,000 lux and a stand that sets it upright or on its side.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Light | Up to 10,000 lux |
|---|---|
| Controls | One button |
| Stand | Detachable, 2 orientations |
One button, for a routine at the same chair every morning.
Buy it if
- A fixed spot at the same distance every day
Don't buy it if
- No dimmer to soften a close seat
Verilux HappyLight Luxe Light Therapy Lamp
Up to 10,000 lux with 4 brightness levels, 3 colour temperatures, a 1-hour timer and a wall mount.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Light | Up to 10,000 lux, 4 levels |
|---|---|
| Timer | Up to 1 hour |
| Mounting | Stand or wall |
A wall mount and a timer, for a distance that never changes.
Buy it if
- A wall spot that fixes the distance for good
Don't buy it if
- Working distance: not given
The LASTAR’s small panel puts you closest
The LASTAR Sun Lamp is 5.3 by 4.7 inches, the smallest panel here, with 60 LEDs drawing 12 W. A small source is the case the inverse-square law describes best, so moving back from it costs light quickly. Expect to sit nearer than with a full-size box, and use its 5 brightness steps to ease in rather than sitting further away.
LASTAR Sun Lamp, 10,000 Lux
A 5.3 by 4.7 inch lamp with 5 brightness steps, 4 colour temperatures and a 15 to 60 minute timer.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Size | 5.3 × 4.7 × 2.0 in |
|---|---|
| Power | 12 W, 60 LEDs |
| Timer | 15 to 60 min |
A compact lamp for a small table, used close.
Buy it if
- A narrow counter or a bedside table
Don't buy it if
- Small panel: expect to sit close
For the 6 lamps compared on timers, size and warranty, see the light therapy lamps guide. A sunrise alarm clock is a different device at a fraction of the brightness; the sunrise alarm clocks guide explains the difference.
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