Ready Readers vs Prescription Lenses: A Comprehensive Guide

Eye care
Written By Lucinda Howard
Ready reader spectacles

If you need glasses for reading or you have presbyopia whereby you need lenses for both reading and seeing things clearly in the distance, there are several choices of lenses to suit your needs. It’s important to make sure your lenses meet your vision needs to ensure the sharpest and most comfortable vision throughout the day. Your optician can help you to make an informed decision, but it can also be helpful to do your own research too.

With that in mind, you may have already come across lenses called ready readers. Let’s look at what ready readers are, and how they compare to other types of lenses.

What are ready readers?

Ready readers were first introduced as an alternative to prescription lenses, designed specifically for those who need reading glasses. They are usually available to buy off the shelf, and you’ve probably seen them in the supermarket.

While they do have some corrective power in the lens, it is usually down to you to decide the reading strength when purchasing a pair. The strength of the lens is typically available in increments of 0.5. Ready readers are made with the same power across both lenses.

Are ready readers bad for your eyes?

As ready readers have the same power in both lenses, they aren’t suitable for correcting refractive errors such as astigmatism, or if you require a different power for each eye. Ready readers are only suitable for near vision, which means they shouldn’t be worn for driving or other close-up activities that require uninterrupted, clear vision.

However, ready readers won’t cause any damage to your eyes, but they may cause headaches or eyestrain if they aren’t suited to your vision needs. To get the most out of your lenses, it’s beneficial to have them personalised to your specific vision needs and prescription. This can ensure you experience clear, sharp, and comfortable vision all day.

The benefits of prescription lenses

Prescription lenses that are dispensed by an optician can be much more beneficial for your vision, as they are more closely tailored to your vision needs. Through an eye examination, your optician can determine the type of lens you need and what power is required to help you achieve a sharper vision.

Everyone’s vision is different, which means prescriptions can vary, and ready readers would not accommodate individual prescriptions. It would be much more valuable to have your vision tested, so you can benefit from lenses that are suited to your visual acuity.

For those who require reading glasses, single vision lenses that are tailored to your visual needs can help you to read even small text clearly and effortlessly. If you need glasses for both near vision and distance, varifocal or bifocal lenses may be best suited to your requirements.

If you feel you’d like to improve your vision please make an appointment (button below).

I hope this blog post has been of interest and I look forward to welcoming you in practice again soon.

Lucinda

*The information presented here reflects general information about ready readers and bespoke spectacle lenses but of course there are always exceptions to these.

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