Thinline

About Thinline:

Have you reached a stage that reading is possible only when the material is stretched as far as your arm will go?  Do you face difficulty to thread-a-needle, sew or read material printed on the computer screen? Do you feel strain in the eyes or have head-aches while doing close-up work? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, these are the first signs that you need to wear reading glasses.

Vision deterioration

The first thought which crosses most minds on realizing that they need to wear reading glasses is, “Does this mean I am getting old?”  The truth is that deterioration in close-up vision starts for everybody in their early 40s due to natural stiffening of the eye-lens.

The ciliary muscles in the eyes become weak, loose-tone and no longer shape the lens properly to focus on close-by objects; while vision of distant objects could remain clear.

Adding a lens in the form of reading glasses helps in focusing close objects properly onto the retina for un-blurred vision.

Styles of reading glasses

Reading glasses can be tailor-made to suit ones requirements. Unlike vision-correction glasses which only have full-frame corrective-lens of specific strength, reading glasses come in two main styles, namely full-frame reading glasses and half-eyes reading glasses.

Full-frame glasses: In These glasses the entire lens is made according to the reading prescription. These are suited for people who spend a lot of time concentrating on reading material up close. These glasses however, pose one problem; if one tries to look up from the material across the room through the lens, things appear to be blurry.

Half-eye glasses: In these glasses a smaller glass sits lower down on the nose allowing you to look down through the lens for near-reading. It permits you to have clear vision of things at a distance since you will not be looking through the lens. These reading glasses are best suited for people experiencing vision-related problems for the first time.  

Apart from these two types, opticians also manufacture ‘bifocal’ or ‘no-line progressive lenses’ for people who need assistance for close-up reading and also need distance-vision correction.

Latest styles of reading glasses

Manufacturers of reading glasses are constantly evolving newer varieties of lenses to cater for various combinations of requirements of their customers. Some of them are:

• Muse sun-glasses: These have a reading segment in the lower half of the lens and offer 100 percent protection from ultra-violet rays. The lenses have anti-reflective coating to reduce sun’s glare. The upper portion of the lens does not have any magnification making it possible for users to see things at a distance without blurring.
• Tiny foldable glasses: These fit into pen-size cases if one needs to visit a dimly-lit restaurant in the evening.
• Magnifiers: These are hung around one’s neck like a pendant which can be worn to evening meetings.
• Tinted reading glasses: These come with photo-chromatic lenses which can be worn outdoors as well. Exposure to sun makes them more tinted as comparison to what they are indoors.

Reading glasses are prescribed only for assisting in reading and not to correct one’s vision. They can be tailor-made by opticians to suit customer’s personal requirement and choice. They can also be purchased ready-made from a departmental store or pharmacy.

The ready-made versions have gained popularity since 1990s. They are less expensive compared to custom eye-wear thereby permitting people to own many pairs. They are more attractive since they come in a wide range of colors and suit young users who wear them as much as to accessorize their fashion trends as to fulfill basic reading requirement.

Strength of reading glasses

There is no single reading glass fit for all. Although reading glasses are available without any prescription, they have to be used only as aids to correct blurred close-up vision and not to replace any prescribed corrective eye-wear or replace professional eye-care or examinations.  

Follow these steps to find a pair of reading glasses with the right strength for you:

• Visit a retailer or pharmacy, ask for trying-on reading glasses so that you can determine the correct strength of lens required and also choose the color, size and shape of frame that best suits you.
• Ask for a reading test-card or ‘Diopter Test’ card. Remove your corrective vision glasses if you already have one and start reading the rows of words ranging from small to big. Each row has a corresponding prescription. Results of this test are a starting point for choosing a pair of reading glasses.
• Try several pairs of stronger and weaker prescriptions compared to the starting prescription. Narrow down on two of the best suited pairs of reading glasses and get the one with lower power ready-for-use.

Once the prescription is determined, purchase the reading glasses from the pharmacy or retail store. You can also get one custom-made or order them on-line.