Are Cheap Reading Glasses Helpful Or Harmful To Your Eyes? - Vermont Eye Laser (2024)

FAQs

Are Cheap Reading Glasses Helpful Or Harmful To Your Eyes? - Vermont Eye Laser? ›

Over-The-Counter Readers

Can I get LASIK for reading vision correction? Patients sometimes ask if LASIK (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) can eliminate reading glasses from their lives. Yes, it can! If you're tired of depending on readers, contact lenses, or eyeglasses, refractive surgery options are available for near-vision correction.

At the end of the day, non-prescription reading glasses are safe. Paired with the ideal lens type, it's always best to ensure you are using a reader with the correct magnification for your vision needs.

Cheap eyeglasses are manufactured with very little quality control. This means that the lenses may not be able to correct your vision problems adequately. Even the smallest mistake in your lenses such as a slightly-off focal point or too-strong magnification can cause problems such as: Eye strain.

The primary difference is in the quality of the materials. More expensive reading glasses will be made with better, higher quality materials. The lenses may be scratch resistant and fit the frame better. They may be made out of thinner and lighter materials.

Until recently, the most common treatment options for presbyopia were eyeglasses, contact lenses or laser vision corrective surgery. Today, corneal inlays offer an alternative to wearing reading glasses. They are implanted in the eye with a minimally-invasive surgical procedure, restoring close-up vision.

You have a disease or are on medications that may affect wound healing. Certain conditions, such as autoimmune diseases (e.g., lupus, rheumatoid arthritis), immunodeficiency states (e.g., HIV) and diabetes, and some medications (e.g., retinoic acid and steroids) may prevent proper healing after a refractive procedure.

Cheap reading glasses can cause eyestrain — or worse.

But it's easy to choose the wrong power, and the optical quality of cheap reading glasses typically is not as good as a customized pair of glasses for computer use and reading.

Often times headaches and nausea can result from wearing the wrong prescription of readers or may have optical centers far from your pupil centers. This is why we recommend having an eye doctor specialist do an eye exam.

Misleadingly called “magnifiers”

According to the FDA, over-the-counter reading glasses are categorized as “magnifying spectacles”, which is unintentionally misleading to many consumers. This is because the primary function of these convex lenses is to improve the focus of near objects.

Is it safe to buy cheap glasses? ›

CHEAP PLASTICS CAN IRRITATE YOUR EYES AND SKIN

Cheap metal frames often contain nickel alloys that can cause skin irritation or discolor your skin. More alarmingly, cheap eyeglass frames and cheap sunglasses are frequently recalled and removed from the market because they contain lead paint or other toxic substances.

Cheap sunglasses, however, do not have this protection. Instead they can actually be more harmful as they fool your eyes into thinking they are protected, making your pupils dilate more and let in even more unfiltered light, causing in turn more damage.

If you choose to wear lower prescription glasses, it is important to be aware that your vision may be compromised. This is because the lower prescription glasses will not be able to correct your vision as effectively as the higher prescription glasses.

Are over-the-counter reading glasses safe? The reading glasses available at your local drugstore or dollar store are perfectly safe, say Yuen and Madan. They're just lower quality, and not the most effective. “The glasses that are over the counter are very simple magnifiers,” says Madan.

Cost of eyeglasses by type

Prescription glasses range in price from $184 to $1,000 or more. Reading glasses range in price from $10 to $1,000. Prescription sunglasses range in price from $20 to $700 or more.

Lens quality determines how clearly you can read and how long you can read without experiencing eye strain. Premium grade optical lenses are made from premium quality optical plastics that meet specific ophthalmic (ANSI) standards for materials and manufacturing.

Unstable Vision

To get LASIK, your vision must remain unchanged for at least a year. This means that if you have unstable vision, at least for right now, LASIK is not right for you. The FDA requires anyone seeking LASIK to be over the age of 18 to be eligible.

Pregnant or nursing women. Those with thin or irregular corneas. People with autoimmune disorders affecting the eyes. Individuals with certain medical conditions such as diabetes or immune disorders.

The short answer is… no, it doesn't. You will, however, be susceptible to the normal ageing process that we all go through. So, you'll eventually need reading glasses, just like the rest of us.

It's a condition called presbyopia, and it may make you wonder if you need reading glasses. Here are a few signs that you do: When you hold books and other reading materials up close, they look blurry. You have to hold them farther away to read them.