What’s The Difference Between Store Bought And Prescription Glasses?*

*This is a collaborative post*

Glasses have been around for over 700 years. Since they were first invented, these incredible accessories have been adopted all over the world, with people from almost every culture using them to make their eyesight just a little bit better. As a big part of this industry, the field of optometry has become a big part of medicine, and a lot of people have made their lives out of this industry. Of course, though, while some glasses are custom made, you can also find loads of examples of store bought glasses on the market. But, what is the difference between these products?

Getting The Lenses Right

Prescription: When you visit a professional eye doctor, they will perform a huge range of tests which give them a solid idea of what is wrong with your eyes. Throughout this process, you will have to answer honestly about what you can and can’t see, giving them a clear set of results. At the end of your visit, they will usually be able to tell you what is wrong almost right away. This makes it very easy to get started with a pair of glasses which will work for you out of the box, without having to test different strengths to find what you need.

Off The Shelf: The glasses you find in chemists and other stores are a little bit different. Often being designed for reading, some issues simply can’t be solved by them, especially if your eyesight is very poor. They come in a range of set strengths, with some being far too powerful, and others doing nearly nothing whatsoever. Of course, this can be great when you’ve been buying them same examples for years, but could make your life a little hard when you’re looking at the for the first time.

The Main Difference

While both of these options do the same job, there are some fundamental differences which need to be considered. Wearing the wrong glasses can cause a lot of discomfort, with issues like headaches persisting until you take them off for a while. Along with this, if they aren’t the right strength, there simply isn’t much point in wearing them, as the difference will be far too small. This often makes prescription glasses the best option. If you’d like to learn more about the specs you can buy in the store, though, you can read a guide to men’s reading glasses or two to get yourself started. A lot of people struggle with their eyesight for many years, but it simply isn’t worth it when you have an easy fix.

Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start working harder on the time you put into getting your eyes nice and healthy. Going to the optometrist comes with more benefits than hooking you up with some glasses. Along with this, they can identify long-term issues, like glaucoma, which can result in blindness if they aren’t resolved early. As a big part of this, it’s always worth putting some time into researching the people you choose to help you.

*Contributed by Sam Jones. Image via Unsplash

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