How Readers Work
Reading glasses magnify. The number on a pair — +1.0, +2.0 and so on — is the strength of that magnification, and the right one for you is simply the weakest power that lets you read comfortably at the distance you actually hold things.
Most people need readers because of presbyopia, the gradual stiffening of the lens inside the eye that begins around 40 and continues into the 60s. It happens to everyone. It is not a disease, and it is not a sign that anything is wrong.
We offer six powers: 0.0, +1.0, +1.5, +2.0, +2.5 and +3.0.
A Rough Guide By Age
Presbyopia progresses at a fairly predictable rate, so age is a reasonable starting point. Find yourself on this list, then adjust from there.
Early to mid 40s — +1.0
Late 40s to early 50s — +1.5
Mid 50s — +2.0
Late 50s — +2.5
60 and beyond — +2.5 to +3.0
If you are between two powers, start with the lower one. Over-magnifying is the most common mistake, and it makes everything outside your reading distance harder to see.
Check It Yourself
Take a book, a menu or your phone and hold it where you would naturally read it — for most people that is around fourteen inches, a little over a forearm's length.
If the text is sharp there, you may not need magnification at all. If you find yourself pushing it further away to bring it into focus, or if the letters soften after a few minutes, step up one power and try again.
Do this in the light you normally read in. Tired eyes at the end of the day will read differently than fresh ones in the morning, so if you can, check twice.
0.0 — For Screens
Every style we make comes in 0.0. No magnification at all — just the lens, with blue light blocking, anti-reflective and anti-scratch coatings.
These are for people whose near vision is fine but who spend long days in front of a screen, and for anyone who wants the frame without the correction.
When To See An Eye Doctor
This guide is a starting point, not a prescription. Readers magnify both eyes by the same amount, which works well for most people but not for everyone.
See an optometrist if your two eyes need noticeably different strengths, if you have astigmatism, or if you are getting headaches, eye strain or blurred distance vision. Those are things readers cannot fix, and guessing at a power will not help.
A regular eye exam is worth having regardless. It catches things you would not notice on your own.
If you already have a prescription, we make optical frames too.