Plain-English guides to reading glasses strengths, computer glasses and photochromic lenses, written for UK buyers. Work out your starting strength, understand your prescription, and know when you need an eye test instead.
Three questions. Gives a starting strength for ready-made readers.
Almost everyone needs reading glasses at some point after forty, as the lens inside the eye stiffens and loses its ability to focus close up. The strength you need rises steadily until your early sixties, then levels off.
Pick a strength to see what it is for, who it suits and how to tell if it is too strong or too weak.
Shop reading glasses →Typical age and the distance text is sharpest (for eyes with no focusing range left).
| Strength | Typical age | Sharp at |
|---|---|---|
| +1.00 | early to mid 40s | ~100cm |
| +1.25 | mid 40s | ~80cm |
| +1.50 | mid to late 40s | ~67cm |
| +1.75 | late 40s to around 50 | ~57cm |
| +2.00 | around 50 to mid 50s | ~50cm |
| +2.25 | mid 50s | ~44cm |
| +2.50 | mid to late 50s | ~40cm |
| +2.75 | late 50s to 60s | ~36cm |
| +3.00 | 60s and over | ~33cm |
| +3.50 | 60s and over, close work | ~29cm |
Reading glasses strength by age, how to test your strength at home, and when ready-made readers are not enough. A clear UK guide.
Read the guideHow photochromic lenses darken and clear, why they do not darken much in the car, and whether reading or distance photochromics suit you.
Read the guideComputer glasses explained: screen-distance strength, the evidence on blue light filters, and how to choose between reading and computer lenses.
Read the guideReady-made glasses for short sight (minus strengths). Who they work for, who needs a proper prescription, and how to read your prescription.
Read the guideSPH, CYL, AXIS, ADD and PD explained in plain English, with examples. Understand your UK glasses prescription before you buy online.
Read the guideWho qualifies for a free NHS sight test in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and how often adults should have their eyes tested.
Read the guideIt gives the strength most people of your age and eyesight start with. If the result feels too strong or too weak, go a quarter step either way. It cannot replace an eye test.
No. Ready-made readers of the right strength do not harm your eyes. The risk is skipping eye tests, which pick up conditions like glaucoma early.
Around +1.50 to +2.00 for people in their late forties and early fifties.
sight.direct is run by the team behind Eyeconic. Shop links go to Eyeconic. Guides are written to be useful whichever retailer you buy from.