I had perfect vision.
Then one day it happened…I turned 40. That was okay;I just needed to hold the newspaper at arm’s length to read it.
Then I turned 41. I had to buy reading glasses off the shelf at the pharmacy. 1.00 diopters.*
Then I turned 41 1/2…and I bought glasses with 1.25 diops.
And every year or two since then, I’ve upped the number.
Now, at age 53, I’m using 2.75 . And those 3.00 diopter models are looking pretty handy, too.
But the numbers on the shelf stop at 3.25 or 3.50.
So what happens next?
*(yes, I went to an optometrist. Who charged me a bunch of money, and then told me to buy reading glasses of 1.00 diopters)
Requiring a +2.75 add at the age of 53 is somewhat more than you should need at that age, if all that was going on is regular old presbyopia. A few things to keep in mind:
1.You should go to an eye doctor (an optometrist or ophthalmologist) not just so they can tell you to buy reading glasses, but so they can make sure your eyes are healthy!
Most “drugstore reading glasses” stop at +3.00, because that’s all most people need – and indeed, most people require only +2.50. The number tends to plateau between 60-65 or so, because that’s when you lose as much focusing ability as you’re going to lose. If you need more, chances are one of two things are true:
a) you’re an uncorrected hyperope (i.e. a farsighted person). In that case, things will start to look blurry in the distance as well as near. You might just not notice because you’re used to it – plenty of people walk around with acuity reduced from 20/20 and don’t realize it.
b) You have something else going on, and need a higher add because you have to hold text closer in order to get the clarity you require to read. “Something else” can range from the benign, such as uncorrected astigmatism, to the less benign. Either way – going to see an eye doctor is a good start.
