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.

This is me too now. Except with embroidery, I do really fine stuff and just find it easier now to take off glasses s as me hold embroidery as close to my nose as my needle will bc allow 🤷🏼‍♀️😵

Worn glasses since 3 and got first varifocals at 42 i think it was

Everyone gets more long sighted as they age, nowt to be done about it.

Perfect eyesight until 45, now I can't read a thing without glasses.

The vast majority of people will have a different reading prescription by mid to late 40s. You do get the odd person who manages until age 50, but it’s rare.

In further bad news, the vision you get for distance and reading in the contact lens options available is almost never as good as in varifocal glasses. It’s always a bit of a compromise really.

Something to do with your lens naturally hardening as you get older, not as flexible so can’t change focus with ease

It got me at that age, I'm -5.25 shortsighted. I have the best varifocals I can find and still take my glasses off to thread needles or read tiny print. My reading add is 2.25.
Tried multifocal contact lenses, one short/one long contact, contact lenses +reading glasses, all crap now the difference in near/distance is pronounced.
Welcome to middle age 😊.

47 had eye test told my eye are fine don't need glasses - nearing 48 starting to think that was wrong.

Did for period in 20 have mild short sightedness needing glasses - was at screen 10+ hours a day at time - then stopped to be SAHM so no screens lots of outside and need for glasses went but later opticians insist I couldn't have ever needed them.

Have heard 40s is when most people do need glasses - FIL can't get on with varifocal so has multiple pairs of glasses.

I was 43 when I was told to reduce my contact lens prescription so it would longer before I needed reading glasses when wearing them but also to get varifocals. I'm quite happy with them. Seems like a reasonable place to be in my 40s really.

just got my first pair of varifocals at 43. Raging.

My DH is very much like you apart from he is -5. He has been struggling to read recently and at the grand old age of 48 realised that if he wears a pair of +1 reading glasses along with his contacts, he can read perfectly! Sorry!

I'm 63 and don't wear glasses to read. I do struggle with very small print but I manage fine with normal print books, newspapers etc.
I've worn specs for distance vision since mid 20s but one eye has completely corrected itself and I no longer need to wear them (everything was looking too close) but I do for driving. The optician said I don't need them legally to drive.

44 with -2.25 prescription contacts. I bought my first (over the counter) reading glasses last week. I can read fine uncorrected (so just taking off my glasses if I'm wearing them) but can't see the telly or drive or work. I can do all of those things with contacts but my arms are no longer long enough to keep holding my book further from my face.

Same here. I tried Varifocal contact lenses, lots of different types, but they gave me bad sight both close up and far away.
I’ve now settled for normal contacts with reading glasses when I want to look nice. And Varifocal glasses the rest of the time.
It’s shit.
I’m pinning all my hopes on winning on a scratch card so I can pay for lens replacement surgery.
Just be grateful if you don’t already have the floaters mentioned upthread, as well as the constantly watering eyes that ruin your eye make-up.
Getting old sucks.

I'm just 40 and have found my sight isn't what it used to be! Threading needles etc is harder now but I doubt I'll need reading glasses for a while. Neither of my parents had glasses for reading until they were about 60 so I'm hoping I follow them.

DH is 51 and middle age has changed his eyesight, he has gone from wearing his specs for absolutely everything to taking them off for reading. No reading glasses or bifocals yet although the optician keeps saying he's bound to need them soon.

I'm 45 still no need for any glasses

Yes, eyesight declines

54 and just finding that I need longer arms. Or reading glasses if I can't find longer arms.

More shortsighted than you. You'll probably manage with easy readers for menus etc. But by 50 you'll be embracing multifocal contact lenses. Quite liberating but expensive! Acuvue Moist £47 per month. The higher oxygen content ones are £78 though if you wear everyday. I didn't get on with the Alcan ones, which were hypothetically same prescription.

I'm 46 and off for an eye test this weekend. Have realised over the last year or so that I seem to be developing presbyopia (yes, I had to google this).

Think it will be glasses for me as the EYE-da of touching my eyeball with contacts gives me the ick.

I was told this would happen, I’m slightly more short sighted than you. I’ve been laughing at everyone using longer and longer arms to read things for the last 5 years. I’ve now hit 50 and suddenly i can’t see close up or far away. I’d have been stuffed in the olden days,

45 and got varifocals at 43, can’t cope with wearing my contacts any more unless my readers are perched atop my head. Got an appointment soon and will probably ask about varifocal contacts at £££.

Happened to everyone I know, including me and it's a fucking nightmare with contact lenses. Sorry for your loss 😀

What is so awful about needing reading glasses?

I'm 55 and don't need reading glasses, and my mum got to 91 and used them very occasionally but was mostly fine reading without them. She had the hearing of a bat as well, I think she was some sort of superhuman!

I refused varifocals until this year and I've needed them since about 51 and I'm 53. I don't know many who don't need glasses at my age.