How do you know what strength reading glasses are right for you? (2024)

FAQs

How do you know what strength reading glasses are right for you? ›

If you want to know what reading glasses strength is best for you, you should always consult an optometrist. By examining your eyes, they'll be able to eliminate the guesswork of trying on different over-the-counter readers—and make it possible for you to order higher-quality reading glasses online.

Choose reading glasses strength 'by age'

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.

Sometimes you'll find reading glasses higher than 3 diopters in strength. The higher the number in diopters, the higher the strength. So, +1.25 reading glasses would be less strong than +1.50 reading glasses, which would be less strong than +1.75 reading glasses.

There are a few warning signs to look for if you think your glasses are too strong, including blurry vision, eye strain, headaches, dizziness and nausea, and problems with depth perception.

Reading strength can also be referred to as “diopter” or “reading power” and is denoted with a plus sign “+” followed by a number and decimal. Most over-the-counter reading glasses start at +1.00 as the lowest reading strength and increase in +0.25 increments.

Misleadingly called “magnifiers”

According to the FDA, over-the-counter reading glasses are categorized as “magnifying spectacles”, which is unintentionally misleading to many consumers. This is because the primary function of these convex lenses is to improve the focus of near objects.

In most cases, you'll want to replace your readers with a stronger set because your eyes need more help as you age. If you find that you're holding reading material with your current readers farther away from your face than normal to see it clearly, then you might need stronger reading glasses.

This can result in increased effort, manifesting in the form of headaches, eye fatigue, and even blurred vision. In the long term, overpowered reading glasses could even have harmful effects on your eyes.

Is it bad for your eyes to wear reading glasses that are too strong? ›

Wearing the wrong prescription CAN impact the eyes

After a few weeks, if you still can't see clearly through your glasses or your vision is not comfortable, your prescription may be too weak or too strong. This occurs from time to time and might result in headaches, eye strain, and fatigue.

Fishbowl effect

This is when the images you see through your lenses seem to bend at the edges as if you were looking through a fishbowl at the world. Wearing your new glasses frequently will help you get used to them if you're having problems with the fishbowl effect or other things.

1.5 is less power and your clear focus range will be farther away. Whereas with 2 the range will be a little closer. I bet you won't even notice the difference. The only time if really matters is if you can't move your head or the object into the focus range or when the object is in focus it is still too small to see.

Take regular breaks using the “20-20-20” rule: every 20 minutes, shift your eyes to look at an object at least 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds.

The good news is that wearing reading glasses for long periods of time won't hurt your vision or damage your eyes. In fact, not wearing reading glasses when you need them could actually gradually worsen your eyesight.

A prescription of -0.75 diopters indicates a mild degree of myopia, where distant objects appear blurry while close-up vision remains relatively clear. This level of myopia usually allows individuals to function adequately in daily activities without corrective lenses.

A -1.75 eyewear prescription essentially signifies that you need some additional power to see some objects that are further away. Specifically, we are talking about things like watching television or objects or people at a distance when you are driving.

Optometrists generally agree on a sort of baseline for reading glasses. People who are ages 40 to 49 will generally need reading glasses at a strength of +0.75 to +1.50 diopters. Individuals ages 50 to 59 will generally need reading glasses that have a strength of +1.50 to +2.25 diopters.