How Do I Know if I Need Reading Glasses?

If you are over the age of 40, you will most likely notice changes in your vision. Like many muscles in our bodies, our eyes begin to get less flexible, especially the internal lenses, creating a condition called presbyopia. This makes it difficult to focus the eyes as they transition from far vision to near vision; therefore, text becomes blurry and your eyes start to strain. 

People with presbyopia experience many of the traditional signs of farsightedness. Some signs that you need reading glasses include the following:

Blurry Vision While Reading – The most obvious reason for reading glasses is simply when you cannot clearly read anymore. If you experience blurry vision when attempting to read a book, it is likely time for reading glasses.

Needing Brighter Lighting – A common sign of presbyopia is constantly needing to or trying to turn up the lighting around you. Bright lighting helps to reduce eye strain when you read smaller print. But if you are truly experiencing presbyopia, no amount of lighting increase will help the lens of your eye focus any better.

Feeling Tired & Fatigued – If you find yourself feeling overly tired during or after activities like reading, sewing or working on anything up close, it may be time to consider reading glasses. This symptom can easily go unnoticed for a long time because the effects can be so gradual. 

Experiencing Frequent Headaches – Eye strain from forcing your eyes to focus can cause headaches, and if these headaches are getting more frequent as you age and are directly related to reading or up-close tasks, it is likely a sign of presbyopia. Headaches are never fun and experiencing them whenever you read or perform an up-close task can be frustrating. If you’ve started to notice signs of presbyopia or would like more information about reading glasses, contact Pennachio Eye at 325-227-1999 or website to schedule an exam with Dr. Pennachio.