What is the difference between reading glasses and prescription glasses?

Picking out the best eyeglasses can be tough. How do you know if reading glasses will do the trick for you? Or is it time for a replacement? 

Maybe what you need are prescription glasses. We’ve put together the main differences between reading glasses and prescription glasses, so you can find the perfect eyewear for you!

Let's examine the difference between the two most popular eyeglasses options. 

1.Reading glass: 

If you find yourself holding the newspaper a couple of feet in front of you to read it, you might have presbyopia. Presbyopia is an age-related condition that limits one’s ability to focus on things close-up. Reading glasses were created to help people with presbyopia. 

The lenses on a pair of typical reading glasses help with close-range vision. For those of us who struggle seeing both close-up and far away, bifocal lenses are the answer. In bifocal glasses, the lenses are divided with a line. The top half of the lens is meant for looking at things in the distance. 

The bottom half of the lens helps you read and look at things close-up. With just one pair of bifocal glasses,  you can improve your close-range and far-range vision. A doctor’s order is not necessary for reading glasses.They’re a great option for people because they are affordable and can be found in most drugstores. 

When you reach the point of not being able to read up close without stretching your arms to the limit, you may need to consider single-vision reading glasses 

Reading glasses come in two main styles: 

• Full frames, in which the entire lens is made in the reading prescription. 

• "Half-eyes," which are the smaller "Ben Franklin" style glasses that sit lower down on your nose. 

Full reading glasses are suitable for people who spend a great deal of time concentrating on material close-up. These give you a larger field of view for reading, but if you try to look up and across the room through them, everything appears blurry. 

In contrast, "half-eye" reading glasses allow you to look down and through the lenses for near work, and up and over them to see in the distance. 

Generally, people who have never needed glasses in the past will start out with a pair of reading glasses rather than progressive lenses or bifocals, which are usually a better choice if you have a need for distance as well as near correction. 

Even if you don’t have an eyeglass prescription from your eye doctor, you may find yourself needing reading glasses. A valid prescription is not required to purchase reading glasses, though your eye doctor can tell you the magnification you need. 

They are easily found online and in stores and are great for many people that need help with close up work.  

They come in powers referred to as diopter or "X" strength, usually quarter steps and start at +1.00 up to +4.00.  

What about the rest of us who need a bit more strength in our eyewear? 

We rely on prescription eyeglasses. To get your own pair of prescription glasses, a visit to the eye doctor is required. 

You will then be given a prescription specific to your needs and eye shape. These eyeglass lenses can treat problems like presbyopia and astigmatism by helping the wearer focus on things.

2.Prescription Glasses: 

These are the heart of what makes a pair of glasses provide the sharp, clear vision you want to have. There are several types of prescription eyeglasses to address your visual needs, whether you are nearsighted, farsighted or need multiple prescriptions in one lens: 

•Single Vision – Single vision prescription lenses are used to correct a single vision problem such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism. They contain the same amount of vision correction throughout the entire lens. 

In terms of single vision reading glasses, full frame readers are the most common. You’ll also find single vision lenses in half frame reading glasses which are narrower and sit at the end of your nose for easier up-close and distance viewing. 

•Multifocal Lenses – People who have more than one vision problem often need glasses with multifocal lenses. Multifocal lenses, such as bifocals and progressive lenses, contain two or more vision-correcting prescriptions. 

•Bifocal – Bifocals contain two prescriptions within the same lens. The eyeglass lens is split into two sections; the upper part is for distance vision and the lower part for near vision. 

When you’re looking at someone who is wearing bifocals, you can often see the line between their nearsighted and farsighted prescription. 

•Progressive – Progressives are multifocal lenses that contain three main fields of vision including near, intermediate and distance. 

However, progressives do not have a visible line between prescriptions. This gives the wearer a seamless and uninterrupted transition when looking from up-close objects to far-away distance. 

Computer Glasses – The lenses of computer glasses are designed to deal with eyestrain caused by computer screens. 

Computer glasses help with an intermediate distance of around 20 to 26 inches, which is the distance most people sit from their monitor. 

Many computer glasses have tinted lenses to block out blue light radiating from your electronic devices. 

Also, prescription glasses are generally more expensive than reading glasses because the quality of the material is higher. Completely specified and accurate, prescription glasses will be a life-saver to anyone struggling with vision problems. 

We hope that this article will fascinate you and resolve all your problems. If you still have any queries do comment on the comment section below.

Also Read: Research study -Frame selection in distinctive period groups.