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.

No doesn’t happen to everyone I have a friend like you and at 63 she still only has the blind as a bat issue. Her reading sight is fine though.

I was in my early 40s when I first needed reading glasses but in my late 50s before I needed anything for distance, at which point I got varifocals. I do have some stronger reading glasses, but frankly they are crap!

I recently met up with an old friend I hadn't seen for years - he must be late-70s by now - and there was something unfamilar about him. Eventually it clicked: he wasn't wearing glasses! Previously he had worn them all the time. Apparently he had cataracts and while they were sorting that out, they fixed his vision so that now he only needs them for reading.

Oh mate. This made me laugh because I had exactly the same reaction - what do you mean I can be shortsighted and longsighted AT THE SAME TIME?!!!! glasses since 13, contacts all my life. Anyway once I got over the shock - multifocal contact lenses. Life changing. No reading glasses…

I was told at 40 when I had laser eye surgery (-7.5) that I would need reading glasses by mid 40s and that indeed the laser surgery may bring this forward. That was 20 years ago. Still don't need reading glasses!

I had 20 / 20 vision. Until I hit 40! Now am the proud owner of reading glasses

oh and my knees creak

I had laser eye surgery at 35 and I remember it being mentioned to me then, and at every single eye-related appointment since then.

Mid 60s, don't need reading glasses but have needed them for driving and some other distance stuff since about 45

Im short sighted though with an astigmatism so dont need reading glasses but was only diagnosed at 37 after never needing them. Struggled with night driving.

I was ok at 46 but suspect I will need them at my next test next year at 48.

I'm over 70 now. Have been very short sighted for many, many years but didn't actually get glasses for distance until I was 30. When I discovered just how much I hadn't been able to see at all, even although I knew my eyesight was bad!!

I still do not need glasses for reading, close work - at all. I wear varifocals because it makes it easier not to have to take them on and off. But I have excellent close vision without any glasses

My prescription is -13.5, I’m mid-40s and I’ve needed varifocals for the past couple of years. I also have multifocal contact lenses, which are brilliant.

I'm 62 and short sighted -2.5 on one and - 3 on the other but don't need for reading or computer or phone - however the minute something is more than about 3 feet away - can't read a thing clearly-I don't drive , so basically only tend to use for watching TV or at cinema/gigs / theatre etc

My H is total opposite so works well in restaurants if he forgets glasses- I read menu, he reads the specials board

45 & have fab vision.

You need to go to an emergency appointment ASAP

Just turned 70. Still don't use glasses most of the time. Apparently people pay to have eyes like mine! (One longsighted and one shortsighted). When I have to report fabric composition (the stupid tiny label inside clothing) I can manage with a pair from the £1 shop, although I do have some prescription glasses.

My eyesight was pretty good and in my late 30's had 20/20 vision
However turned 43 ish I struggled to see small print, now I'm a -2.00
Took the plunge on some varifocals as I need readers for parts of my job but couldn't stand taking them on and off all the time to see things in the distance which also meant I lost a couple of pairs!
Only £45 from Asda, granted they aren't as good as more expensive ones but they are all I can afford and do the job tbh 😊. Did take a month or so to get used to them though.

I'm mid 40s and only been wearing glasses for driving for a few months - I don't need them for reading. DH is a year older than me and started needing glasses for reading at my age.

I’m in my 70s. Had distance glasses since my teens, I wear varifocals for convenience, but to be honest, I read pretty well without them. I never wear glasses at home to read, only when I watch TV. And for driving obviously.

43 here and no reading glasses, DH is the same age and also doesn't need them.

Also my 70 year old dad has always been short sighted...he is still short sighted and still doesn't need reading glasses.

How old you are when you eventually need reading glasses depends on your underlying prescription, so if someone is shortsighted to begin with they often do not struggle with reading until later in their 40’s/50’s. For everyone else, or someone who is longsighted, it’s earlier, usually from early 40’s. But yes unfortunately it happens to everyone.

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!

Well, not everyone needs the solution of varifocals/reading glasses. Yes everyone gets a bit of presbyopia which is the muscles around your pupils reacting slower so focussing from far to close or vice versa and adjusting to low light / high glare becomes a bit of a struggle. So most with normal vision just get varifocals or reading glasses to switch back and forth easier.

My eyesight is worse than yours and I am more than 10yrs older. They don’t make varifocal contacts in high enough a prescription and I really didn’t think reading glasses would work as id have to wear them on a chain round my neck and put them on and then take them off constantly for work.

What my optician suggested and I did, is I went monocular. So my left eye is under corrected to about -2 with contact lenses so I can see close up, and my right eye is fully corrected so I can see far. Your brain has to adjust to just use what one eye is seeing instead of merging both, and some peoples brains can’t adjust from binocular to monocular vision so they get double vision. But luckily, mine adjusted and so that is how I solved this normal part of ageing. And it’s no extra money!

I've had to buy my first pair of varifocals at 45!! Really pissed me off 😆

may be pish a weeb lady in post office told me if stndard print fot was up by 2x wee would ALL not need glasses.or something

My mum got her first pair of reading glasses at age 67. Her mum also didn’t need them until that age. My dad didn’t get them until 50+
The people who don’t need reading glasses maybe don’t go for regular eye tests so the opticians don’t know about them. I’m short sighted so I know I need to go every other year. My sister isn’t and she’s never been to the opticians as an adult. So there will be no record of whether or not she needs reading glasses.