Choose The Right Prescription Eyeglasses For Older Eyes
Not so long ago, getting prescription eyeglasses meant you were a nerd who had strained your eyes with too much study — or you were getting really, really old! Today, however, prescription eyeglasses are proving more popular than ever as a fashion accessory as much as a function necessity.
People age 40 and older often notice that print begins to blur when they’re reading. That’s a clear sign of presbyopia, even if a person hasn’t worn glasses before. If you have worn eyeglasses before age 40, signs of presbyopia also mean that single-vision lenses won’t work for you anymore.
There are several kinds of single-vision and multi-focal prescription eyeglasses that can correct presbyopia. These include:
Aspheric lenses are used to fix minor vision distortions sometimes found in traditional lenses. This type of lens isn’t perfectly rounded on the surface, which helps correct distortions and makes the lens lighter and thinner.
High-index lenses are made with a special plastic that helps you focus more efficiently. This special material refracts light better, so again lens can be thinner and lighter. Polycarbonate lenses are a form of high-index lens, made from a kind of plastic that resists shattering. This tough, scratch-resistant lens often is used for children’s prescription eyeglasses and prescription sports lenses.
However, plastic and metal frames haven’t been dumped on the trash heap. New plastics and metals alike form the standard components of prescription eyeglasses. Hypoallergenic metals such as titanium and stainless steel are especially important for those who suffer from skin allergies to avoid a reaction known as contact dermatitis.
Women and men alike are creating wardrobes of prescription eyeglasses to match their clothing. Women especially like having eyeglass frames in a rainbow of styles and colors, just as they have an array of shoes, handbags and other accessories. Thus we can find women with sharp, clean-looking frames for work swapping out their traditional styles for frames embedded with gems or bearing iridescent ornaments for evening wear.
These trends in prescription eyeglasses are increasing for several reasons.
First, optical stores and boutiques often have sales offering “two-for-one” or “buy-one-get-one-half-off” deals. Many wearers of prescription eyeglasses find they can purchase a wardrobe of glasses for less than a new pair of shoes.
Types of lenses that aid people with presbyopia include bifocals, which sharpen near and far vision; trifocals, which sharpen near, middle and far vision; and progressive lenses, which allow the wearer to focus at any range of distance.
Third, prescription eyeglasses don’t have to be only a medical device anymore. While some women might like to wear their silver frames with everything, that’s not true, or even attractive, for everyone. No one wears the same outfit day after day, year in and year out, so why wear the same pair of eyeglasses?
Whatever you choose, make sure you really like the look and fit of your prescription eyeglasses. Ask your optician or optical store in advance about their return, exchange or refund policies before you buy.
