At what age did you need reading glasses?

[Redtulip2]

Having just received my first pair at the age of 41, I'm intrigued to find out at what age you required specs.

I know many people require glasses from childhood, one of my children included. What I wonder is, what's the average age for needing glasses due to age associated visual decline.

I didn't realise how much I needed them until I got them, now they're barely off my face!

I think I was about 52, 53, 54 ish

47 for me. The signs were there maybe a year or two earlier, but it was infrequent. This year I bought a book to read for work, and some text was difficult. I wanted to power through it, not make a boring read even worse, so I got the glasses.

I've now realised they help in some scenarios where its low light or I'm tired. Previously I might've just put off the reading to another time when it'd be fine reading without glasses, but pop the glasses on and "hey presto" easily readable. A friend of mine reckons I should consider varifocals, he did that and said they help in other non-reading scenarios

I was 40 I think.

I was 42

Started to use them around 43 - now at 50 I need them all the time to read anything. Need to do a proper eye test to get proper glasses now arghhhh

Needed reading glasses at 45 but still have excellent distance vision. The on off on off with reading glasses is bloody annoying, especially in a supermarket. I can't wear them generally, only specifically for reading or they make me feel sick. I wish there was a lens setting on a phone that meant you could just set your prescription and not need to use glasses.

44 😭😭😭😭

You could always get varifocals, then you could keep the same pair on all the time? Or multifocal contact lenses

You can use your mobile, take a photo and zoom in. Works very well, but its a chore compared to reading normally with a pair of glasses. A friend has a little magnifying glass as another alternative solution, I couldn't be bothered with that but it works for him

This last year (54) I've struggled to read small print on food labels especially. I swear they are making it smaller though!

44!

I am getting varifocals at 45. But I wear glasses anyway - could probably last a year or so more without with my Kindle.

My optician said 20/20 eyesight usually lasts until mid forties before needing glasses although screens have an impact.

40. I should have gone to opticians sooner though.

47

50- should have got them far sooner but it was lockdown! Trouble is once you have them you'll not go back- I have varifocals that I love- cannot see a thing without them now-even reading packets of food. I have a magnifying glass as well but we brought that home when FIL died.

I've needed glasses since childhood but found that I needed reading glasses as well in my mid-40s. I was far too vain to go straight to varifocals I refused to accept I was old enough for them, wtf? but eventually saw sense a couple of years later.

About age 40 for reading. And that’s on top of the contacts for short sightedness that I’ve had for decades.

@salamithumbs not everyone gets on with varifocals and I think I might well be one of them. If I happened to glass down to the reading bit of the lense whilst moving it would be a problem as it is now unless I'm reading something. Maybe if my distance vision declines but at the moment varifocals would compromise that (so I've been told by optometrists)

@spookehtooth I do that now when out and about when getting glasses out is more of a faff than doing that but it's a pain. Hopefully one day soon some genius will find a way to adapt a phone or even make a lense screen protector.

I phones have a magnifier app

its brilliant

I’ve worn glasses since I was 7 I was short sighted, had laser eye surgery at 28yrs which lasted till I was 40 when I needed reading glasses. This year at 42 I need varifocals! Was a bit shocked but now I can see in HD lol

About 50 or 51. Then distance glasses just for driving as well at 60, and varifocals at 65.

42
Im long sited with astigmatism so have worn glasses most of my life but started to struggle with reading in 40s. It’s a bit of a shock when you look in the mirror with them and see the fine wrinkles that appear over night.
I struggled with variofo les so now wear contact lens for distance and resding glasses for close up.

I'd worn glasses / contacts for ahort-sightedness since uni but had laser eye surgery aged 35ish which staved off needing eye tests for a lot longer than I thought it would!

61 and sitting here glasses free on my tablet! I can read dots!

I'm 45 and don't quite need reading glasses as such but do need to take my distance glasses off to read anything close so am considering going down the varifocals route sooner rather than later.