Cheap Reading Glasses: A Help or Hindrance?
We can all be forgiven for ignoring our inevitable reliance on reading glasses – particularly those lucky enough to have never needed glasses or contact lenses before. After all, your vision has been perfect your whole life – why would you worry?
But then, you start to notice a difference. Perhaps you caught yourself squinting when reading a receipt or newspaper, or maybe you’ve started getting headaches when working at your computer. Whatever the signs are, there eventually comes a time when one has to admit: It might be time to get some reading glasses.
Lo and behold, on your next trip to the supermarket or chemist – or even petrol station! – you happen across what you’ve needed – a cheap and cheerful pair of readers. Even better, you haven’t had to go out of your way to get them! Problem solved right?
Well… maybe not.
The Shortfalls of Cheap Readers
After a few weeks or months and several lost, broken, or just downright useless pairs, the tides turned and you realised the true purpose of reading glasses: to test your limits of stress and make your life utterly miserable.
The fact is, trying to fix your new-found poor near vision with cheap reading glasses is like trying to banish chronic knee pain with a flimsy support from the pound shop. It might offer some temporary relief, but in time, it will likely become more of a hindrance than a help.
Off-the-rack readers are essentially two magnifying lenses mounted in a frame. They’re designed according to generic measurements and a one-size-fits-all approach. While there may be several “strength” options available, the prescription in each lens is still the same and the optical centre is not customised for the wearer.
“Big deal” – you might think. “I only wear my reading glasses when I’m working or when reading the menu at a restaurant.” Surely, you don’t need a pair of prescription glasses for that.
Well, of course, that is up to you. But before you make your mind up, let’s take a look at some facts.
What’s the problem with cheap reading glasses
In 2011, the Daily Mail conducted their own study into the handy over-the-counter reading glasses. Costing as little as £1, they tested eight pairs of “Ready readers” from a range of retailers, including M&S, Boots, and TK Maxx.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, few were found to be up to the job.
A common problem lied with the placement of the optical centre – the area which you’re meant to look through. In most pairs, the researchers found the optical centre to be a few millimetres or out (sometimes more), with some even differing between the right and left lenses!
Even if the optical centre is just slightly off from your prescription, they can quickly lead to headaches, eye strain, and nausea.
Even so, many people won’t experience these side effects – as their cheap reading glasses will have probably already broken before they get the chance!
What can you do instead?
As Dr. Eli Peli, professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, suggests, you’re better off investing in an eye exam than pair after pair of cheap reading glasses.
Of course, there is an even better solution – Laser Eye Surgery!
That’s right, Laser Eye Surgery isn’t just for long-sightedness and short-sightedness. For over a decade, the innovative PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision treatment has been correcting patients’ reading vision for good.
By correcting one eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision, PRESBYOND creates a “blend zone” as the brain combines these two images. The result? No more need for those pesky reading glasses!
Find out how by reading about the revolutionary PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision treatment, or book a consultation now and join thousands of people who’ve turned back the clock and freed themselves from reading glasses! Get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators or Book a Consultation today.