At What Age Will I Need Reading Glasses?: Smart Eye Care: Ophthalmologists (2024)

Smart Eye Care Blog At What Age Will I Need Reading Glasses?

At What Age Will I Need Reading Glasses?: Smart Eye Care: Ophthalmologists (1)

You might remember your parents or grandparents always using reading glasses to check small print or see fine details. As you age, the structures of your eyes change over time. Typically, most people start needing to use reading glasses at some point to compensate for lost flexibility in and around their eyes.

So, when will you need to start using reading glasses? Everyone is different, but most patients get their first pair or readers sometime between the ages of 41-60. Whenever you’re ready for reading glasses, the care team at Smart Eye Care of Brooklyn, New York will be ready to help you pick the right lens strength and look for your new accessories.

The effects of aging on your eyes

Sometimes we tell younger people that they have “old eyes,” but that typically refers to perceived emotional, rather than physical, age. You can’t see the changes that take place in the structures of your eyes over time, but they impact the quality of your vision after a certain point.

Beginning in your 40s, the internal lenses in your eyes start to lose flexibility. You may struggle more to shift your focus from distant objects to closer ones. This effect increases over time.

If your close vision worsens enough for you to be diagnosed with presbyopia, you’ll need reading glasses to help you make out many details. By your 60s, your vision will likely have re-stabilized, and you won’t need to keep adjusting your prescription any further.

Risk factors for presbyopia

Some people’s eyes worsen enough to require corrective lenses at a younger age than others’. Certain risk factors can increase your chances of early-onset presbyopia. You might be at a higher risk of developing presbyopia in your 40s if you:

  • Have a chronic condition, like high blood pressure or diabetes
  • Have a family history of macular degeneration or glaucoma
  • Spend a lot of time reading
  • Work in a job that exposes you to eye hazards
  • Take medications related to arthritis, anxiety or depression, high cholesterol, and thyroid conditions

How to know when you need reading glasses

If you have worsening presbyopia, some common signs and symptoms can let you know that it’s time to take action in response to age-related changes in your eyes. You may find that you:

  • Struggle with smaller print, especially in dim light
  • Find yourself holding books farther away to read them
  • Experience headaches after reading
  • Have eye pain after reading or other extended close visual focus, such as sewing

If you already use glasses to correct your vision, you may need to switch to multifocal lenses as you age. With an eye exam at Smart Eye Care, you can identify your reading glasses needs, including the right intensity of magnification for your first pair. You could also potentially benefit from contact lenses, or even laser surgery to restore your close vision.

Schedule your appointment at our New York City, New York offices over the phone, or book your appointment online.

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At What Age Will I Need Reading Glasses?: Smart Eye Care: Ophthalmologists (2024)

FAQs

At What Age Will I Need Reading Glasses?: Smart Eye Care: Ophthalmologists? ›

Typically, most people start needing to use reading glasses at some point to compensate for lost flexibility in and around their eyes. So, when will you need to start using reading glasses? Everyone is different, but most patients get their first pair or readers sometime between the ages of 41-60.

At what age do you usually start needing reading glasses? ›

But most people find that they need help with reading glasses between the ages of 41 and 60. Pay attention to how easy it is to read a book or pages in front of you, then talk to an eye doctor to determine if the timing is right to get reading glasses.

What age do eyes need glasses? ›

When should a child get their first pair of glasses? The answer may be as young as a few months of age. Healthcare providers who specialize in children's eye care say kids usually become nearsighted or farsighted between ages 6 and 12. Farsightedness may be diagnosed even earlier, sometimes in infancy.

What eye condition requires reading glasses? ›

Presbyopia is the gradual loss of your eyes' ability to focus on nearby objects. It's a natural, often annoying part of aging. Presbyopia usually becomes noticeable in your early to mid-40s and continues to worsen until around age 65.

At what eyesight level do you need glasses? ›

According to the American Optometric Association, the following levels of vision can indicate an issue that requires corrective eyewear: 20/30 to 20/60: This means you may have a small vision issue, but your vision is almost normal. It's unlikely you'll need to wear glasses all the time.

What age range do you need reading glasses? ›

Everyone is different, but most patients get their first pair or readers sometime between the ages of 41-60. Whenever you're ready for reading glasses, the care team at Smart Eye Care of Brooklyn, New York will be ready to help you pick the right lens strength and look for your new accessories.

Do all people over 40 need reading glasses? ›

This is extremely common in those aged between 41-60. It is completely normal, as we age; the eye's ability to focus becomes weaker. This is called Presbyopia and will continue to develop over time. The average reading glasses age varies, but most people find they need them once they've hit middle age.

What are the signs that you need reading glasses? ›

Here are a few signs that you do:
  • When you hold books and other reading materials up close, they look blurry. You have to hold them farther away to read them.
  • You have trouble seeing smaller print in dim light.
  • Your eyes hurt when you try to read, sew, or do other close work.
  • You get a headache when you try to read.
Mar 7, 2023

What are the disadvantages of using reading glasses? ›

Often times headaches and nausea can result from wearing the wrong prescription of readers or may have optical centers far from your pupil centers. This is why we recommend having an eye doctor specialist do an eye exam.

Is there a big difference between 1.25 and 1.50 reading glasses? ›

The higher the number in diopters, the higher the strength. So, +1.25 reading glasses would be less strong than +1.50 reading glasses, which would be less strong than +1.75 reading glasses.

How bad is 70/20 vision? ›

Basically, if it is at least 20/70, is uncorrectable—even with contacts, glasses or surgery—and interferes with your daily activities, it can be legally considered “low vision.” In order to be legally blind, you must have a visual acuity of 20/200.

Does 20 20 vision mean no glasses? ›

Unless there's another underlying eye condition affecting their vision, most people with 20/20 vision won't need glasses or contacts. But their near vision will still likely worsen around age 40 (when they become presbyopic), and reading glasses won't be out of the question!

Is 20 40 vision bad with glasses? ›

Just remember: 20/40 vision is not bad! It just means you can benefit from corrective lenses. If you'd like to see distant objects and text a little more sharply, it's nothing some new glasses or contacts can't fix. Book an appointment with one of our top-notch optometrists if it's time to recheck those peepers.

Is it normal to need reading glasses at 30? ›

Patients in their 20s can usually become glasses free for a number of years, but will return to need glasses for reading, commonly in their late 30s or 40s.

Why do I suddenly need reading glasses? ›

It occurs as your eye's natural lens grows less flexible with aging. Presbyopia generally starts to develop around age 40 and gets worse until your mid-60s. You'll notice that reading or other close-up tasks are harder than they used to be.

When should you use reading glasses? ›

Who Should Use Reading Glasses?
  1. You tend to hold reading materials further away from your face than usual.
  2. You get headaches or eye strain after doing close-up work.
  3. You experience blurred vision at a standard reading distance.

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