Shortsighted - are glasses worth it?

[itchywitch]

I got my eyes tested recently out of curiosity since they have never been done. Turns out I'm short-sighted. I never realised there was a problem but now its been pointed out I do notice things aren't 100% when looking at things in the distance.

Thing is I don't drive and I'm not at school any more so no reading whiteboards. So are glasses worth it? I could survive without them clearly but would things be better (in your experiences) if I got them? I know this is subjective but they can be costly so I don't know!

I'm a full time glasses wearer (also short sighted) and got a great pair recently for £50 out of Asda! Don't be too scared of prices

My sister was similar to you, never had an eye test till her late 20s (although she DID drive) and said life was a revelation once she had her glasses...people stopped thinking she was ignoring them in the street because she actually saw them instead of walking past!

It's probably worth getting a cheap pair and see what you use them for. Am short sighted and wear mine only for driving and times when need to see stuff (eg travelling so I can read departure boards or going to the cinema etc)

Lucky you for not noticing. You really can't be that short sighted if you never noticed, eg, that you couldn't actually read the wording on a fish & chip shop/cafe/fast food menu behind the people serving you because it was too far away; or couldn't see the wording on the signs to the toilets that everyone was pointing out to you; or couldn't make out the number of the bus coming towards you to ask for it to stop until it was practically driving past; or couldn't read the subtitles to foreign films unless you sat closer to the TV than usual... I'm not sure I'd bother with glasses if I'd never noticed I needed them, but then prior to laser eye surgery, I hadn't been in that position since I was about 10-years old. I couldn't even read a book without my glasses on until a couple of years ago - unless I held it about 4 inches from my face.

My eyesight is exactly the same as rabbitstew describes. I wore glasses for about 20 years then about 10 years ago I broke them, couldn't get to the opticians and found I can do without really.

It would be different, I suppose, if I drove, minimum eyesight standards and all that, but one of the reasons I gave up driving was that wearing glasses (I have astigmatism as well as being short-sighted) made things distorted all the time which was just too freaky.

It seems to me now that the opticians eye test and prescription has very little to do with what I can see comfortably!

I am very slightly short sighted. I think 0.75. I only use my glasses for driving as I find I can cope well enough without them at other times and I don't want to become reliant on them. I have a pair that cost £10 from tesco that live in my car.

I decided to get a pair. I know its not as bad as rabbitstew describes but I'll be (hopefully!) moving and starting a new job soon that requires intensive training so I figured I'd get it sorted out now, just in case.

Thanks for your input!