If you find yourself needing to hold books, magazines and other written material at arm's length to read the words, you are probably developing a condition known as presbyopia. Presbyopia is a common, age-related change in vision that usually strikes around the age of 40. The condition causes your eyes to lose flexibility and it becomes difficult to focus on close objects. If you already wear contact lenses to correct distance vision, you can easily wear reading glasses as needed with your contacts for close-up viewing.
Step 1
Schedule an eye exam with your optometrist to make sure your prescription for near-sightedness is correct. Because your eyes change over time, you need a current prescription so your contact lenses provide the best possible vision to view objects that are far away. Your eye exam will also check for presbyopia and other eye problems.
Step 2
Talk to your eye care professional about prescription reading glasses that you can wear with your contact lenses. Prescription reading glasses are better quality than over-the-counter reading glasses. They are a good choice if your presbyopia is severe or if you do a lot of reading and detail-oriented work.
Step 3
Consider over-the-counter reading glasses if you only have slight presbyopia or only need to use reading glasses occasionally. Retail reading glasses have labels corresponding to the level of magnification. The weakest reading glasses are marked +1.00 and increase incrementally up to the strongest at +4.00. Try on different pairs to find the strength you need to read printed words held around 14 to 16 inches from your face.
Step 4
Decide if you prefer half- or full-frame reading glasses. With half-frame lenses, you can look down into the lenses to view up close and look up over the lenses to see far away. Full-frame lenses may be a better choice if you will spend long periods of time viewing words or objects up close without needing to look away.
Step 5
Keep your reading glasses handy so you can use them as needed to read and view items up close. Some people find it convenient to keep their reading glasses on a chain worn around the neck.
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