Cheapo reading glasses Vs prescription ones

[chinadoll]

Are the cheapo glasses u see (no pun intended) in the chemists as good as the ones that cost 5 or 6 times as much in the opticians?

[Ethel]

If you simply need help to read the paper, they are fine.

Exactly the same as a magnifying glass.

If you need to wear glasses for driving, or all the time, they are worse than useless.

[tony1941]

In the Chemists??? Are you a millionaire??? My wife buys hers from the �1 shop!! She is only using 1.5 dioptre strength, and only using them for reading, though otherwise I would tell her to have an eye test. She's 52 which is probably the age to start having real glasses, though. Myself, I've been through all the stages and now wear varifocals all the time 'cos I'm old and totally worn out. Seriously, though, I think if your problem has come on slowly with age and it is restricted to close work - reading, sewing etc, then ready reader types will be fine. If you have any doubt, pay for an eye test and then post a question on here with the prescription on it and I'll tell you waht I think.. I'm not an optician, but I do know a good bit about optics and I'm not init to make money!!. Good luck.

[WendyS]

As Ethel says, if you just need glasses to use as a magnifying glass to read bigger print, the cheapos are probably OK. However, as you get older you can develop all kinds of eye conditions, especially if suffer from illnesses like diabetes, where glaucauma, cararacts and even blindness can creep up on you. That is why it is important to visit a qualified optician and have your eyes tested regularly. An optician will spot problems you were not aware of, and if you are a driver you really need to have proper prescription spectacles. If you were involved in an accident and had defective eyesight the implications could be serious. Eyesight is too precious to skimp on its care.

[joko]

you can an eye test done, get your prescription, and then buy prescription glasses from various website from �10 - just google for sites