If Im Using Reading Glasses What Dies That Mean

Reading glasses: How they help with up-close vision

Lori Steigerwald sees reading glasses from a unique perspective: She wears them and sells them.

Steigerwald has worn reading glasses for virtually 25 years. As national sales manager for retailer I Centre Eyewear and wholesaler Ron's Optical in Livermore, California, she has sold hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of reading spectacles.

As such, Steigerwald understands the importance of donning a pair of high-quality reading glasses if your up-close vision isn't what it used to exist.

"Consumers need to know what differentiates a good pair from a pair that, over time, can crusade headaches," she says. "Knowledge is what makes everyone a better consumer. When it comes to your eyes, y'all should not fool around."

Nosotros're not going to fool around, either. We're here to give y'all valuable insights into reading spectacles — what they are, when you need them, how to pick the right pair for your eyes and confront, what the alternatives to reading glasses are, and what some of the common myths are most reading spectacles.

What are reading glasses?

Reading glasses, available in over-the-counter or prescription versions, better the power to read something up close, such as a book or a estimator screen.

Alabama optometrist Dr. Samuel Pierce, past president of the American Optometric Association, says over-the-counter reading glasses — which can be purchased at drugstores, department stores and other full general retailers without a prescription — are designed for curt-term article of clothing, and are best suited for people who accept the same lens power, or strength, in each eye and don't have astigmatism, a common condition that causes blurred vision.

The Vision Council, a trade group, says the lens power of over-the-counter reading glasses typically ranges from +one to +4.

Over-the-counter reading glasses are an adequate option for people who have good distance vision (farsightedness), says Dr. Ming Wang of Wang Vision 3D Cataract & LASIK Center in Nashville.

However, if you suffer from computer eyestrain or double vision, then information technology's wise to explore prescription reading spectacles, Wang says.

Prescription reading glasses are meant to exist worn for extended periods, Pierce says, and are ideal for people with astigmatism, myopia, serious eye disorders or unequal prescription strength in each eye.

SEE RELATED: Reader sunglasses: Who needs them

When exercise you need reading spectacles?

Just about anyone in their 40s and beyond volition, at some point, need reading glasses (or another type of about-vision correction), Wang says.

Reading glasses help recoup for diminished vision related to presbyopia, the normal age-related loss of the ability to focus on up-close objects, such as words in a book or a text message on a smartphone.

Dr. Michelle Andreoli, an Illinois ophthalmologist and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, says you typically realize the demand for reading glasses if you encounter problem reading pocket-sized impress when you lot're tired and when lighting in the room is dim, or if you observe that information technology'south easier to read something when you pull information technology a little farther away from your confront.

How practice I pick the right reading glasses for me?

Before selecting your reading spectacles — even the over-the-counter kind — visit with your center care professional. Experts recommend a yearly middle test to cheque for problems similar glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration, even after you've gotten reading glasses.

For computer work, most people tin can become by with low-ability reading glasses (+i.25 to +1.5), Wang says. For reading things that are closer, stronger glasses might be in club (+2.0 to +ii.5). As you age, the ability you need likely will increase.

Wang notes that some people crave one lens power for general up-close reading and some other power for extended reading like computer utilize — significant that only ane pair of reading spectacles might not do the trick.

Pierce warns that headaches, eyestrain and even nausea can issue from putting on reading glasses that don't have the proper lens power.

Once y'all've determined the right power, then focus on glasses with loftier-quality lenses and sturdy frames, Wang recommends.

Depending on the quality, a pair of over-the-counter nonprescription reading glasses can cost anywhere from $one to $50 or more than; a pair of prescription eyeglasses easily can cost $200 and up.

"Lower-quality, less expensive reading glasses may be made with low-quality lens materials, which can cause vision distortion, color distortion or glare. This can contribute to difficulty focusing when reading. Information technology is worth spending a little extra to get better visual quality," Wang says.

When shopping for over-the-counter reading glasses at a store, Andreoli recommends:

• Grabbing a greeting card from the greeting menu aisle.

• Heading to the rack where reading spectacles are sold.

• Trying on glasses as yous're belongings the greeting card at a comfortable distance.

• Selecting the glasses that let you clearly and easily run into the greeting bill of fare.

• Making an appointment with your eyecare professional if y'all're unable to decide on a pair of glasses.

From a style perspective, Steigerwald, the eyeglass sales manager, suggests choosing glasses that best fit your confront shape and your way sense.

You might adopt smaller, more traditional reading glasses, she says, while someone else might opt for larger, chunky, outside-the-box frames.

You might even maintain a collection of glasses, as Steigerwald does, then you lot can switch your look whenever the mood strikes you lot.

If y'all're torn about which glasses to buy, solicit an honest assessment — in person or via texted selfies — from a friend or loved one most whether the pairs you lot're considering are flattering.

 "You just accept to observe the perfect pair for your face," Andreoli says. "And I remember that with the perfect pair on, near faces await better in glasses than not in glasses."

What are the alternatives to reading glasses?

Among the alternatives to reading glasses are multifocal glasses, multifocal contact lenses and surgery (including monovision LASIK and refractive lens commutation), Wang says.

Of course, you lot can simply try to wing it without reading glasses, merely that puts yous at risk of eyestrain, which can trigger headaches, double vision and other issues.

What are some common myths near reading glasses?

One of the about mutual myths: Wearing reading spectacles volition cause your eyes to weaken. That's not true, Wang says.

Yet some other myth: Undergoing cataract surgery will ready your eyes, meaning you tin ditch your reading glasses. That'due south also not true, Wang says.

Andreoli notes that you might have underlying vision issues that can't exist corrected with reading glasses.

And and so in that location's the notion that reading spectacles brand the wearer expect old. Eye intendance professionals dismiss that as an erstwhile manner of looking at reading glasses, especially because that more than 150 1000000 Americans vesture vision-correcting eyeglasses.

"I like to remind people that studies show that many people feel that someone wearing reading glasses is often perceived as more than intelligent than someone who does non," Wang says.

READ NEXT: What are bifocal reading spectacles?

Page published in February 2019

Page updated in Feb 2022

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Source: https://www.allaboutvision.com/reading-glasses/

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