5 Ways To Know If You Need Reading Glasses

Posted: November 14, 2018

Author: Colin Rea

I remember the day it happened, I looked down at my phone and thought, “Wow! It’s blurry. What’s wrong with my iPhone?”

If you’re over 40, you’re probably chuckling, that is, if you can read this text.

About 50 million Europeans need reading glasses in order to make reading up close possible and enjoyable, however, roughly 20 million people painfully resist getting reading glasses because they think that they will make their eyes weaker. We’ll talk about that in a minute. Others buy them, misplace them, buy them again, lose them yet again. The annoying cycle repeats a few more times until they finally give up.

Presbyopia is the technical term for farsightedness–not being able to see things up close. As we age, we gradually have changes occur in our eyesight. Typically, our eyes’ lenses lose elasticity and flexibility, making it more difficult to focus on fine print and other details when an object is held close to our eyes. For instance, you might have to ask a drugstore clerk to read the back of the prescription bottle for you. That’s a sign you need reading glasses.

How else do you know if you really need reading glasses? For me it was when I realized I can’t read the menu (especially in low light), my smartphone, a prescription bottle, or even a book without extending my arms fully. Here are some other tell-tale signs that can help you determine if reading glasses are for you.

1. Headaches: if you’re getting headaches and your eyes feel tired, it could mean a pair of reading glasses are needed. Eyestrain is a sign that your eyes need glasses. But now, let’s tackle that common misconception: if I wear reading glasses my eyes will get weaker. Your eyes won’t weaken from wearing reading glasses because the problem isn’t caused by muscle weakness. Presbyopia is caused from the crystalline lens in your eye stiffening as we age.
2. Book Test: one easy test is too observe how far you have to extend a book away from your eyes in order to read the text clearly. If you can’t seem to get it far enough away, reading glasses will be your new best friend.
3. Task Test: if things like sewing, playing cards, reading fine print on a label in your kitchen, or even seeing your food in low light at the dinner table are hard to do, a pair of reading glasses would likely bring clarity to these tasks and make them more enjoyable.
4. Print Test: taking a one-minute test on the Magneticos website, from the comfort of your home or office, can help you see if you need reading glasses and which strength would be best for you. You simply print the eye test chart from your computer and hold it 14 inches away from you. Then read it without wearing any glasses. The first line that is difficult for you to read will correspond to the lens strength that best suits you.
5. Eye Doctor Exam: a visit to the eye doctor is always recommended in order to test for more serious conditions such as glaucoma, diabetes, or cataracts. But if you’re just trying to determine if you need reading glasses, noticing changes in the overall health of your eyes can provide some insight in between doctor visits.

Once, you know reading glasses are what you need, where do you get a pair?

Reading glasses are readily available at drugstores, big warehouse stores or your eye doctor’s office. But since you don’t wear reading glasses all of the time, one critical factor is having them close by when you really need them. And only one brand has made that possible.

Magneticos are the perfect first pair of reading glasses because they simply stay on your neck at all times whether you choose FlexiBand, RigidBand or Hawks. Magneticos let you determine when and how often you need reading glasses by experimentation. So no more trips to the drug store to replace your lost glasses. And hey, they aren’t your grandma’s readers. They’re kinda fun and cool.