How did you know you needed reading glasses

[Scott R]

I think I might be there, I’m closer to 50 than to 45 and l can’t read text in dim or fading light. During the day is fine with sunlight, it’s just at twilight and evenings. Oh and how do you know which power to buy?

[stomachmonkey]

I figure it out when I could no longer read ****.

First tell is if you start moving things closer and farther away trying to find a focal point.

As far as power, go to the store and try on different ones.

You’ll fall between ranges anyway so grab the ones that bring things into Focus.

Don’t go too strong, the first set that works is it.

They are dirt cheap so if you want to grab the next strength as well won’t hurt to have.

[cabmandone]

When your arms aren't long enough to make the text clear for reading, you need reading glasses.
I have trouble reading in low light too. I'm not sure that's an indication you need reading glasses. It's probably a better indication you need more light in the room.

[dad911]

First, I needed magnifiers for soldering/fine electrical work. Then I couldn't read a tape measure.

And as Nick points out, low light (menus) I use either my phone light or phone app magnifier.

I don't know why they can't use a easier to read font for menus.

[ckcarr]

One of my pet peeves. Since I'm a CPA and I work with people that "handle" numbers, but they get them wrong consistently. Yet they're too stubborn or vain to get glasses. Or the new UPS driver that keeps dropping off packages for my next door neighbor because he is mixing up the 5 with a 6...

I have a lot of vain or stubborn friends who won't acknowledge that it might be time, so they keep fumbling.


You're -

l can’t read text in dim or fading light.

I have that problem, and it bugs me. I attribute it to spending many years working for a ski resort (Crested Butte) in and out of the bright sun and snow... Wait till you have the floaters all over and you think they're gnats...

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Scott R

I think I might be there, I’m closer to 50 than to 45 and l can’t read text in dim or fading light. During the day is fine with sunlight, it’s just at twilight and evenings. Oh and how do you know which power to buy?

About the time that I was 40, I began to notice a difference. My left eye when looking at a very tiny LED hidden in the grill of my cell phone wasn't a crisp dot. I watched over 5-6 years as that got gradually worse and worse. My family would always hand me medication bottles to read, necklaces to detangle, needles to thread, but at some point, I wasn't able to do that any more. Once it became consistently problematic is when I finally got glasses.

Buy the lowest power that you can manage. Take something that's difficult for you to read and make sure you can read it.

I started with 1.0 and even those were stronger than I needed. Then I got some prescription glasses so I could have good quality with quality anti-reflective coatings to use at work for computer monitors.

I don't care what anyone says. Once you start wearing glasses, your eyes get worse, I believe because they don't have to work as hard. That's my reason to 1 hold off until you really need them and 2 get the lowest power that you can manage.

I wish I'd started with .50 if they had been available.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by masraum

About the time that I was 40, I began to notice a difference.

Yep. 40 to 45 they start to tire for close vision. I am lucky at 63 and can still get away with only over the counter 1.25's.

[GH85Carrera]

You NEED to go to an ophthalmologists, and get your eyes checked every few years at the very least. I go one per year now. They can look at your retina, look for cataracts, check for glaucoma and about a zillion other things that might stand between your vision and blindness in the near future.

After a full medical evaluation and vision check, they will know precisely how good or bad your vision really is on a scientific scale.

I noticed back in my 30s that if I read a lot, the world turned fuzzy. I have astigmatism. With no line bifocals I have 20-20 vision at age 65. For working on the computer I almost always take my glassed off, unless I am using the laptop. It has a stupid small font size to make the camera control software for shooting aerial photo missions function properly.

Go to a real eye doctor, an ophthalmologist, and don't bother with a optometrist unless all you want are new glasses. I prefer my eyes to be checked by an eye surgeon. My vision is very important to me.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by masraum

I don't care what anyone says. Once you start wearing glasses, your eyes get worse, I believe because they don't have to work as hard.

Logically that makes zero sense.

You are essentially saying that during a time that your eyes are working hard they degrade then further degrade when they are no longer working as hard.

What caused them to degrade before you got glasses to the point that you needed glasses?

[craigster59]

I started around 50 y.o. with 1.25's and am still at that strength. I find the more I use them the more I need them so I use them sparingly. I used to use them mostly when reading but since I bought a Kindle and can enlarge the text it has cut down on my use.

I buy the 3 pairs for $20 at Costco, I've got them laying all around the house, in my truck, in my office, etc.

[SCadaddle]

How do you realize you need reading glasses?

When you go to the store to pick up some 1.5's and they are reading glasses!

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Start with the lowest magnification possible. It's a long slippery downhill slope from there.

[red-beard]

Print out the JPG in the following link. Make sure that it is 5" wide when printed.

Hold the page 12-14 inches and follow the directions

https://www.readingglassesetc.com/pages/reading-lens-guide/reading-glasses-strength-and-reading-test.html

I use 1.5 for reading and 1.0 for my office computer.

[OK-944]

I started at 50 yrs. with 1.5's...and have, over the intervening fifteen years, worked my way up to 2.25's. Lucky that my eyes are great at long distances, and even so I don't need anything other than 3 bucks a pair readers from our local Job Lots store.

[red-beard]

As for "getting worse" with use, I've never changes my numbers.

I bought an iPhone 4 to try out, around 2011/2012. I could not make out the tiny numbers on the back. I used to be able to focus on just about anything.

On the office computer glasses, I noticed eye strain at the end of the day. I tried using my 1.5 glasses, but they were too strong for 24 inches. I switch to 1.0 for the computer. I tried 1.25 as a compromise, and they do not work well.

[Bugsinrugs]

I’m two months in having cataract removed and new lenses inserted. I had bad night and long distance vision. My night vision is restored and I see everything in high def now. I still need reading glasses since I decided not to get the lenses that cure both near and far vision. My brother in law is an Optometrist told me there are more complications with these lenses.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by masraum

I don't care what anyone says. Once you start wearing glasses, your eyes get worse, I believe because they don't have to work as hard.

You probably wouldn't care what I have to say on it then.


Once I broke down and started using glasses I find I use them more and more as I get used to them. You can say I need them more because my eyes got lazy, but I think I use them more because I now realize how poorly I was seeing without them.

[flatbutt]

I went to reading glasses when bifocals had me peeing on my shoes!

[Evans, Marv]

I started doing the moving of printed text back and forth to find a focal point at about 43 and didn't know what was going on. Needing reading glasses didn't even enter my mind. I finally went to an optometrist and asked him what the problem was. He answered the problem was I was 43 years old and needed reading glasses. I was shocked. I've been using them since and totally, totally hate them. I find I can still squint and read close up, though it's uncomfortable to do it.

[craigster59]

Try fly fishing, when you can't tie a size 18 fly onto your leader anymore, you'll swear by reading glasses.