There is a difference between reading glasses from the discount store and prescription glasses that your local eye doctor in Chesapeake might prescribe. Many numbers are listed on the readers’ glasses, which can confuse people when selecting the right pair. These readers may display numbers such as 2.00, 1.50, or 1.75; you may not know what these numbers truly mean and how they will affect your vision. These numbers may seem silly to some, but these numbers are significant to an eye doctor like Dr. Teten. Each number corresponds to the prescription of how the glasses are correcting your eyesight to help you see the best.
Without having a qualified eye doctor help select the correct prescription for your eyes. You may pick a pair that helps your eyesight at the discount store. Still, later on, you may experience headaches as the prescription is incorrect for your eyes. Or many people experience having different prescriptions needed in each of their eyes. This can further complicate things when it comes to picking readers rather than having a tailored prescription done for you by an eye doctor. Even if you only need glasses when you read, there are many more convenient and clarifying options for your vision, lifestyle, and convenience than readers.
Navigation Eye Care has a qualified eye doctor that is fully capable of helping you choose the right pair of glasses with your specific prescription. Learn more about how you can get fitted for the perfect pair of glasses.
Do you need help focusing on objects that are up close? Does the print on books, packages, or instructions keep getting smaller? Do you need help with reading your phone? Does it help when you move your arm out farther so that things get clearer to see? Sometimes do you feel like your arm is not long enough to hold it far enough to see clearly? Do you have multiple readers, also known as “cheaters,” around the house? Do you feel like you woke up after turning forty and your eyes are not what they used to be? It might be happening… PRESBYOPIA. Say what? The small muscles that move the lens in your eye, or the part that focuses like a camera lens to zoom in and out, are not what they used to be when you were younger. These eye muscles are becoming less flexible, harder to move back and forth, and harder to move when you first wake up or after reading for a long time.
Presbyopia – The unfortunate reality of getting older.
But you can select and personalize some fabulous glasses and now have options for multifocal contacts! And at Navigation Eye Care, we have an awesome eyewear gallery to help you find your perfect pair of eyeglasses, sunglasses, and computer glasses. Glasses that help you see more clearly do not have to be boring! Frames can be genuinely a fashion statement and accessory.
Presbyopia is an age-related deterioration of the eye muscles that control the focusing part of the eye, more specifically, the lens. Most often, it affects about 80% of the population as young as 38-40 years old. Presbyopia is a process that happens when your eyes gradually lose their ability to focus and see things clearly near you. It is, in fact, a normal part of getting older. “Presbyopia” derives from the Greek word “old eye.” The eye’s lens is situated behind your iris, the colored part of the eye. The lens changes shape to focus light on the retina, which helps you see clearly. At a young age, the lens is flexible and changes shape easily. After forty, the lens becomes less flexible each year, making it harder to focus on things up close and go back and forth from far to near focusing. Again, this is a process that slowly occurs. It often starts between the ages of 40-45 and lasts for 10 -15 years.
For further explanation on why your vision changes check out our other blog.
There is no way to stop the normal aging process of the eyes that causes presbyopia. However, presbyopia and the inability to see up close can be corrected with a trip to your local eye doctor for prescription eyeglasses or multifocal contact lenses. If you do not correct presbyopia, you may be affected by blurred vision, headaches, and eye strain. And you most likely will miss being able to see clearly at near, such as your phone, computer, or reading.
SO WHY SHOULD I NOT GET THOSE READERS AT THE STORE? The answer soon, I promise!
How do you know what to use to see clearly up close once you get presbyopia? Again, the readers or “cheaters” you can find at the general store are not recommended by an eye doctor like Dr. Teten. Readers you purchase online or in-store without a prescription are usually not made of impact-resistant material in the lenses. So, if the lens were to crack or have pressure on it, it could shatter and be a risk for an eye injury. The frames are not high quality or durable like the frames in our optical gallery. There are no enforced regulations on the lenses for prescription tolerance, so you could get different prescriptions in each eye or other than what was advertised.
The majority of the time, your eyes are not seeing clearly with the same prescription in both your right and left eyes. Usually, this is a different prescription, which is what scheduling a comprehensive eye exam with an eye doctor in Chesapeake, such as Navigation Eye Care, can find for you. Also, just getting higher readers each year to see more clearly for reading will not ensure that your eye health is well and that there are no ocular health risks such as dry eye disease, glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, hypertensive retinopathy, corneal dystrophy, etc. So it is, again, not recommended to purchase or wear over-the-counter readers. Let us help you see life with clearer vision and have the best eye health possible.
At Navigation Eye Care, we offer comprehensive eye exams, where we help fine-tune your glasses prescription specific to your eyes and visual demands. For instance, the distance we use our eyes while looking at something to focus on help determine our prescription from an eye doctor. The prescription for glasses for a jeweler and dentist only looking at fine details for an extended period would be different than the prescription for a teacher. The teacher could look back and forth from the smart board to her students and to students’ schoolwork to grade. If the teacher tried to wear readers from the discount store, she would have to constantly take them off and put them on, or she would have to look over them to see her students. This on-and-off action is not convenient and does not offer the best vision for this lifestyle.
So, suppose you are experiencing any issues with vision and think you may need readers. We encourage you to call the Navigation Eye Care team at 757-529-6889 or schedule an appointment. We are equipped and prepared to care for you and your whole family. If you are looking for excellent service in a friendly manner, check us out. We highly recommend that you choose Navigation Eye Care when looking for a top eye doctor in Chesapeake. We will serve in the Chesapeake area for many years and can’t wait to see you and your family.
