Reading Glasses

Why am I having Trouble Seeing Up Close?

As we humans age, and most typically between the ages of 37 to 45 years of age, we start to have trouble seeing up close. This condition is called Presbyopia. Presbyopia is a condition of our visual system that is a natural by-product of aging. As we age, our eyes lose the ability to see clearly up close. This is called Accommodation. In order to see objects nearby (up to 40 cm away from our nose), we need help in the way of eyeglasses, or more specifically, reading glasses.

There are many different types of reading glasses out in the market today. These glasses basically fit into two categories: custom-manufactured lenses and mass-produced lenses.

Custom Manufactured Reading Lenses

These lenses are manufactured specifically to your exact prescription and the lenses are placed in the frame so the Optical Center of the lens is situated directly in front of your pupils (the area of the eye where light enters the eye). So what does that mean? It means you will not have to use the muscles of your eyes to see clearly and you are assured of clear vision.

Custom lenses can be ground to your exact prescription. If one eye is a little weaker than the other eye, pair of custom ground lenses can compensate. If your prescriptions in each eye are different from each other, only custom lenses can assure clear vision. Mass produced reading lenses can only be bought in one prescription: the same prescription for both eyes, that is the only way they come.

If price is your buying criteria than we suggest our Reading Lens Package which allows you to choose any frame priced $99.00 or less and add on a pair of reading lenses for $39.00. We offer a range of fashionable frames as well.

Mass Produced Lenses

These lenses are set into the frame without much consideration as to where.  Sometimes the optical center of the lenses are in the geometric center of the frame, sometimes they are to the temporal side of the lens, sometimes to the nasal side of the frame or towards the top or the bottom of the frame. What does that mean? It means you are not guaranteed that the optical center will be aligned with your pupil and there is a greater chance that you will experience blurred vision or eye strain because you most likely will need to use the muscles of your eyes to accomplish clear vision. In the glasses pictured below, the optical center is at the geometric center of the frame which does not align with the pupil.

Mass produced lenses tend to be less expensive. If price is your only buying criteria, chances are you can find mass produced lenses for the least amount of money. Custom produced lenses are more expensive because they are made specifically for you.

Advantages of Custom Manufactured Lenses

1. They can be ground to your exact prescription. If one eye is a little weaker than the other eye, this can be delivered in a pair of custom ground lenses. So if your prescription in your eyes are different from the left eye to the right eye, this can only be accomplished in custom ground lenses.

2. As stated above, the custom manufactured lenses are measured and manufactured so the optical center of the lens is situated directly in line with your pupil. Mass produced lenses do not take into consideration that measurement. All our heads our relatively different sizes and where our eyes sit (how far apart horizontally) varies and with eyeglasses these measurements are taken down to the millimeter. Off by an inch in eye wear is like getting your pants or skirt hemmed three feet too short – it doesn’t work well for the intended use.

Advantages of Mass Manufactured Lenses

1. Mass produced Lenses tend to be less expensive. So if price is your only buying criteria, chances are you can find mass produced lenses for the least amount of money. Custom produced lenses are more expensive because they are made specifically for you, your unique prescription and your unique measurements. At Rosin Eyecare our mass produced lenses start at around $18. They are often useful for keeping as a second pair, travel pair, or as an emergency backup.