How to Improve Reading Vision

The eyes often lose their ability to focus on close-up objects as a person gets older. This usually begins around the age of forty and can make reading difficult. The inability of the eye to focus on objects near to it is known as presbyopia. Because of this, many people choose to wear reading glasses, which come in a variety of strengths and styles. Reading glasses can be purchased at a drugstore or prescribed by a doctor.

Instructions

• 1

  Get an professional eye exam. Many people will self-prescribe reading glasses without seeing a doctor, but not all problems can be self-diagnosed. Glaucoma is a serious disease that often does not show symptoms in its early stages, but can render a person blind if not medicated.

• 2

  Purchase a pair of reading glasses, if this is what your doctor recommends. These can be purchased ready-made at any drugstore, but many doctors also offer discounts on custom-made reading glasses. Custom-made reading glasses tend to be more effective because they are made specifically for your eyes, while ready-made glasses only come in set sizes and strengths. Wearing a pair of glasses with a strength different from what you actually need can cause strain to the eyes, resulting in headaches and/or nausea.

• 3

  Try on the glasses before you purchase them. If you are ordering custom-made glasses, your doctor will prescribe a lens strength that is right for you, but you should still try on a few different frames to feel which is most comfortable for you. If you are purchasing ready-made reading glasses, try on a few pairs and try reading something in the store to ensure that the strength is correct.

• 4

  Decide if you want half-eye or full-eye reading glasses. Full-eye reading glasses have the corrective lens throughout the entire glass, meaning they are helpful for reading but if you are wearing them and look up to see something in the distance, the distance will appear blurry. Half-eye reading glasses (bifocals) have a corrective lens only on the bottom half, so that you can look down at a page you are reading and then look up and see clearly in the distance.