I recently noticed that it’s taking my eyes a moment longer than usual to fully focus on items close in front of me, I’ve also always had a very slightly weaker left eye.
So I went for an eye test on the weekend and they confirmed my suspicion that age has ‘relaxed’ my focus/eye muscles, but they also scored my eyes as:
R: SPH +0.25 CYL -0.25 AXIS 75.0
L: SPH +0.50 CYL -0.25 AXIS 100.0

These scores seem really low compared, for example, to my batty eyed other half. In fact, am I not barely registering on the ‘prescription chart’?

I am assured that I should be wearing prescription glasses for all monitor/reading work. I suspect they’d rather I just paid for a couple of pairs of glasses.

I am in the same boat. Have done close work for many years but have been a desk jockey for the last 10.

I noticed in gradually over the last 4 years doing bedtime stories for the kids.

Got a prescription that looked less than yours and was quoted nearly £400 for reading glasses. Went to Boots and tried a few for £8 until could see well enough. They have done me well.

Trouble is, 2 years later and I am knackered without my readers for anything within arms length. I think once you start using glasses your eyes just think ‘ah, nice. Bugger trying too hard from now on’ and you become more dependent.

That was also a concern. I’m not at the point of headaches, so perhaps I should just make my eyes jollywell work for their keep

age has ‘relaxed’ my focus/eye muscles

It’s actually a hardening of the lens.

Hit a couple of years ago. Pretty much unavoidable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyopia

I think once you start using glasses your eyes just think ‘ah, nice. Bugger trying too hard from now on’ and you become more dependent.

That was my experience.

My eldest son got a +0.25 reading for each eye at his last eye test and the optician said he wouldn’t bother ,if your eyes are feeling the strain maybe buy 2 pairs of cheap reading specs (a .25 & .50) and cobble a pair of specs together for yourself shouldn’t cost more than £10.
A .25 cylinder reading is a minute amount of astigmatism so unless you really are suffering then personally I wouldn’t be spending a fortune at the opticians.

Pretty much unavoidable.

So there’s hope? Apply Vaseline liberally?

Do I really need glasses?

Count the number of fingers on my right hand I’m holding up.. that ought to give you a good benchmark.

Remember that it’s basically self diagnosed.

The optician adjusts the lens from your feedback.

I got my first reading glasses off the optician about 4 years ago. They were way too strong for everyday use. I bought a pair +0.5 readers from a supermarket and they were much better.

However, now I use the ones from the optician as my near sight has got worse.

I’m -0.5 / +0.25 and can read the bottom line of the eye chart, so don’t bother with glasses.

On the other hand, one of my friends at uni had exactly the same prescription as me, and I made the mistake of looking through his glasses once. It was like having laser vision, so you might find it worthwhile.

Personally, I prefer the Peril Sensitive variety and will go for lens replacement when I stop being able to focus close up.

Friend is an optician and she says that trying to do without glasses for reading is worse than using the glasses.

Was she trying to sell you some glasses?..

They will make a difference, your prescription looks to also correct astigmatism’s – it is not always about the magnification power, it is also about correcting the focal point in your eye.

The above really doesn’t give the whole story tbh, two peoplec ould have identical RX’s as above but one could have a 6/6 acuity and the other 6/18! un corrected but both 6/6 corrected, so one would need glasses one wouldn’t. The ONLY persons advice you shuld listen to here is the qualified optician that carried out the test!!

Friend is an optician and she says that trying to do without glasses for reading is worse than using the glasses.

Trouble is, 2 years later and I am knackered without my readers for anything within arms length. I think once you start using glasses your eyes just think ‘ah, nice. Bugger trying too hard from now on’ and you become more dependent.

Is there any real information which are these 2 outcomes are correct?

Got a prescription that looked less than yours and was quoted nearly £400 for reading glasses

What? Those numbers are tiny.