Reading glasses

[Brown and Boris]

A few months ago I finally relebnted and admitted I might need glasses foer reading. I can cope with newspapers, menus etc but struggled with the tiny fonts in things like Mini A-Z's, some web sites and with poor handwriting and photocopying.

I bought a pair of the glasses from M&S for about £9 and they seem great. I had the weakest set and they have made it so much easier for extended period of reading ( I sometimes have to read reports all day).

Thing is my father in law said I should go to an optician and get proper glasses as one eye may be weaker than the other etc. and I may be harming my eyes.

I know they also test for massive tumours and the like, but I had my eyes tested 30 years ago, and ended up with reading glasses that everyone who tried them thought were plain glass frankly, and cost me half a months wages at that time. I have managed very nicely without for the past 30 years, can still sail through the DVLA distance vision test. I am ot trusting of optitians at all, especialy in the current economic climate.

So, proper job and pay the cost of their designer frames and lenes, or stick with the £9 M&S?

[NDA]

Stick with the cheapies - it's what half the planet does. We've got a dozen pairs knocking about the house that are +1.5 in each lense - none of us have grown a third head or gone blind.

[10 Pence Short]

Go and see an Optician. For £20 you can have a proper eyetest.

If your prescription is simple and straightforward you can then buy the cheap readers knowing they're at least not doing a lot of damage to your eyesight.

I'm not sure I'd want to spend any amount of my time looking through the lenses of a pair of ready readers, though.

[LBird]

Go to an optician, have a proper eye test and take the cheap specs with you - the optician should test your eyes with the glasses too and if they don't offer, ask. You know what prescription the M&S specs are so compare that to the prescription the optician gives you.

[MentalSarcasm]

Go to the optician, I've got one eye a lot worse than the other so have a lens and a plain bit of glass. They can also check for things like an astigmatism, where your eyes can't focus light properly (typically I also have this only in one eye) and your glasses can compensate for that as well.

Just because you go for the eye test doesn't mean you have to buy the designer frames they push you towards, I always wander over to the cheaper wall instead, and if you like the M&S frames most places will send them away to get the proper lenses fitted (friend of mine bought a pair of Tesco specs and just went to her optician and asked for the lenses to be fitted).

[neilsie]

go to the optician.

you only have one set of eyes. the optician will check the eyes for things other than just your current vision ability.

you are under no obligation to buy from them. they are obliged however to give you a prescription, which you can take anywhere.

[sjg]

Go to the opticians and get an eye test. It's not just checking how good your sight is, early signs of things like glaucoma can be picked up easily by the optician.

If your sight isn't too bad you won't need super-thin lenses or anything. Take your prescription and shop around - there are plenty of online glasses suppliers now like http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/ who can knock up a decent set of glasses for £25 or so.

If you work in front of a screen all day, your employer covers the cost of the eye test - if not, and you have a D&A close by they're doing half-price tests: http://www.danda.co.uk/promotions/

[Strangely Brown]

Brown and Boris said:

I had my eyes tested 30 years ago

And you don't think they can have changed in that time? There is more to good eyesight than just reading a number plate at 67 feet. Get thee to a decent optician and have a proper eye examination. And then make sure you go back at least every two years.

[Brown and Boris]

Strangely Brown said:

Brown and Boris said:

I had my eyes tested 30 years ago

And you don't think they can have changed in that time? There is more to good eyesight than just reading a number plate at 67 feet. Get thee to a decent optician and have a proper eye examination. And then make sure you go back at least every two years.

That was when they demanded I buy glasses. I have had it done since at work as I was driving and it included all the colourblind and £d tests but not the squiff of air test etc.

I may well pop along and get them tested.

[DKL]

Hurrah, lots of sensible people.
Get them checked, properly.

No you won't actually do any harm with ready readers apart from headaches when you needn't have them, poor concentration because whilst you can "see" you can't maintain your concentration properly and general fatigue when you should be fine.
You could spend a pound from the pound shop or spend £35-50 (and upwards but I'm assuming the fit and durability of the frame won't bother you) and get a proper prescription pair (your prescription no less) and then look after them. They should last you plenty long enough to get your money's worth.

If you have had a bad experience then that doesn't help granted, but choose your practice carefully - so not just those with the cheapest spectacles available - and if you really want to go somewhere else for a second opinion.

Edited by DKL on Friday 23 January 22:01

[tubbystu]

You've done the hard bit, accepting that your vision isn't a good as it used to be. It was cd liner notes for me.

Go and see a decent optician for an eye test, that's what you book and you are under no obligation to buy anything else - though they will try and you can't really blame them for that

Once the optician has confirmed that you need them and they are the right strength etc. The hardest part is remembering to carry them with you, so you keep your M&S specials and get a couple more pairs for home, office etc