Reading glasses

[Summering23]

I had my eyes tested a few months back as I’m finding that I have to hold things at arms length to read them. I got a prescription for reading glasses at 0.75.

I’ve finally got around to ordering some glasses and neither pair improves my vision? In fact now I’m finding my longer distance vision blurry. Is this normal?

You can't use your reading glasses to see long distance.

I have varifocals, did you previously have glasses for long distance?

Reading glasses will inevitably make your distance vision blurry as they'll make the image of distant objects form in front of your retina instead of on it.

If your near vision isn't improved by glasses that match your prescription, you'll need to go back to the optometrist, although there's not much they can do if you didn't buy the glasses from them other than to check the prescription was correct.

No I’ve never had glasses before hence my naïveté.

You don’t wear reading glasses all the time, just literally when you need to read something. If you are short sighted as well (I’m very short sighted -9.50 both eyes!) then you’d have varifocals so the bottom bit is like wearing reading glasses and then it graduates into your normal short sighted prescription at the lens goes up. So you look straight ahead when you need to see in the distance, and down / move your head slightly for reading. (I have varifocals).

If you only need a prescription of +0.75 that’s hardly anything at all so just get a pair of cheap readers from Amazon or a local shop and they’ll do the job so you can read stuff easily if you’re struggling.

Reading glasses will blur long distance. You only need it for reading/computer work, needle work etc and then take them off again.

Reading glasses will only correct for close up tasks (typically within arms length). It will make anything beyond arms length blurred.

If you find it a faff to keep taking glasses on and off then a multi focal lens would be a good option even if you do not need any correction for distance

Thanks everyone! I will try them again. I’ve only had them in for a minute or two and noticed that my face was blurry when I glanced at myself in the mirror down my hallway 😂
Next question does it take a while to acclimatise? I didn’t feel that reading was any easier with the glasses on but admittedly I took them off very quickly.

you might get on with varifocals - the bottom half is for reading the top half can be clear/no prescription. then you can keep your glasses on but when you look down to read, everything is magically clear! I really like mine. you can't tell they are varifocals - no line across the lens.

I assume its a +0.75 prescription?
They are for close up work and will make things in the distance look blurry. Might even make you feel slightly seasick if you move about with them on

I definitely see a difference now after 9 months. I actually have varifocals for normal day life and extra reading glasses for work (computer 8 hours) and longer stretches for reading.

You get used to the on-off parts.