Are readers just as good as prescription glasses?

For the vast majority of people, over-the-counter (OTC) readers should not be a problem as long as they match the power of the prescription. For instance, if your doctor recommends +2.00 in each eye, then purchasing OTC readers of the same power should generally suffice.

What strength of reader do I need?

Someone who needs strong vision correction will likely need reading glasses with a strength around +3.00, while someone who needs only minor vision correction would likely wear reading glasses with a label of +1.25. For most people new to needing readers, it's highly unlikely that they'll need a high powered lens.

How do you know what strength reading glasses to buy?

Most over-the-counter reading glasses start at +1.00 as the lowest reading strength and increase in +0.25 increments. If you currently wear reading glasses and find you have to hold what you're reading further away than normal to read it clearly, you'll need a stronger reading strength.

What is the most common reading glasses strength?

The most common strength is +1.0. Reading glasses typically start with a near vision, or NV, a strength of +1.0 and progress in strength by . 25 diopters. When recommending reading glasses for their patients, optometrists typically use a range based on different age groups. This range starts at +0.75 diopters (or magnification) for those ages 40 to 43.

How can you read the prescription for reading glasses?

To find the right reading glasses, add the sphere number to the ADD number. In the above example, for the right eye, this would be -2.00 and +1.75, which equals -0.25. For the left eye, add +1.00 and +1.75 to get +2.75. Next, look at the cylinder measurement and the axis measurement