Prescription Reading Glasses
We have a variety of frames that will work great for prescription reading glasses. Generally, prescription reading glasses will work much better than over-the-counter glasses because they are made to your exact prescription and position of wear. For example, prescription reading glasses are made to correct any difference between your eyes so the eyes will work equally. Prescription reading glasses also allow for the correction of astigmatism, which over-the-counter glasses do not. It is worth getting an eye exam not only to determine the best prescription for your prescription reading glasses, but also because the age at when prescription reading glasses often become necessary is also generally the age when the incidence of eye disease begins to increase.
Presbyopia
With age, the lens inside your eye becomes less flexible, and it is more difficult for the muscle in your eye that acts on the lens to reshape the lens. Because this is the mechanism for changing focus from far to near, we generally notice that our near vision becomes more difficult at this time. This process is called Presbyopia. Though the process of presbyopia starts much earlier, we usually notice it in our early to mid forties, when we start having to hold things farther away.
There are a variety of ways to deal with presbyopia, including: progressive lenses, bifocals, over-the-counter reading glasses, and prescription reading glasses. People who need distance glasses can have their near correction added to their distance lenses in the form a bifocal lens in which the power changes from the top (far) portion to the bottom (near) portion at a line in the lens. Or, a more popular solution is a progressive lens in which the power changes from far to near gradually throughout the lens without any line.
For people who do not need distance glasses, the process of presbyopia is usually a more difficult transition because it is usually the first time in their life they find they need to wear glasses. Many people will be able to purchase readers over-the-counter that will allow them to see fairly well up close, but it is usually worth getting one pair of prescription reading glasses for extended near work because prescription reading glasses will be made to your exact prescription and position of wear. In addition to the advantages mentioned above, a pair of prescription reading glasses also has the advantage of minimizing peripheral distortion and aberrations.
Prescription Reading Glasses to Optimize Reading Fluency
Minimizing this peripheral aberration and distortion is especially important when reading because when we read, we focus on the word we are reading but our brain is also processing information from approximately 10-20 words to the right (in English text) of the word we are reading. Therefore, precision-made prescription reading glasses that optimize this peripheral vision are best for extended reading or work. That said, because over-the-counter readers that you can pick up at the drugstore are more economical, they’re a great option for the the bathroom, the glove-box, etc.
You’ll need a prescription to order glasses from our office, if it’s been a while, click below to: