My first final of the spring semester arrives in a month. Yipes! Something tells me I’ll be studying into the wee hours quite a bit for the next six weeks. I prefer to study at home rather than in the library most of the time. While there are fewer distractions in the library, there’s also this almost palpable sense of nervousness bordering on fear that permeats the structure. I get stressed enough without encountering everyone else’s stress. Say that three times fast.

Anyway, whether you do must of your studying at home or just a portion of it, you’ll have to deal with lighting. Most of the time, the lights we use are pretty much the last factor to enter the study equation. But good light is important. It reduces stress on your eyes, keeps headaches away, and makes studying just a bit less bothersome. I speak from experience.

A few weeks ago my cheap desk lamp died. My office doesn’t have any overhead lighting, so I was left with one surviving torch lamp of limited capabilities. I trooped down to one of the big red office supply stores (is it just me, or does anyone else get Staples and Office Max confused?) and bought a couple of lamps by Ott-Lite. The bulbs on these devices are designed to consume less power and put out a “whiter” light. This means that the Ott-Lite is closer to natural light than ordinary bulbs, and is therefore easier on the eyes. I mean that literally, but they also look good and are sturdily constructed.

The Ott-Lite costs more than comparable lamps, but so far I’ve been impressed by the two I bought. The TrueColor 13w Desk Lamp folds up small, puts out big light, and is perfect as a “bounce light” for indirect lighting. It lists for $79.95, which isn’t small change. The True Color 18w Floor Lamp lists for $169.95. The adjustable head actually stays where you place it, and it puts out sufficient light to illuminate my desk, PowerBook, and Cinema Display. In conjunction these lamps put out the right amount of light for my study setup. More importantly, they really do limit eye fatigue.

Ott-Lite has competitors. Full Spectrum Solutions, The Daylight Company, and others offer similar products. Frankly I have no idea if Ott-Lite’s products are better or worse than any of these. I just know I prefer my Ott-Lite lamps to the conventional ones they replaced.

Now I have one l have one less excuse for not being fully prepared for exams. I suppose that’s a good thing.