28/11/2022
Prescription Reading Glasses or Over-The-Counter?
Most adults need some vision support for reading by the time they reach age 40. Some visit an eye doctor to get a pair of prescription glasses, others head to the local pharmacy or retailer to pick up a pair of over-the-counter (OTC) reading glasses. Which option is the best choice for your eyes?
- Prescription readers are custom tailored for your specific eye needs. If your eyes have different prescriptions, prescription readers will correct both eyes accurately. With OTC readers, you don’t have the option of having a different prescription in each eye. The same prescription is used in both lenses even though most people have some difference in the prescription of each eye. Not having the correct prescription in each eye may cause discomfort when reading.
- Prescription readers are tailored specifically to fit your face. OTC readers are often designed to fit the most common face shapes. Getting a poor fit can lead to uncomfortable frames.
- Prescription readers are made specifically to fit your pupillary distance (or PD, the distance between the right and left pupils). OTC readers are commonly designed to fit the most common PDs. Getting a misaligned pair of OTC readers will cause the eye to over-work in order to compensate which can lead to strained eyes and headaches.
- The OTC route isn't right for everyone, including people who have astigmatism (meaning the eye's cornea or lens isn't perfectly round). In those cases, prescription reading glasses from the eye doctor are a better option. The most popular choice of prescription reading glasses are those with progressive lenses which combine multiple prescriptions in one lens, with a gradual top-to-bottom change, allowing someone to wear just one pair of glasses to correct far-away, middle-distance and up-close vision. A precise PD measurement and pupil center height determined by an optician or your eye doctor is critical for the optimal fitting of progressive lenses.
- The quality of the lenses and materials of an $5 OTC pair of reading glasses are usually inferior. Minor bubbles or imperfections in the lenses of reading glasses might not be something you realize or notice, but your eyes do. Imperfections can make it harder to see clearly and cause further distortion in your vision. Some advantages of prescription lenses is that they are available scratch resistant, thinner and in lighter materials that can be better fitted to the frame.
- Prescription reading glasses are designed to be worn over long periods of time and are better suited for those with significant astigmatism and other eye disorders. Using OTC reading glasses for a long period of time, although will not cause permanent damage to the eyes, its prolong use may lead to strained eyes and headaches. Thus, when using reading glasses for work or long periods of time, tailor prescription reading glasses are a better option for most people.
While OTC glasses may be cheaper and easier to buy, they may not the best option in the long run. Everyone should have regular eye exams to check for conditions like glaucoma and cataracts. Prescription glasses will perform better and are tailored to your vision needs.
It may not hurt to have a pair of OTC readers available to put on as a backup or for short periods of time like reading a menu, but in the end, it’s best to get prescription eyeglasses for long periods of “near” work.
