# Are you wearing eyeglasses and/or contact lenses as you're reading this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2020, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425 "2020-06-11T01:58:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/21 "2020-06-11T11:43:59Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I’ve heard that a lot of doctors are skeptical of mono vision and refuse to implant IOC lenses that way, but for me it has been a godsend. Some people do not adapt to monovision and that would be a problem with implanted lenses. Sometimes folks get a trial of monovision using contacts to see if they can adjust first. Some docs, as you note, are just reluctant to do this. As a bit of trivia - men are more likely to have problems adjusting to monovision of this sort than women are. If you had a good result that’s fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/22 "2020-06-11T11:53:23Z")
Oh, and as for me - yes, wearing glasses because if I didn’t I wouldn’t be able to see far enough to read the screen. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/23 "2020-06-11T12:04:25Z")
I voted no. I’m 43. At the moment I’m waiting for my very first pair of glasses to be ready. However, unlike most people over 40, my issue is entirely with distance vision which is now bad enough to be correctable with glasses. As for near vision, I amazed the optometrist by being able to read the smallest line of the chart still. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/24 "2020-06-11T12:10:16Z")
I wear glasses, but my vision is close enough to good that I don’t notice the difference closer than about 30 feet. So when I’m at home or in another familiar indoor place, I usually take them off, but always put them on when I’m going out. So no, I’m not wearing them right this moment, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t wear glasses. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/25 "2020-06-11T12:25:18Z")
I was always proud of my superhuman eyes. My far vision was at least 20/15. My close vision was equally excellent. Then just about overnight my near vision went to shit. It really isn’t that bad compared to others but it is frustrating. My far vision is still great. I have progressive lenses that are clear up top and reading glasses below. At work I’m constantly looking down at a computer and then up for distance and they have been a miracle. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/26 "2020-06-11T12:38:12Z")
I had one cataract replaced IOC about a year ago. It’s multi focal, so works at distance and reading. The other eye has a multi-focal contact lens. So no more reading glasses. It’s fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/27 "2020-06-11T12:40:05Z")
I voted no because I have not yet put my contact lenses in today. I have no trouble reading(even a computer monitor) without corrective lenses, but I am very nearsighted. But when wearing my contacts I need to use cheaters for reading. So later today I would be wearing both glasses and contacts to read this 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/28 "2020-06-11T12:40:42Z")
I’ve worn glasses for distance vision since childhood, and have worn bifocals since age 20 as I needed correction for reading as well. I read my computer screen through my reading lenses. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/29 "2020-06-11T13:04:51Z")
I’ve worn progressive trifocals for more than 20 years. Without them, the screen is a blur - even if I squint. In fact, most of the world is a blur without my specs. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/30 "2020-06-11T14:01:46Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’m wearing non-prescription reading glasses, which is pretty common for people over the age of 40, even those who didn’t need vision correction when they were younger. From what I understand, if you are slightly myopic (and use glasses), the use of reading glasses is usually delayed as you are better at seeing close. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/31 "2020-06-11T15:44:36Z")
I’m pretty near-sighted and need my glasses to do anything more than toodle around the house. I’m also at the age where I need to lift my glasses to read anything closer than an arm’s length. Two different eye doctors are of the opinion though that I’d find bifocals more visually annoying than I’d like and should continue to just lift my glasses for now (I didn’t intentionally seek a second opinion; it just worked out that way). Agreed that the SDMB probably isn’t representative of the general population in this regard for multiple reasons. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/32 "2020-06-11T16:21:54Z")
Yes. I have an astigmatism and like to joke that “my eyeballs are shaped like footballs.” Now I have my “computer glasses” that I wear during the day and my regular glasses I wear all other times. Except when I’m in the pool, and blissfully unaware of my surroundings. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/33 "2020-06-11T16:44:33Z")
I am a little bit near sighted but don’t need glasses to read, unless the print is really small, in which case I use my wife’s reading glasses. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/34 "2020-06-11T17:00:47Z")
No, but I have a big screen and make the words pretty big. I’m 58 and just got my first Rx reading glasses. I usually forget to use them. Menus in dark restaurants and hard copy newspapers are hard for me. Computer reading is not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/35 "2020-06-11T17:05:14Z")
No. My eye doctor said I have “natural bifocals”: one eye is near-sighted (with very low astigmatism), the other is far-sighted (with some astigmatism). I wear glasses only for driving. I get along without glasses for everything else. I’m almost 70, and my near-sighted eye has become less so than it was, and sometimes I do need a magnifying glass for small print. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/36 "2020-06-11T17:53:35Z")
I used to wear contacts but had lasik 2003. I’m _just_ at the point now where I need to think about reading glasses as I stare down the barrel of my 50th birthday. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/37 "2020-06-11T18:30:06Z")
Non scrip readers. Been needing them for some years now, this year was finally bad enough that I got some. My vision was perfect until I signed up and started posting on here. What started as simple fatigue cured by a day of not looking at screens or reading is now permanent it seems like. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/38 "2020-06-11T18:42:33Z")
I didn’t answer the poll, because I’m not wearing glasses, but, that’s only because I have a freaking huge monitor on my computer. If I’m reading, or using my laptop, or if I’m at work (for some reason they don’t want to spend the money to buy me a freaking huge monitor there), then I am wearing glasses. I have always had iffy distance vision, but when I was young I didn’t realize it. It was only when I was in my early 20s and I moved out to Baltimore, and I worked in a building with VERY LONG hallways. People at the other end of the hall would wave to me, but I had no idea who they were. They could obviously recognize me, but I could not recognize them. I went in and got my vision checked and found out I was myopic. My close-up vision was good until I turned 40. Not 40-ish, not 39, not 41, 40 on the dot. It was like my warranty expired that year or something. I was at work and was having a hard time soldering something, which I had never had any difficulty seeing before then. The last time I had to take a vision test at the DMV (years ago) I passed, but only just barely, and only because the woman who was giving me the test let me switch to a different machine after I failed repeatedly to read the proper letters out too many times. I don’t wear glasses when I’m driving, and I don’t wear glasses while I am on my home computers, so I’m a no on the poll. But I do wear glasses, so I’m a yes on what I think is the intent of the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/39 "2020-06-11T20:28:41Z")
Had glasses from Jr high to around 35 when I got LASIK and didn’t need any glasses at all until about 4 years ago when I started needing reading glasses again. Nothing for everyday activities though. ---
**Author:** ![FastDan1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fastdan1/32/427_2.png) [@FastDan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FastDan1)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425/40 "2020-06-11T21:39:23Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I was always proud of my superhuman eyes. My far vision was at least 20/15. My close vision was equally excellent. Then just about overnight my near vision went to shit. It really isn’t that bad compared to others but it is frustrating. My far vision is still great. I have progressive lenses that are clear up top and reading glasses below. At work I’m constantly looking down at a computer and then up for distance and they have been a miracle. You and me both. At about 40, it was like falling off a cliff. Now wear glasses for computer and reading which means pretty much all day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-eyeglasses-and-or-contact-lenses-as-youre-reading-this/855425.md?page=3)