Reading Glasses for men's and women's | Readers.com® (2024)

FAQs

How do I know what strength reading glasses to get? ›

If you want to know what reading glasses strength is best for you, you should always consult an optometrist. By examining your eyes, they'll be able to eliminate the guesswork of trying on different over-the-counter readers—and make it possible for you to order higher-quality reading glasses online.

Sometimes you'll find reading glasses higher than 3 diopters in strength. The higher the number in diopters, the higher the strength. So, +1.25 reading glasses would be less strong than +1.50 reading glasses, which would be less strong than +1.75 reading glasses.

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.

Your pupils should be approximately in the centre of the lens. The reading glasses should not lean on your cheeks. The reading glasses should not slide down on the tip of the nose. The width of the reading glasses at the temples should match the width of your face.

If you're farsighted — that is, you already wear glasses to see up close — you'll likely need stronger reading glasses to start out with. If you're nearsighted — that is, you wear glasses to see far away or to drive — you can probably start with lower-strength readers.

To find the right reading glasses, add the sphere number to the ADD number. Next, look at the cylinder measurement and the axis measurement. Astigmatism is typically not corrected in over-the-counter reading glasses.

There are plenty of lens options that can incorporate a reading strength. That way, you don't need to switch pairs of glasses out to do different tasks. Instead, you can go from reading a book to watching tv, to driving all with the same pair.

The higher the number, the greater the prescription and therefore the stronger the lens strength required. For example, a prescription of -1.25 is mild myopia, whereas +6.00 is high hyperopia. 'Bad' eyesight, or rather a stronger prescription, would be any number above -5.00 or +5.00.

We recommend purchasing computer reading glasses in a power that is half of your standard reading power.

If the glasses have a strength that exceeds your actual visual acuity, they force your eyes to work harder. This can result in increased effort, manifesting in the form of headaches, eye fatigue, and even blurred vision. In the long term, overpowered reading glasses could even have harmful effects on your eyes.

Is it okay to use cheap reading glasses? ›

They won't damage your vision, per se. However, there are many factors that affect how well cheap reading glasses will work for you. You need to understand that the quality of a $1 pair of reading glasses won't be great. The lenses will be basic and easy to scratch.

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.

Option #1: Use a Printable Diopter Reading Test Card

With the printed sheet 14″ away, attempt to read the top line without reading glasses. Continue down the chart until you find a line you can read clearly without your glasses on – this is the diopter (power/magnification) you need.

Your Pupillary Distance, or PD, is the distance in millimeters (mm) between the center of one pupil to the center of the other. A personalized fit starts with measuring your pupillary distance: it indicates which part of the lens you look through, ensuring optimal comfort and clarity.

A prescription of -0.75 diopters indicates a mild degree of myopia, where distant objects appear blurry while close-up vision remains relatively clear. This level of myopia usually allows individuals to function adequately in daily activities without corrective lenses.

There are a few warning signs to look for if you think your glasses are too strong, including blurry vision, eye strain, headaches, dizziness and nausea, and problems with depth perception.

A -1.75 eyewear prescription essentially signifies that you need some additional power to see some objects that are further away. Specifically, we are talking about things like watching television or objects or people at a distance when you are driving.

Optometrists generally agree on a sort of baseline for reading glasses. People who are ages 40 to 49 will generally need reading glasses at a strength of +0.75 to +1.50 diopters. Individuals ages 50 to 59 will generally need reading glasses that have a strength of +1.50 to +2.25 diopters.