AIBU to think this can't happen to everyone in their mid 40's?! Surely?

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

Went for my regular eye test today. Regretting that already. I've literally just turned 40. Been blind as a bat since age 10. Wearer of contact lenses since age 12. Sight is -6 in both eyes.
Why is it only today that the optician gleefully told me that by 42, mid 40s at the lastest I will need fucking reading glasses. I'll need some sort of varifocal contact lenses and glasses. Apparently. It happens to EVERYONE. ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE!
Give me some hope. Have you made it to 50 without needing reading glasses?! Especially if you were short sighted already.
Also! Why is this news to me now?! Why has this dreadful secret been kept from me?! I can not stand the thought of my sight being affected and having to mess around with my bloody contact lenses prescription (glasses look awful on me. Every single pair. Trust me, I've tried them all). I only asked the guy about laser eye surgery as now I'm older, I can finally afford it. Only to be told it is basically pointless to have unless in your 20s as its a waste of money due to the long sightedness developing in your 40s!
Ugh.

I am 65 and don't wear reading glasses

I can see for fucking miles but I got to 45 and my near sight fell off a cliff. Sorry OP.

And yeah it's happened to pretty much everyone I know except my sister. She's 46 and still reading glasses free.

Sorry 🤣 next eye test you watch I'll be needing it all

I’m in my 50s, -7 shortsighted. My reading is still ok, no glasses yet.

I take my glasses off to read at 46, although I was offered varifocals at my last eye test. Just get a Kindle! You can adjust the font size.

The optician mentioned this as something to try! He gave me a long list of ways to manage it. I think I was mostly in shock though at the mere thought of it all! He also mentioned about the lens replacement surgery. I shall keep all my options open at this stage 🙈

47 and just got a pair of varifocals.
Optician said it’s due to how ‘lifestyles have changed’ (we are rarely doing one thing at a time now).
Still depressing as fuck. My condolences.

I wore contacts to my 40s but now can't even do that due to dry eyes! So I wear glasses but then I have to take them off to read so prob need varifocals or something but I'm struggling along at min!

I have worn glasses since I was 17 years old. I am mid-thirties now. It's no problem really, if you need them you will get used to them.

I think I look good in my glasses, and I think glasses look good on people. I'm sure you will look good in them too, especially since you look so young! (if you need them)

There must be some colour and style of glasses that will suit you?

Good luck!

Short sighted GP contact lens wearer here and I am 60 now, used them since I was 15. My vision is very slightly under corrected and this has helped to keep prescription stable

Blind as a bat without lens in, do use specs sometimes but can’t read as well with them.
Did try varifocal lens 3 yrs ago but couldn’t get on with them so will continue with single vision for now.

I'm over 50. Have had glasses for short sightedness since I was early 20s and definitely don't need reading glasses! In fact, my short sightedness has actually improved over the past few years.

I have found my people. Just turned 47 and enjoying my new need for varifocals…
Been shortsighted since about 9 and got progressively worse to -5.75. Worn contacts since 14. My contact lens specialist has prescribed a weaker prescription in my non dominant eye to help with reading and that works too. I had a trial for varifocal lenses which were fab but a lot more expensive

It comes to us all.

I was super shortsighted from the day I was born. . By the time I reached my fifties I was wearing contact lenses of -12/-13 and was functionally blind without them. I had glasses for late nights/early mornings at home but they were so thick my depth perception was good for nothing. I couldn't drive or play sports in glasses because I couldn't judge distances with any degree of accuracy.

in my late forties the age related longsightedness kicked in. I couldn't get varifocals (either in glasses or CLs) that could accommodate my extreme myopia and my longsightedness so I was constantly juggling lenses, glasses, bi-focals, reading glasses, presricption sunglasses/ski goggles/swimming goggles. I was too shortsighted for laser surgery to be an option and I despaired.

Then I heard about intraocular lens impants. It's pretty much the same as cataract surgery. I had my failing/faulty eye lenses removed by laser and replaced with custom made varifocal lenses inserted in my eye. It corrected my myopia, my longsightedness and some astigmatism. It took about 90 minutes and I was driving 2 days later.

That was 12 years ago. I'm now in my sixties and still have perfect distance and reading vision. For someone as shortsighted as I was it's like a miracle.

it was expensive. £6000 was a fortune for me 12 years ago but it's paid for itself several times over in never needing contact lenses or glasses again.

`

Once again, people who have a minus prescription for the distance of more than about -2.50DS (barring the prescription changing significantly eg due to cataract surgery) will always be able to see to read without reading glasses.

So as long as they are happy wearing glasses for the distance and just taking them off every time they want read, they can go their whole life without reading glasses.

So yes, if you want to start wearing glasses instead of contact lenses and then take them off every time you look at something close, then you have hope!!

And all these people saying “not me, I can see to read without glasses!” - what they are not making clear is that they can ONLY see to read if they take their distance glasses off!

Practically every single person over the age of 50 who can read without glasses is shortsighted and needs glasses for the distance. If they didn’t want to take them off to read they would need varifocals or bifocals. It’s as simple as that.

(A few people have natural “monovision” where they are shortsighted in only one eye and therefore can see distance in one eye and reading in the other and can get away without glasses at all. There are also a very very few older people who have pupils so small that they can actually see both distance and reading without glasses, for technical reasons, but it’s very rare).

Yes 🙌🏼 it's a close up super power 😆 I wore my lenses so consistently that I never even realised until I was forced to wear my glasses this year! Now if I wear my lenses on a one off/night out I'm fuming that I can't pop them in and out to read the menu close up to my face 🤦🏼‍♀️😂 but I'm happy that I have good vision in at least one respect 👌🏼

72 year old dad still doesn't need reading glasses despite being short sighted since 12. Unfortunately, I do need both so I'm guessing he is rare.

I didn't know you could get laser for reading?

Sorry OP, but it's completely normal. I'm -7 and -9. Been like that since around 10 as well. I'm early 50s and need varifocals/ reading glasses if I wear normal contacts (I don't wear them much)as I can't see anything up close anymore. I started having these issues in my late 40s. DH is around -4 and also needs the varifocals and reading glasses with contacts.

Once again, people who have a minus prescription for the distance of more than about -2.50DS (barring the prescription changing significantly eg due to cataract surgery) will always be able to see to read without reading glasses.

Unless you are severely short sighted. Even with the material pressed against my nose, I can’t read print without my contact lenses. My contact prescription is -10.5 and -12. I have glasses as emergency back up only so I can’t recall my exact glasses prescription, but I know it is over -16 in both eyes.

He doesn’t need glasses for reading BECAUSE he is shortsighted, not despite it!! He is not rare at all - all people who are shortsighted to a significant degree can see to read without glasses, it’s just a pain in the arse for some to have to keep taking them off.

I didn't need glasses till my late 40s, varifocals in my 50s. They are fine, just expensive.

Nothing happens to "everyone."

46 and my prescription that has been stable for 15+ years has had to be adjusted due to this.
I was commenting to a friend in many ways I am not upset at all about aging, I feel happier and more confident in myself than ever, if only it wasn't for the deteriorating eyesight and aches and pains 😭

You mean most. It’s not all of us. Not for the most severely short sighted.

I always said I wouldn’t consider varifocals until my age began with a 6 - but I am just about to give in at 57. It would have been a lot sooner if it wasn’t for the facility to take a photo on my phone and zoom in - useful for menus, instructions, ingredients labels etc. It’s mainly in the car I struggle now, I need my normal distance glasses for driving but can’t see the sat nav properly unless I take them off.