Reading glasses typically feature non-prescription lenses which magnify text allowing you to read items like books, magazines, and menus more easily. The lens magnification or power helps to reduce eye strain and visual discomfort when trying to read anything closer than an arm’s length away, usually at a more reasonable price than traditional prescription glasses.
This review features products from partners who compensate us. Therefore, this may influence which products we write about but not our evaluations of them. We take great pride in providing authentic reviews while remaining objective. Our thoughts and opinions are our own.
What Are Reading Glasses?
Reading glasses are available in wide varieties, but prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) reading glasses are the most common.
Prescription reading glasses are often just as expensive as regular prescription glasses, which means dishing out a lot of cash for a second pair of glasses. Over-the-counter reading glasses are more friendly to your wallet, which is generally what most people think of when they hear the term reading glasses.
Over-the-counter reading glasses can be found in all shapes and sizes, and their cost ranges from a couple of dollars per pair up to $85+. Of course, frame and lens quality varies wildly, so it’s crucial to understand the implications of choosing one type of reading glasses over the other.
Have you started to squint and strain while reading lately? Maybe you’ve noticed that you need to hold things farther away from your eyes to keep them in focus. If so, you are starting to experience presbyopia, my friend!
Presbyopia means “elder eye” or “elder vision”. It is the medical term used to explain the phenomenon of your eye’s inability to focus on up-close things like books, magazines, and menus. As you age, the lens in your eye becomes stiffer, making it more challenging to focus.
There isn’t much cause for alarm as this naturally happens for nearly everyone and can start as early as 30. It all depends on your eye health and eye stress up to that point in your life. This is where reading glasses come in to save the day! The simple magnification of reading glasses aid your eye, making it possible to read small text and see other things up close once again.
Different Types of Reading Glasses
Prescription
Prescription reading glasses are often overlooked simply due to their high price tag. They’re virtually the same as any prescription glasses; because of this, they’re almost always more expensive than non-prescription (OTC) reading glasses. However, it doesn’t mean they should be entirely overlooked.
Often, buying prescription reading glasses from your local eye doctor or even online will grant you more choices than buying them over the counter. You’ll have the option for higher index (thinner) lenses, additional lens coatings, or, most importantly, different magnifications for each eye.
All you’ll need to do is prepare to spend more when checking out, especially if you go with the best high index lenses!
Non-Prescription (Over the Counter)
Let this be known; we love over-the-counter reading glasses! That said, you still need to be careful with exactly where you purchase them. You’ve probably seen reading glasses from the drugstore checkout to high-end boutique shops, from $2/pair all the way to $100. “What’s the difference?”, You may ask. Well, it turns out there is (potentially) a lot depending on where you’re looking.
Designer reading glasses can seem a bit extravagant depending on your financial circumstances, but their quality is usually exponentially better than their drugstore counterparts. Costs typically range from about $30 to $100, but you can generally expect a high-quality acetate frame and optical quality lenses for those prices.
Optical quality lenses ensure the power or magnification of the lens will be more accurate, and the lens itself will be clear of any impurities or distortion. Quality lenses are a big deal, especially when their essential function is to help you see better when you are concentrating on small objects or text.
Many retailers and websites are offering these high-quality reading glasses, and you can head over to read our list of best reading glasses online to get started!
Discount reading glasses can be a practical solution for blurry vision, but most should be used with an err of caution. There are federal regulations in place for lens impact resistance of reading glasses but little to no regulations on actual optical quality. Poor lens quality will lead to eyestrain, dizziness, and even headaches.
That said, this doesn’t mean there aren’t good quality discount reading glasses. Readers.com, Foster Grant (View their selection on Amazon), and Peepers (View their readers on Amazon) offer relatively inexpensive reading glasses that are fashionable but more importantly, they have adequate lens quality. But even those likely cost more than a few dollars per pair, typically around $20 – $35 per pair.
Different Types of Lenses
Single Vision Reading Glasses
Single vision reading glasses feature a lens that is magnified across its entire surface. These are the most common type of reading glasses and the easiest to use. Simply put them on when you are ready to read, and you’re set!
Lens power or magnification typically ranges from +0.50 to approximately +3.50, depending on state reading glasses regulations. Though single vision lenses are the easiest to use, you might grow tired of swapping glasses if you use them a lot. When you look up from your book or work, you will have a hard time seeing anything farther than 14 inches away because the lenses are only meant to help your near vision.
If you find yourself in this situation, you will want to look into bifocal or progressive reading glasses for more versatility.
Bifocal Reading Glasses
Bifocal reading glasses provide the first glimpse into multifocal reading glasses and can typically be worn for an extended period of time, maybe even all day. You will do all of your reading or close-up work utilizing the bifocal portion of the lens while using the rest of the lens for normal vision. In other words, the only part of the lens with magnification is the half-circle bifocal lens. The area above this will have no magnification at all.
This feature is excellent for you if you don’t require any vision correction outside of reading glasses, as you can use the non-magnified portion anytime you desire to look away from your work. However, if you wear regular glasses when not using your reading glasses, this unmagnified portion will behave as if you didn’t have your glasses on.
The un-magnified portion won’t help if you still need to swap between your regular prescription glasses and your bifocal reading glasses to see distances. For anyone in this situation needing reading glasses, we suggest checking out the single vision lenses described above if you go the over-the-counter route.
Last, It’s important to note that bifocal lenses have a distinct line where the magnification starts. This line creates a significant visual jump when transitioning between non-magnified and magnified vision, which can be somewhat distracting. It’s also this characteristic that can make you appear older than you may actually be! If you like the idea of bifocals but want to maintain a more discrete look, then look no further than the progressive lenses discussed below!
Progressive Lens Reading Glasses (All Day Readers)
Progressive lenses are the more advanced version of bifocal lenses discussed above. Reading glasses with progressive lenses can potentially be worn all day given you don’t require regular prescription glasses to see distances.
Progressive lenses work much like bifocal lenses, but the progression from non-magnified vision to magnified vision is substantially smoother. There is no line or distinct magnification area with progressive reading glasses which helps to maintain a completely discrete aesthetic.
Again, like bifocal reading glasses, these may not be the right pair of readers for you if you require prescription glasses when not wearing them. You will have to switch between your reading glasses and prescription glasses to see distances. In that case, you would be better off with the full lens magnification provided by single vision reading glasses.
Computer reading glasses are the latest trend to catch on as the use of digital screens and the time spent on them grows exponentially every year.
Also called blue light blockers, computer reading glasses are very similar to traditional reading glasses except for one key difference. The typical visual range for reading glasses is about 12-14 inches away while the distance for computer reading glasses typically falls somewhere between 16 -22 inches away from your eyes. The different focal points are merely to adjust for the difference in distance most people use their computers compared to reading where you are more likely to hold the object closer to your face.
The blue light blocker portion of the lens is a filter that blocks high energy visible (HEV) light emitted from electric devices. It’s believed that this light can cause additional unneeded eye strain and fatigue. Given how much screen time you probably experience they may not be a bad thing to try out!
For most people, the need for reading glasses usually starts around age 40. You may experience an early need for reading glasses as soon as your 30s, but it’s more uncommon.
Typical signs include eyestrain, blurry vision, and headaches during prolonged reading sessions. Another sign is you may notice that you need to hold objects further away from your eyes to focus on text and tiny details.
It can be tempting to pick up an inexpensive pair of reading glasses at the local drugstore, but there are often much better options if you expand your search online. Doing so will open up the possibilities for better frames, optical quality lenses, better customer service, and even home try-on programs.
Brands like Warby Parker, LOOK Optic, CADDIS, and Eyebobs, to name a few, offer designer quality, non-prescription reading glasses. These brands are available with additional features like acetate frames, anti-reflective lenses, optional blue light, and UV protective coatings. Features like these turn a disposable vision accessory into an essential, must-have, life-enhancing tool.
Finally, If you are more budget-conscious, you can check out the great selection of affordable reading glasses available through Eyebuydirect and Readers.com.
Thoughts, questions, or concerns? We would love to hear from you! Post your comments below, but please keep our site safe and clean for all to enjoy. Any comments posted under Eyewear Genius’ official account are not reviewed or endorsed by any retailers or brands affiliated with the reviewed products unless explicitly stated otherwise.
It’s great that you elaborated on the explanation for presbyopia. It’s interesting to learn that the lens in our eyes becomes stiff and less able to focus on something as we age. Both my husband and I are needing to get reading glasses soon, as we are beginning to have a difficult time seeing close up.
Yes, it is interesting! This is also why Lasik can help older people see better at distance but they still need reading glasses for anything close. Lasik can sharpen their focus but can’t do anything for the lens’s flexibility. Thanks!
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Mirrored sunglasses contain a mirrored or reflective flash coating, often brilliantly colored, on the lens which controls the amount of light that passes through to your eye. Polarized lenses most often feature a non-mirrored or flash coated lenses, typically tinted a gray or amber color, which significantly filters out horizontally reflected light and glare. The [...]
Progressive lenses feature a smooth, seamless and a progressive transition providing vision corrections for distance, near, and everything in between. They are typically ideal for those age 40 and older and their 3-in-1 vision correction all but eliminates the need for other glasses like reading glasses. What Are Progressive Lenses? Progressive lenses are a multifocal [...]
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Everything You Need to Know About Reading Glasses – Ultimate Buyer’s Guide 2022
Reading glasses typically feature non-prescription lenses which magnify text allowing you to read items like books, magazines, and menus more easily. The lens magnification or power helps to reduce eye strain and visual discomfort when trying to read anything closer than an arm’s length away, usually at a more reasonable price than traditional prescription glasses.
This review features products from partners who compensate us. Therefore, this may influence which products we write about but not our evaluations of them. We take great pride in providing authentic reviews while remaining objective. Our thoughts and opinions are our own.
What Are Reading Glasses?
Reading glasses are available in wide varieties, but prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) reading glasses are the most common.
Prescription reading glasses are often just as expensive as regular prescription glasses, which means dishing out a lot of cash for a second pair of glasses. Over-the-counter reading glasses are more friendly to your wallet, which is generally what most people think of when they hear the term reading glasses.
Over-the-counter reading glasses can be found in all shapes and sizes, and their cost ranges from a couple of dollars per pair up to $85+. Of course, frame and lens quality varies wildly, so it’s crucial to understand the implications of choosing one type of reading glasses over the other.
Featured Topics:
What Are Reading Glasses?
When Do You Need Reading Glasses?
Different Types of Reading Glasses
Prescription
Non-Prescription (Over the counter)
Designer Reading Glasses
Discount Reading Glasses
Different Types Lenses
Signs You Need Reading Glasses
Buying Reading Glasses Online
When Do You Need Reading Glasses?
Have you started to squint and strain while reading lately? Maybe you’ve noticed that you need to hold things farther away from your eyes to keep them in focus. If so, you are starting to experience presbyopia, my friend!
Presbyopia means “elder eye” or “elder vision”. It is the medical term used to explain the phenomenon of your eye’s inability to focus on up-close things like books, magazines, and menus. As you age, the lens in your eye becomes stiffer, making it more challenging to focus.
There isn’t much cause for alarm as this naturally happens for nearly everyone and can start as early as 30. It all depends on your eye health and eye stress up to that point in your life. This is where reading glasses come in to save the day! The simple magnification of reading glasses aid your eye, making it possible to read small text and see other things up close once again.
Different Types of Reading Glasses
Prescription
Prescription reading glasses are often overlooked simply due to their high price tag. They’re virtually the same as any prescription glasses; because of this, they’re almost always more expensive than non-prescription (OTC) reading glasses. However, it doesn’t mean they should be entirely overlooked.
Often, buying prescription reading glasses from your local eye doctor or even online will grant you more choices than buying them over the counter. You’ll have the option for higher index (thinner) lenses, additional lens coatings, or, most importantly, different magnifications for each eye.
All you’ll need to do is prepare to spend more when checking out, especially if you go with the best high index lenses!
Non-Prescription (Over the Counter)
Let this be known; we love over-the-counter reading glasses! That said, you still need to be careful with exactly where you purchase them. You’ve probably seen reading glasses from the drugstore checkout to high-end boutique shops, from $2/pair all the way to $100. “What’s the difference?”, You may ask. Well, it turns out there is (potentially) a lot depending on where you’re looking.
Designer reading glasses can seem a bit extravagant depending on your financial circumstances, but their quality is usually exponentially better than their drugstore counterparts. Costs typically range from about $30 to $100, but you can generally expect a high-quality acetate frame and optical quality lenses for those prices.
Optical quality lenses ensure the power or magnification of the lens will be more accurate, and the lens itself will be clear of any impurities or distortion. Quality lenses are a big deal, especially when their essential function is to help you see better when you are concentrating on small objects or text.
Many retailers and websites are offering these high-quality reading glasses, and you can head over to read our list of best reading glasses online to get started!
Discount reading glasses can be a practical solution for blurry vision, but most should be used with an err of caution. There are federal regulations in place for lens impact resistance of reading glasses but little to no regulations on actual optical quality. Poor lens quality will lead to eyestrain, dizziness, and even headaches.
That said, this doesn’t mean there aren’t good quality discount reading glasses. Readers.com, Foster Grant (View their selection on Amazon), and Peepers (View their readers on Amazon) offer relatively inexpensive reading glasses that are fashionable but more importantly, they have adequate lens quality. But even those likely cost more than a few dollars per pair, typically around $20 – $35 per pair.
Different Types of Lenses
Single Vision Reading Glasses
Single vision reading glasses feature a lens that is magnified across its entire surface. These are the most common type of reading glasses and the easiest to use. Simply put them on when you are ready to read, and you’re set!
Lens power or magnification typically ranges from +0.50 to approximately +3.50, depending on state reading glasses regulations. Though single vision lenses are the easiest to use, you might grow tired of swapping glasses if you use them a lot. When you look up from your book or work, you will have a hard time seeing anything farther than 14 inches away because the lenses are only meant to help your near vision.
If you find yourself in this situation, you will want to look into bifocal or progressive reading glasses for more versatility.
Bifocal Reading Glasses
Bifocal reading glasses provide the first glimpse into multifocal reading glasses and can typically be worn for an extended period of time, maybe even all day. You will do all of your reading or close-up work utilizing the bifocal portion of the lens while using the rest of the lens for normal vision. In other words, the only part of the lens with magnification is the half-circle bifocal lens. The area above this will have no magnification at all.
This feature is excellent for you if you don’t require any vision correction outside of reading glasses, as you can use the non-magnified portion anytime you desire to look away from your work. However, if you wear regular glasses when not using your reading glasses, this unmagnified portion will behave as if you didn’t have your glasses on.
The un-magnified portion won’t help if you still need to swap between your regular prescription glasses and your bifocal reading glasses to see distances. For anyone in this situation needing reading glasses, we suggest checking out the single vision lenses described above if you go the over-the-counter route.
Last, It’s important to note that bifocal lenses have a distinct line where the magnification starts. This line creates a significant visual jump when transitioning between non-magnified and magnified vision, which can be somewhat distracting. It’s also this characteristic that can make you appear older than you may actually be! If you like the idea of bifocals but want to maintain a more discrete look, then look no further than the progressive lenses discussed below!
Progressive Lens Reading Glasses (All Day Readers)
Progressive lenses are the more advanced version of bifocal lenses discussed above. Reading glasses with progressive lenses can potentially be worn all day given you don’t require regular prescription glasses to see distances.
Progressive lenses work much like bifocal lenses, but the progression from non-magnified vision to magnified vision is substantially smoother. There is no line or distinct magnification area with progressive reading glasses which helps to maintain a completely discrete aesthetic.
Again, like bifocal reading glasses, these may not be the right pair of readers for you if you require prescription glasses when not wearing them. You will have to switch between your reading glasses and prescription glasses to see distances. In that case, you would be better off with the full lens magnification provided by single vision reading glasses.
To learn more about each lens type, check out our ultimate single vision, bifocal, and progressive lens guide!
Computer (Blue Light Blocking) Reading Glasses
Computer reading glasses are the latest trend to catch on as the use of digital screens and the time spent on them grows exponentially every year.
Also called blue light blockers, computer reading glasses are very similar to traditional reading glasses except for one key difference. The typical visual range for reading glasses is about 12-14 inches away while the distance for computer reading glasses typically falls somewhere between 16 -22 inches away from your eyes. The different focal points are merely to adjust for the difference in distance most people use their computers compared to reading where you are more likely to hold the object closer to your face.
The blue light blocker portion of the lens is a filter that blocks high energy visible (HEV) light emitted from electric devices. It’s believed that this light can cause additional unneeded eye strain and fatigue. Given how much screen time you probably experience they may not be a bad thing to try out!
However, the jury is still out for some in regards to the cause and effects of HEV light and the overall effectiveness of blue light blocking glasses. Though there are documented experiences of visual improvements available.
Signs You Need Reading Glasses
For most people, the need for reading glasses usually starts around age 40. You may experience an early need for reading glasses as soon as your 30s, but it’s more uncommon.
Typical signs include eyestrain, blurry vision, and headaches during prolonged reading sessions. Another sign is you may notice that you need to hold objects further away from your eyes to focus on text and tiny details.
For more insight into signs and symptoms, check out our “How to know you need reading glasses” guide.
Buying Reading Glasses Online
It can be tempting to pick up an inexpensive pair of reading glasses at the local drugstore, but there are often much better options if you expand your search online. Doing so will open up the possibilities for better frames, optical quality lenses, better customer service, and even home try-on programs.
Brands like Warby Parker, LOOK Optic, CADDIS, and Eyebobs, to name a few, offer designer quality, non-prescription reading glasses. These brands are available with additional features like acetate frames, anti-reflective lenses, optional blue light, and UV protective coatings. Features like these turn a disposable vision accessory into an essential, must-have, life-enhancing tool.
Finally, If you are more budget-conscious, you can check out the great selection of affordable reading glasses available through Eyebuydirect and Readers.com.
2 replies to “Everything You Need to Know About Reading Glasses – Ultimate Buyer’s Guide 2022”
Sabrina Addams
It’s great that you elaborated on the explanation for presbyopia. It’s interesting to learn that the lens in our eyes becomes stiff and less able to focus on something as we age. Both my husband and I are needing to get reading glasses soon, as we are beginning to have a difficult time seeing close up.
Tony Parrish
Yes, it is interesting! This is also why Lasik can help older people see better at distance but they still need reading glasses for anything close. Lasik can sharpen their focus but can’t do anything for the lens’s flexibility. Thanks!
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