And then comes a day when suddenly everything gets blurred, words appear cloudy while reading. You were being blessed with crystal clear vision then why aren’t you able to read as before? Well, age could be a factor. No, we are not saying you are old but yes regrettably old enough to read clearly.
If you are 40 or above then you are being targeted by Presbyopia – an age-related vision condition where you find difficulty in viewing things up-close. Unfortunately, this vision condition is unavoidable. In fact, there is almost no one in this world who has ever escaped from presbyopia. So don’t dread over it. Like aging is natural, even aging of eyes is natural which eventually happens to everybody.
What exactly causes presbyopia?
As we age, our eyes also age. The lenses thicken and become less flexible, causing difficulty in focusing on close objects. Due to less flexibility, the lenses are unable to change shape to focus and as a result, images appear out of focus.
Reading glasses
If you are recently experiencing presbyopia, certainly you will be new to reading glasses. Presbyopia is progressive in nature, at the 40s, low power reading glasses is favourably recommended but as you age, like in the 60s, high power reading glasses tend to suit.
Reading glasses are quite an effective way to correct presbyopia. Though you cannot get rid of this vision condition with the help of reading glasses, you can surely start reading clearly as before.
Finding the right readers strength
So if you’ve decided to buy reading glasses, you need to first understand a few factors. The unit to measure reading glasses is known as dioptre. Typically, when you check the dioptre chart, the prescription for reading glasses increase by .25 dioptre.
You can find readers with measurements tagged like below which represents strength of the lenses:
- +1.0
- +1.25
- +1.50
- +2.0
- +2.25
- +3.0
- +3.5
- +4.0
Glasses with +1.25 label are considered low power while +3.5, +4.0 are considered high power, however it is rare to find such high power. For ordering prescription reading glasses online, you can enter the reading glasses power in ADD column of prescription information.
In the case of non-prescription reading glasses, the power range from +0.75 – +3.0 dioptre. The power of both the lenses is same, unlike prescription readers. Wrong power reading glasses can cause headache, nausea or dizziness. You can find the right optical power by conducting an eye test using dioptre chart.
Reading glasses vision test
You simply need to download the chart PDF and determine your reading glasses strength. Just follow a few simple steps:
- You need to take the test without wearing any glasses
- The chart should be around 14 to 16 inches away from you
- Start reading the chart from top
- If you can’t read the first line, move to the next
- Continue until you reach a line which you can entirely read clearly
- The number beside the line which you can read clearly is the reading glasses strength that suits you the best
Click to Download PDF and Print
NOTE – Make sure you print the chart at actual size
Reading glasses power by age
Sometimes the readymade power by age table can also be useful to determine the right pair of reading glasses for you:
- Age 40-44 – Recommended power +0.75 to +1.00 dioptre
- Age 45-49 – Recommended power +1.00 to +1.50 dioptre
- Age 50-54 – Recommended power +1.50 to +2.00 dioptre
- Age 55-59 – Recommended power +2.00 to +2.25 dioptre
- Age 61-65 – Recommended power +2.25 to +2.50 dioptre
This recommendation is also most likely to help you get suitable reading glasses.
Once you’ve found your reading glasses power, it’s time to get readers and experience back flawless vision while reading. If the chart doesn’t help you out, you can always consult an eye doctor, get an eye exam and take wise advice about which reading glasses will specifically suit you the best.
