When you reach the point of not being able to read up close without stretching your arms to the limit, you may need to consider single-vision reading glasses. Reading glasses come in full frames, in which the entire lens is made in the reading prescription, and half-eyes, the smaller "Ben Franklin" style glasses that sit lower down on the nose.Full reading glasses are suitable for people who spend a great deal of time concentrating on material close-up. If you try to look up and across the room through the reading lenses, everything appears blurry.
WHY CUSTOM-MADE READING GLASSES ARE USUALLY BETTER THAN PRE-FABRICATED ONES
Reading glasses can be custom-made for each individual through an optical dispenser, or they can be purchased "ready-made" at a pharmacy or department store.Ready-made readers
became popular in the 1990s: three times more pairs were purchased during that decade than ever before, at an estimated rate of 30 million pairs per year. They are less
expensive than custom eyewear, allowing you to own several pairs for a small amount of money.One drawback to purchasing ready-made ("drugstore") reading glasses is that they
are essentially "one-size-fits-all" items. The prescription is the same in both lenses, and the location of the optical center of the lenses is not customized for each wearer.
Most people do not have exactly the same prescription in both eyes, and almost everyone has at least a small amount of astigmatism correction in their prescriptions.Headaches,
eye strain, and even nausea can result from wearing reading glasses that are too far off from your actual prescription or that have optical centers too far away from the center of your pupils. If you experience these problems, visit your eye doctor for a customized reading glasses prescription.When choosing ready-made reading glasses, always examine
the lenses for little bubbles, waves, or other defects. Insist on the best quality, and if you can't find it in ready-made readers, buy a custom-made pair, which many eye care
practitioners offer at special prices.
Reading Glasses feature a dark front with etched temple design. These readers are made of durable plastic and have spring hinged temples that provide a comforatble fit for your face. These reading glasses are available in +1.25, +1.5, +1.75, +2.00, +2.25, +2.5, +2.75, +3.00, +3.25, +3.50 powers.
Each pair of these reading glasses is shipped with a microfleece pouch or cover for protection. Radiance reading glasses are available in Black, Brown and Purple colors.
NON PRESCRIPTION READING GLASSES
• Most pharmacies and many retailers sell over the counter (OTC) reading glasses that require no prescription. People like these readers because they tend to be
much less expensive than reading glasses you might buy from your optometrist. However, there is dispute over whether these discount reading glasses are damaging to the eyes.
• To put this debate to rest, "cheap" reading glasses will not damage your eyes, but they may decrease the amount of time you can read comfortably, depending on
your prescription.
• Inexpensive reading glasses typically have the same magnification power in each lens. This is beneficial to people who have the same, or almost the same,
prescription in each eye. For example, if one of your eyes requires +2.00 glasses and the other varies slightly needing +1.25 glasses, you can probably get by with a pair of
cheap reading glasses from the pharmacy. However, if your eyes require markedly different prescriptions, the best reading glasses for you are custom prescription lenses from
your eye doctor. t
WHAT STRENGTH READING GLASSES DO I NEED?
It happens to everybody – as your 40s approach, your up-close vision begins to deteriorate. Fine text becomes blurry, and you find yourself holding books and newspapers farther and farther away just to be able to see. You, like millions of others, need reading glasses.For the individual who has never needed glasses, it can be overwhelming trying to
figuring out what reading glasses strength you need, but getting the correct power is essential to be able to read and complete everyday tasks.
Use the following steps to figure out your reading glasses prescription.
1. Decide on a pharmacy or retailer that has reading glasses. If it's your first pair, it might be useful to visit a brick-and-mortar store so that you can try them on – this
will help you not only with determining your prescription, but also with determining what color, shape, and size of readers looks best on you.
2. At the store, ask to see a reading test card, sometimes known as a "Diopter Test." This card will have rows of words, ranging from small to large. Each line will have a
corresponding prescription. That will be your starting point for trying on reading glasses. Remember to take your glasses off when you take the diopter test.
You also can use
our handy print-out diopter chart here:
3. Keep in mind that prescription numbers for reading glasses increase by .25 diopters. For example, +1.25, +1.50 and +1.75. However, for simplicity, some diopter cards may
increase by the .50, or even by the whole number. This is why it is important to remember that your reading test card results are simply your starting point for choosing
reading glasses; you will need to try on several pairs to find a perfect match.
4. Start trying on reading glasses, beginning with the prescription your test results gave. Try on several pairs that are stronger and weaker prescriptions than your starting
point.
5. Once you narrow the prescriptions down to two pairs and see well with both powers, get the lower power. For example, if you can see well with both +1.50 and +1.75 get the
+1.50. Always go down in power, never up. At most stores, you will find readers to accommodate the following whole number prescriptions (and everything in between):
