In one of those little life coincidences, only last week I too picked up my first ever pair of reading glasses. I'd noticed of late that I was having more and more difficulty making out fine print (like expiration dates on some coupons for instance). I began to wonder if I might be reaching that age. My Mother began needing reading glasses around this age too if I recall correctly, so I wasn't really all that surprised. Apparently I have my Mother's eyes.
If I close each eye and test my reading ability, my right eye is still very good, but my left eye is where things are out of focus and I have to strain more to make out details. With both eyes open and reading normally, I still don't have much trouble unless the print is smaller than usual. Reading road signs and distance viewing is not a problem at all, nor does reading the computer monitor seem to involve any significant trouble yet.
A couple weeks ago I began checking out those cheapie reading glasses you see at your local pharmacy for $10-$20. It seemed like they could be semi-useful, but I still wasn't sure so I didn't get anything right away.
Then I just happened to find a pair of similar cheap glasses laying around the home. They were labelled as having a magnification strength of 1.75. I have no idea where they came from. My Dad wore regular prescription glasses all the time since very early in his life as he had very bad eyesight. This experimental 1.75 pair were definitely men's glasses, so I suspect someone just left them here, or that they were found/picked up somewhere, or perhaps they belonged to my grandfather at one time.
Finally, I thought of looking in local dollar stores. Sure, they're not much for only a buck, but for experimentation purposes they're quite adequate and actually preferable. I also did a little googling and found no significantly dire warnings about the effects on one's eyes of wearing such cheap reading glasses. In fact I found almost overwhelming evidence that such cheap glasses are in fact just fine. Aside from general text-based supportive pages, I also discovered a YouTube vid of a West coast local news reporter investigating the very question at hand...
Great Flippin Question—Dollar Store Reading Glasses:
...So I figured, "Hey, what could it hurt to try'em for a little while and see how it goes?" Sure, in the vid they say you should go to an eye doc first and get tested to know what your appropriate prescription strength should be, but I didn't do that. I figure I can tell whether they help or not just by trying them and since there doesn't appear to be any potential harm, that's good enough for me until the day I start having more serious trouble.
Anyway, those serendipitous 1.75s really did help, but seemed stronger than I really needed, which I noticed most when switching between reading with them and then taking them off (or looking over them) for, say, TV viewing. And besides, they weren't really what I'd consider to be "my style."
That's when I decided to go to one of my "better" (I have my standards!) local dollar stores to start checking out their selection and different strengths. It was a little difficult finding a pair I liked in the strength I wanted that weren't already all bent up and damaged in some way. I settled on a 1.25 pair and so far, so good. They definitely seem like they help without being too strong.
I found a very sturdy case (again, just laying about the home here) that I carry them in so I'm not too worried about them getting bent up, I just have to be careful not to do anything stupid like lay them down briefly where I might sit!
I would have liked to get a second, third, or even fourth/fifth pairs (since they're only a buck!) if they'd only had more of the same style/strength. So now I may pop in to other dollar stores here and there in my local travels just to see if I can find suitable backup pairs to keep on hand. I figure one for each vehicle (map reading) and maybe one or two just for other key rooms in the home (OK, I admit it—possibly some bathroom reading!) or in case I misplace my main pair.
Finally, just for giggles...
(Click me for larger, scarier view.)
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15 comments:
OMG!!!!!
We live in a strange Internet world!
My friend in NJ with my friend from Belgium in the backround. lol
I actually have a pair for using when I am working on the computer at well...work. My Optometrist figured out that the headaches I was getting at work, were caused by my computer being so far away from me. The glasses are incredible and help so much. So good in fact, that my boss got some, too. We are happier people.
Yep, time's definitely marchin' on for the Steely crowd in general...
I've tested mine for viewing the computer monitor and have found possibly some very slight benefit toward extra clarity at times, but so far not finding them absolutely necessary for that. I think the web pages I visit most on a daily basis all have large enough text when factoring in optional Windows settings like my preferred desktop size and whatnot. Maybe I sit closer to my screen, though.
But for reading fine print on coupons or trying to see what year a CD was released by checking the tiny print of the release info on the back cover? Well, then the glasses are a must or I just ain't readin' it.
I'm sure they'll become even more frequently necessary in the coming years, but oh well... I'm reasonably OK with that. I realize I've been blessed with very good eyesight my whole life, so I can't really start griping now just because I may need a little visual assistance now and then.
And as I say, based on my Mom's history I've been kind of expecting this to come along right about now anyway. I probably could also get by for another year or two without'em, but I figure it's just as well to start adjusting now on a more gradual basis rather than waiting until I can just no longer avoid'em.
lol lol!!!!
really enjoyed your take on the reading glasses matter a lot... my pair of glasses has been around the house for quite some time, but when i tried them, maybe more than 8 months ago, taking them off and adjusting to 'normal' sight made me feel sick and nausea, so i put them in a drawer where they stayed til last week or so.
i was getting more and more tired and i do need them to work on the computer. i can watch TV just fine, but i don't feel tired anymore after spending some hours behind the computer screen. what these glasses do is somehow magnify things a little, but enough for me.
they're 1.00 and cost me €6 and are from Bartley & Finch.
me too, still have good sight in general , but for work, the glasses are more than welcomed :-)
Exactly, Gina! I can still do most things just fine without the glasses, just need a little extra help sometimes with the reading.
I just found it funny how half a world away we were going though very similar eye issues at about the same time and didn't know about it till later.
Granted, as coincidences go it's not really a major one, but still amazing how even in subtle aging issues us steely fans are somehow connectied through the cosmic continuum. Sort of a Steely Dan Zen thing going on when you think about it... All are connected, all are one.
LOL!
Having been myopic all my life (also severely astigmatic), I was used to wearing glasses. Then sometime in my forties, I began to have a little trouble reading with my glasses on. As the years have reeled by, it's reached the point where it makes me feel queasy if I try to read anything with my glasses on. Of course I'm a few years older than anyone else around here, ahem. :)
Hi Nigey! What a nice surprise! Thanks for stopping by.
In my brief online research I did happen to read about the problem with astigmatism being one case where off-the-shelf cheap reading glasses would not be helpful or appropriate. Then, not having a clue what "astigmatism" actually is (though I've often heard the term over the years) I googled to find out.
However, I don't recall reading where the condition could actually improve over time! And to the point where you would actually "grow out of" (so to speak) the need for glasses (or perhaps just reading glasses?)---I'm not sure.
But how great for you... That's gotta be like winning a prize in a contest you didn't remember entering in the first place. Cool!
So I assume you'll now be extolling the numerous virtues and benefits of aging, right?
;-)
I can't resist...
LA to NJ to Belgium
LOL!
Unfortunately my vision over time has only improved (if that's the right word) when reading. When it comes to seeing things more than a few feet away from my nose (farther than a book or a computer screen), I'm still blind as a bat. One tends to become more farsighted (or less nearsighted) with age. Astigmatism, alas, is forever, although laser surgery can correct some forms of it, or so I've heard.
There are advantages to being a Dan fan: no reason to feel self-conscious when both your heroes wear thicker glasses than you do. :)
Nigey, thanks for clarifying. I somewhat misunderstood, obviously, but again that's because I've been blessed with really good eyesight my whole life. Which is good for me obviously, but it means I can't really understand about or relate to various eye conditions. I guess all we can do is play the genetic hand we're dealt.
Actually there are times when I'm glad I can take off my glasses. There are some sights no one should have to see. :)
angel's photo cracks me up. what we now need, is one of Nigey's with Angel's on the computer......
Gina: I knew you would get a kick out of more scary images. :-)
Hey, DimSkip, you look good with glasses! :)
But what does THAT mean?! "I began to wonder if I might be reaching that age."
What age would that be, huh? ;)
I'd say simply the age when you need reading glasses, is all. After all, age is all a mind over matter -- if you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
(typing it in my first pair of bifocals -- now, talk about strange visual experiences!)
I have several cheap pairs of reading glasses, scattered around the house -- never remember where I put them -- to help me when I wear contacts (which is most of the time since time immemorial, i.e., my twenties). I am severely short-sighted and contacts have been a blessing, but about three years ago I noticed that I cannot read bupkus. Thus the cheap reading glasses all around. Although my optometrist has offered a bifocal contacts (imagine that!), they have not worked so well for me.
And then there is the zoom option on your computer screen -- I use mine liberally.
I'd say simply the age when you need reading glasses, is all."
Exactly. :)
I've since gotten two more pair—one a simple backup pair not exactly in the same style or even one I would ordinarily prefer, but passable enough, and the other a pair of reading/sunglasses at the same +1.25 strength. Thought they'd be handy for those odd occasions when I might attempt reading in bright sun. I've tried'em out that way and they seem to be fine.
I've never worn contacts and don't think I could. Gotta be strange to get used to, I would think, not to mention the mere act of deliberately sticking a foreign object in your eye.
And thanks for the compliment too!
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