5 signs you may need glasses

Should you be wearing glasses? Here are five signs you may need specs.

You have to squint to read signs that are far away

Not being able to clearly make out objects and shapes far away could be a sign that you are short-sighted. This vision loss can occur gradually without many people realising – struggling to read road signs or street signs in the distance could be the first time many people notice that something is wrong. Seeing an optometrist and getting an eye test could determine whether you have an eyesight problem. The likes of myopia and astigmatism can usually be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

You hold books, letters and mobile phones at arm’s length when reading

Not being able to see things clearly that are close to you could be a sign of presbyopia (long-sightedness). This occurs mainly in people aged 40 or over and is a natural deterioration of the eyes. People tend to compensate by holding books, letters or mobile phones at arm’s length in order to read them more clearly. It could be worth doing a reading eye test – it’s possible that you may need reading glasses.

You can’t read without a strong light source

Another sign that you may have presbyopia could be an inability to read things close to you without sufficient light. Most of us struggle to read in the dark, but people with presbyopia often can not read things close to them unless they are directly near a light source such as a table lamp. Getting a pair of reading glasses could prevent you from having to read near a strong light source.

Your eyes hurt after a day of looking at the computer

If you spend long hours in front of a computer screen as part of your work, you may notice that your eyes hurt at the end of the day. This is known as eye strain and is a result of the blue light from a computer screen. There are many ways to prevent eye strain from looking at a bright screen. One solution is to buy computer glasses (also known as blue light glasses). These glasses block out the blue light.

You frequently suffer from tiredness and headaches

There are many different reasons for chronic fatigue and frequent headaches. One possible cause could be eye strain from not wearing glasses when you need them. Whether you struggle to see objects close to you or struggle to see objects far away, you’re likely to spend a lot of time squinting. The extra effort required to focus on objects could leave you tired at the end of the day and could be causing headaches. Consider getting an eye test to see if your vision is the cause of the problem.

Photo by Oladimeji Ajegbile