Life Begins at 40
The old saying of life begins at 40, is also the age when people start to notice their near vision changing. It gets harder to focus on small details, things up close are harder so you start holding the page out a bit further. In low light it gets harder to see and you’ll start to find work-arounds – like enlarging the font on your phone, turning on more lights or just going over by the window to see more easily. Those arms are just getting too short and your eyes need more light to see!
The average age for needing reading glasses is 43. Some people need them sooner and others hang in there a bit longer. But for many people, this is the first time they find an optometrist. At your eye examination there is not just finding out about focusing your vision but also the reality of the important eye health checks. Chances of developing eye conditions, such as glaucoma, increase when you’re over 40, so as an optometrist, we’re really pleased to meet you and take care not only of helping you see more clearly but also ensuring your eyes stay healthy. This is the annoying reality of actually being grown up.
The problem for all of us into our 40s is called “presbyopia”.. The Greek translation is from presbus “old man” and new Latin opia “vision problem”. Really not very cheery, but our life expectancy is definitely longer than in ancient times. Turning 40 is really only on the half way mark for the NZ average life of around 82 years!
So once we’ve worked out what lens power or prescription we need for your glasses, then it turns more technical options with different lens designs. Depending on how much time you spend reading vs on your laptop or desktop, how many screens on your desk and what’s the mix of time looking up close and then further away eg meetings or shopping. There are many different lens options to consider and recommend, as well as lens surface coatings that reduce reflections and give you the clearest vision. There’s also the option to have coatings that reduce the blue light that transmits through the lens if you are doing a lot of time looking at screens.
For some people their glasses are entirely functional, and others are high fashion. You only live once and so let’s make your glasses great. If you are the functional person, you’ll be interested in the lightest weight glasses that fit your face for comfortable wearing. And if you are into fashion there are so many choices, how good can you look in your new glasses!
Great glasses make you feel good, by looking great and seeing clearly again. Don’t worry about the old Greeks, just think life begins at 40 - and if you’ve not needed an optometrist before, it’s time to add us to your team.