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.         

FAQ: Contact Lenses

Do patients experience discomfort or pain when using contact lenses? Most first time wearers are surprised when they experience how properly fit contact lenses feel in their eyes. I recommend a trial period for first time contact lens wearers and these patients will often comment that after a few days of this initial adjustment period with a properly fit contact lens they no longer even feel the contact lens in their eyes. Can I wear contacts when I participate in sports? Absolutely, competitors in every area of athletics have discovered the advantages of wearing contact lenses. Unlike eyeglasses, contacts don't steam up from perspiration, don't smudge and don't become foggy when you transition from cold to warm temperatures. They provide distortion free depth perception and allow you to appreciate full peripheral vision. Properly fit contacts stay on your eyes, even during strenuous exercise. Can I swim with contact lenses? We really discourage patients from swimming in contact lenses. Water, even chlorinated pool water, contains a number of agents that can cause very serious corneal infection, and this risk is increased if you are wearing contact lenses. In the same way, we don't recommend that patients shower with their contact lenses or use hot tubs. Can I wear soft contact lenses if I have astigmatism? Yes. Patients with astigmatism can wear a special type of soft contact lens called a toric lens that will correct your astigmatism. Some newer lenses are also simply called lenses for astigmatism rather than toric lenses. Patients with a large amount of astigmatism may also benefit from wearing a specialty contact lens such as a rigid gas permeable contact lens or a synergeyes hybrid contact lens. I currently wear reading glasses over my contact lenses in order to read. Is there an alternative so I don't have to wear glasses at all? Yes. Multifocal contact lenses are available both in the rigid gas permeable material as well as the soft lens material. It offers the best of both worlds allowing patients good vision both close up and in the distance with no to very minimal dependence on reading glasses. Monovision is another option for contact lens wearers that want to avoid reading glasses - where one eye is corrected for viewing distant objects (usually the dominant eye) and the other eye (usually the non dominant eye) is corrected for reading and close work. If my disposable contact lenses are still comfortable beyond their replacement period, can I continue to wear the same pair? No. In order to maintain optimal eye health, it is important to adhere to the wearing schedule prescribed by your eye care professional. Lipid and protein deposits can accumulate on the contact lens over time, leading to chronic irritation. The main advantage of wearing disposable lenses is that you are able to put a fresh new pair of contact lenses in your eyes at a regularly scheduled interval - this leads to healthier lens wear and the most optimal vision possible.