The Risk of Readers

We have all seen them, dangling from a display in your local supermarket, the Over the Counter Reading Glasses or for short Readers.  They present as a small selection of inexpensive frames with seemingly many different lens powers to choose from.  “Oh, well that one doesn’t look too bad I guess?  I think I will try that one on, but what do the different numbers mean?  Wow, this one makes objects look really large and closer to me, I wonder if it is even my correct prescription?” 

I know that many of us have had this experience and wondered if these readers might give us better vision when reading or actually do the opposite and actually hurt our eyes over time.  Well, the answer is often yes and yes.  While a pair of over the counter readers may improve the reading ability of some, there are definitely many better options to meet the needs of your vision and help you function through all of your individual daily activities. 

Over the counter readers are usually made of a cheap plastic lens material that may not have the best optical quality for viewing your near work and also represent a one size fits all option with optical centers in the lenses that are not unique to you allowing for more distortion and eyestrain than is found with custom measurements.  A custom pair of near work eyeglasses are almost always a better option because of the availability of better lens material, custom measurements which allow you to view near objects directly through a custom optical center of the lens for less distortion, and an anti-reflective coating can also be added to your custom reading eyeglasses to cut down on glare and unwanted reflections when using your computer screen. 

A progressive lens or no line multifocal lens can also be a great option and holds one big advantage over near work glasses.  That is the fact that a progressive lens helps you see at many different distances or focal points, while readers will always be blurry in the distance – causing one to constantly take them on and off, wear them on top of their head, or even use the dreaded granny chain to hold them around their neck.  Some will even try to drive with readers and find their distance vision distorted but a dashboard that comes in and out of focus.  However, the biggest risk of readers is truly the patient that is self-diagnosing and avoiding the eye doctor.  This habit could not only result in selecting an improper near visual aid, but also effectively mask an underlying problem which an eye doctor could detect.  The moral of the story is that you only get one set of eyes and it is important that you see your best.  So please don’t trust your vision to just an over the counter – one size fits all product, find an eye care professional you trust to help you maintain healthy vision year in and year out.