One of the biggest indicators that you may need reading glasses is your inability to read the paper, the computer screen, or documents. But do you need reading glasses that are prescription strength or would a pair of over the counter readers work? Determining whether or not you need reading glasses will make your life much easier, especially if you’re constantly finding yourself struggling to focus, you have to squint to read the fine print, or you often get headaches related to eye strain and fatigue. Now, let’s go over some of the most common signs that can indicate that you’re experiencing age-related vision loss and when a visit to your eye doctor is needed.
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Common Signs of Vision Loss
Approximately sixty percent of the world’s population needs vision correction. Fortunately, a total of eighty percent of visual impairment can be corrected or avoided altogether. In many cases, people over the age of forty will begin to experience some type of vision loss. However, everyone’s eyesight tends to change at a different rate. Most people will develop a condition called presbyopia in their forties. This condition will affect your ability to clearly see objects nearby and can make reading very difficult. However, it doesn’t have an impact on a person’s ability to see distant objects.
Bright Light
If you’ve noticed that you now require brighter light in order to see what you’re reading, and regardless of how bright the light is, you still have trouble focusing, then it may be time for an eye exam. Some people choose to avoid an eye exam and instead will purchase over the counter reading glasses, which work by magnifying text and nearby objects, however, they cannot correct any vision problems. But are over the counter reading glasses any good? Yes. If you’re simply experiencing age-related vision loss, then these OTC glasses can be a huge help and can allow you to enjoy many of the books and hobbies you once loved. The key will be finding the right pair. To learn more about the different OTC reading glasses available and how to choose a pair that will work for you, click here to visit my buyer’s guide.
Frequent Eye Strain
Do you have a desk job that requires you to spend hours reading documents or staring at a computer screen? Do your eyes constantly feel strained? Do you find that your eyelids feel very heavy when you have to do detailed work or read? If you are in fact developing presbyopia, then your eyes will have to work harder in order to focus and can become fatigued easily. Using the best glasses for gaming can be a great solution. Gaming glasses can help since they work to cancel out blue light, which is one of the biggest culprits of eye fatigue. Another solution is to take frequent breaks from reading or computer use, blinking more often, or making changes to your computer screen in order to reduce glare. But if your eyes are feeling strained because you’re constantly squinting to read the fine print, then reading glasses may be a better option.
Chronic Headaches
If you have more than three headaches a week, then a change in vision can be to blame. Often eye pain and a headache can indicate that you’re straining your vision, which can make it difficult to focus. If you have to constantly squint to read the computer screen and you’re left with a headache and eyes that feel heavy and tender, then this can be indicative of hyperopia. If you want to reduce your risk of headaches and eye strain, make sure you take a break from your computer screen every twenty minutes. Practice focusing on an object in the distance for a period of twenty seconds, with each break. If you continue to struggle with chronic headaches then make an appointment with your eye doctor for a routine exam.
Halos
Suddenly seeing halos can be terrifying for some, especially those who have a history of migraines. But did you know that eye strain can be a major cause of migraines for some people? When the lenses in the eyes cannot focus light in the retina it can make a person’s vision appear blurry. This can cause them to see glowing circles around headlights or lightbulbs. Wearing glasses can often solve this problem since it’s a clear indication that a person is suffering from vision loss. Halos are a direct result of eye strain, a problem that can become chronic without treatment. Halos can also be one of the first symptoms a person experiences right before a migraine hits them. As I mentioned, for some, eye strain can be a major migraine trigger. Additionally, if a person is seeing halos often, especially at night, then this can be an early indication of cataracts.
Blurred Vision
Blurry vision is one of the most obvious signs that eyeglasses are needed. The muscles in the eye work harder when a person tries to focus, such as when they’re trying to read or when they’re working on a computer. If that person needs glasses but doesn’t wear them, the muscles tend to work even harder which can actually make a person feel sleepy. If wearing OTC readers doesn’t help much and you’re experiencing blurred vision after just an hour or two of work, make an appointment with your eye doctor. Once eyeglasses have been prescribed and you begin wearing them regularly, you’ll be surprised by how much energy you now have and how effortless it is to get your work done.
Other Signs
- How close a person holds a book to their face will tell anyone in a room whether or not that person should be wearing glasses. If you find that you have to basically press a book right up to your face, then glasses are in your future. People with good eyesight will hold a book about one foot from their face, while the farsighted person tends to hold a book approximately four to five inches away from their face.
- Do you struggle to see clearly when you go from a well-lit environment to a dark one? If it takes your eyes a very long time to adjust to the dark after being in a lit environment, this can indicate that the muscles that help the iris expand and contract are very weak.
- Do you experience double vision often? Seeing double can indicate serious problems with the eye muscles or cornea. It can also point to the early onset of cataracts.
- Do you have wavy vision from time to time, especially at the end of the day? When colors look faded or straight lines appear wavy, it can be a sign of macular degeneration. This is a condition in which the central portion of the retina has begun to deteriorate.
- Pressure in and around the eyes can also signal that you have a serious problem with your vision. If you feel like there is a building pressure behind your eyes, you may be experiencing chronic eye strain, or it can be something more serious such as glaucoma. Fortunately, both conditions are treatable but will require medical attention. If glaucoma is left untreated, the pressure will continue to build, which can lead to optic nerve damage.
When it’s Time to Get Glasses
Wearing eyeglasses will reduce or eliminate the many symptoms that are linked to vision loss, such as halos, chronic headaches, migraines, eye strain, fatigue, and general discomfort. When you make an appointment to have your eyes examined, if your physician determines that glasses are needed, you can anticipate an immediate change in your vision once you begin wearing them, in addition to the reduction of many of these symptoms.
Prescription reading glasses feature lenses that are customized to suit your specific vision needs. In some cases, one eye may be stronger than the other, so the lens strength of the right may be much higher than the left. Because of this, many optometrists recommend wearing prescription reading glasses instead of over the counter readers, which simply magnify a person’s vision and feature lenses of the same strength. You may also learn that you have trouble focusing on both near and distant objects, in which case, you may be required to wear glasses all the time.
Final Thoughts
If you’re experiencing one or more of these symptoms, it doesn’t mean you have a serious vision problem. Do you need reading glasses? It’s very possible. But it may simply be a matter of developing age-related vision loss, which is very common. Yet, it can also be indicative of a serious vision problem such as glaucoma, astigmatism, or cataracts. To rule out any serious eye problems and to determine whether or not you would benefit from wearing eyeglasses, make an appointment with your eye doctor for a routine eye exam.
