Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I did a TON of research on these SAD lamps before purchasing this one. There are several factors to take into consideration: 1. The light must enter your eyes from ABOVE them. Think about where the sun hits your eyes, in real life - it's not below you, it's above you! And yet so many SAD lamps rest on your desktop, and shine light up at your eyes from below. I found a few studies that found it was more beneficial to have the light enter your eyes from above your head, shining down. In particular, it has to hit the corners of your eyes. 2. The field of light is huge. Your head can have a normal range of motion at a desk, and you will still be in the big field of light. So many lights are *tiny* and you're only getting the full benefit if you have your eyes very precisely aligned with the light source. 3. UV protected 4. 10,000 lux at about 11" or 12" away from your face. This is important because most studies find 15-30 minutes at 10,000 lux is the therapeutic value. Not all lights can claim this, and some have to be much closer. 5. There is still an ongoing debate about white fluorescent lights vs. the new blue LED ones. I couldn't find much to differentiate between the two, at this point, and this one had the advantages above. 6. Two settings, so if I want a longer session at 50% - it's totally possible. You can also use the 50% setting to use the light as a normal desk lamp. 7. This one was recommended by the independent and non-profit group called the Center for Environmental Therapeutics (CET). It is "an organization formed by doctors and researchers for the advancement of environmental therapies. We seek to provide accurate, unbiased information about bright light therapy, dawn-dusk simulation and negative air ionization." This SAD industry really isn't all that regulated, so finding the recommendation of one seemingly neutral organization was reassuring. You can see some comparisons here: day-lights.com/us/why-the-day-light/index.html All in all, I'm really glad I decided to purchase a SAD therapy light in general, and this lamp in particular.