Does everyone need reading glasses eventually?

[herebedragons69]

I went all in when I got my first tablet (Asus Transformer) and I got rid of all my paper books. I find it takes me a lot longer to get through a book on a tablet as opposed to the paper books. I tend to fall asleep and since I've been reading on tablets my eyesight has gotten poor. Maybe that's just a coincidence.

I am 44 and everyone tells me that requiring reading glasses at this age is not unusual., but it worries me. Now I read on an ipad but I still have the same problems. Is this a common occurrence?

[pdurrant]

Everyone needs reading glasses when they get into their mid 40s. This is a normal part of getting older. The ability of the eyes to focus on nearby objects reduces steadily as one ages, and by the mid 40s, the nearest focus starts to extend beyond comfortable reading distance.

This isn't a sudden effect - it's a gradual change that occurs throughout your life. A 20 year old has a closer minimum focus than a 30 year old, for example.

Some people do find reading on back-light devices (like iPads) to be more more of a strain than reading things lit only by ambient light (like the page of a book). This may be because they have the backlight up so high that the device becomes much brighter than the surroundings, which is unusual in 'normal' life.

I'd definitely recommend trying out an E-Ink based reading device like an Amazon Kindle or a Kobo eReader.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Everyone needs reading glasses when they get into their mid 40s. This is a normal part of getting older. The ability of the eyes to focus on nearby objects reduces steadily as one ages, and by the mid 40s, the nearest focus starts to extend beyond comfortable reading distance.

This isn't a sudden effect - it's a gradual change that occurs throughout your life. A 20 year old has a closer minimum focus than a 30 year old, for example.

Some people do find reading on back-light devices (like iPads) to be more more of a strain than reading things lit only by ambient light (like the page of a book). This may be because they have the backlight up so high that the device becomes much brighter than the surroundings, which is unusual in 'normal' life.

I'd definitely recommend trying out an E-Ink based reading device like an Amazon Kindle or a Kobo eReader.

Getting old sucks. I had to get glasses for reading when I was 48. I am also a jeweler and as the cost of jewelry has gotten higher the size of melee diamonds has gotten ridiculously smaller. You can find fully faceted diamonds as small as .5 mm. Not only do I now have to wear glasses when I work, on the really small stuff I am using a microscope.

Apache

[haydnfan]

Well not everyone. I know people in their 40s all the way to their 60s that don't need reading glasses.

There are some people that have difficulty reading and concentrating on high contrast media. Try switching from black font on white background to either black font on sepia background, gray background or white font on black background.

Font settings as well have an impact on readability. You will read better on a serif font than a sans serif or a slab serif. I would suggest trying the Georgia font. Also the use of white spacing is important. Make sure that line spacing is 1.5 spaced or double spaced. Adjust the margins and font size until you have 10-15 words per line. Going less than or greater than that interval results in the line either feeling too short or too long.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by haydnfan

Well not everyone. I know people in their 40s all the way to their 60s that don't need reading glasses.

The only people past 50 who don't need reading glasses are those who are already a little bit short-sighted. (Or don't read!)

I don't need reading glasses myself -- when I'm in bed. That's because I'm very short sighted, and without my glasses the furthest I can see in focus is about 15 cm (six inches)! Which is perfect for reading an eReader on very small text, held very close.

[silverraven]

Actually, my husband takes OFF his glasses to see close up. He's going to have to start snipping his nose shorter to see close up!!
S

[dwig]

Originally Posted by herebedragons69

...

I am 44 and everyone tells me that requiring reading glasses at this age is not unusual., but it worries me. ...

Don't worry, but not everyone every needs reading glasses. There are three broad classes of people that don't:

1. Those that are blind
2. Those that fail to live to middle age
3. Those who are sufficiently near sighted enough to read w/o glasses though they need glasses for distant vision.

As you age your eyes loss their ability to accommodate to different distances. Accomodation involves for focusing and slightly rotating the eyes inward or outward to align the two images at varying distances. The age related change involves focus. Your eyes become nearly fixed focus with age and you require different strength correction lenses for each distance range (read: multiple sets of glasses or bi/trifocals). If you require no correction for distance then only reading glasses are required, at least at first.

I, myself, fall into #3, above, and require one correction for distance, another for "computer screen distance", but no correction for normal small print reading. When I was in my 40s and early 50s I could read small print with my "computer" glasses but now at 63yrs my focusing range has narrowed to the point that I need to remove my glasses to read normal text on a handheld device (tablet, eReader, ...), printed books, or the d@#n small labels at the grocery store. Altogether, growing older is better than the alternative.

[theducks]

I'm near sighted (since grade 5). I used to leave my glasses on for everything.
About age 55 I had to take them off to read papers on the desk an ON to read the computer. Enter Bifocals (almost no correction for near).
Over a decade later, I still read without glasses, but I do need a good light.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by haydnfan

Well not everyone. I know people in their 40s all the way to their 60s that don't need reading glasses.

There are some people that have difficulty reading and concentrating on high contrast media. Try switching from black font on white background to either black font on sepia background, gray background or white font on black background.

Font settings as well have an impact on readability. You will read better on a serif font than a sans serif or a slab serif. I would suggest trying the Georgia font. Also the use of white spacing is important. Make sure that line spacing is 1.5 spaced or double spaced. Adjust the margins and font size until you have 10-15 words per line. Going less than or greater than that interval results in the line either feeling too short or too long.

I have a problem with high contrast and white text on a black background is too much for me. It needs to be a pale gray or else my vision goes double. I usually use a light purple background with black text, but any color is better for me than white.

I've seen a few posts recently that say serif is better for reading, but for me sans serif is much easier. A lot of websites use sans serif I thought because it was supposed to be easier for screen reading.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by dwig

Don't worry, but not everyone every needs reading glasses. There are three broad classes of people that don't:

1. Those that are blind
2. Those that fail to live to middle age
3. Those who are sufficiently near sighted enough to read w/o glasses though they need glasses for distant vision.

I'm a #3 myself. Glasses on to watch TV (especially sports-tickers), and glasses off to read books (or do anything) on my tablet.

[Freeshadow]

Nr. 3 too here.

Always:
Heavily short-sighted
took glasses off for reading
been able to read very small print

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm a #3 myself. Glasses on to watch TV (especially sports-tickers), and glasses off to read books (or do anything) on my tablet.

I'm a surgically enhanced #3. When I had cataract surgery I had one eye done for close and one done for distance. Unfortunately cataract lenses only came in .5 diopters and not .25. Combined with my astigmatism I still need glasses most of the time. I still don't have good midrange vision, so for computer use I have a pair of mono focus bifocals - one eye for midrange and close and one for distance and close. These work well for the supermarket too - it's difficult to see the stickers on the shelves without them.

[~Kate]

I have the monovision approach as well - but for contact lenses.

That is, one eye for close-up reading (undercorrection by a few notches), and one eye for distance (full correction).

It took my eyes a few days to get used to the left/right discrepancy , but works fine as a compromise for most things during the day.

The only exception is that I have a pair of additional "Driving glasses" for behind the wheel - which corrects the "under-corrected eye" only - so that both eyes can see distance 20/20.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by ~Kate

I have the monovision approach as well - but for contact lenses.

That is, one eye for close-up reading (undercorrection by a few notches), and one eye for distance (full correction).

It took my eyes a few days to get used to the left/right discrepancy , but works fine as a compromise for most things during the day.

The only exception is that I have a pair of additional "Driving glasses" for behind the wheel - which corrects the "under-corrected eye" only - so that both eyes can see distance 20/20.

I thought my hubby was going to try that this year, but his eyes haven't changed at all this past year. So I just laugh when he's wearing glasses and has to take them off to look at small print.

[hola!claude]

Originally Posted by herebedragons69

I went all in when I got my first tablet (Asus Transformer) and I got rid of all my paper books. I find it takes me a lot longer to get through a book on a tablet as opposed to the paper books. I tend to fall asleep and since I've been reading on tablets my eyesight has gotten poor. Maybe that's just a coincidence.

I don't believe in coincidences and I just read an interview to an eye doctor who says that he is increasingly seeing people with problems due to the overuse of a tablet and such, he says that people never link their problems to these things

so try an eink screen or go back to paper,

these problems are common and you are not the first one