Glasses for Watching TV

bigalxyz

I had an eye test at my local Specsavers a few months ago. Got the prescription on a card + a new pair of reading glasses for close up reading.

I'm struggling every so slightly with watching TV - distance about 3 metres. Will Specsavers sell me a cheap pair of glasses, suitable for my prescription, but just weaker (so that they'll work at 3 metres)? Will they need to test my eyes again, or will the info on the prescription give them everything they need?

Thanks
Alan

kirtondm

Yes they will be able to make it up. 3m is pretty much a distance prescription requiring perhaps a +0.25 adjustment 

Carrot007

bigalxyz said:

I had an eye test at my local Specsavers a few months ago. Got the prescription on a card + a new pair of reading glasses for close up reading.

I'm struggling every so slightly with watching TV - distance about 3 metres. Will Specsavers sell me a cheap pair of glasses, suitable for my prescription, but just weaker (so that they'll work at 3 metres)? Will they need to test my eyes again, or will the info on the prescription give them everything they need?

Thanks
Alan

Ahh since you usaul glasses are reading you will need a new prescription for distance.

I need my distance glasses for the TV and reading glasses for closer work (and no glasses for under 25cm ish).

Distance and reading glasses need differnet prescriptions. Without a test I doubt they will prescribe you anything,

bigalxyz

Thank you both.

FWIW my prescription is:

SPH R +1.00 L +0.75
CYL R -0.25 L -0.25
AXIS R 62.0 L 112.0
Near-ADD R 1.75 L 1.75

As I understand it (after reading some stuff online last night), the "Near-ADD" bit is the adjustment needed for the particular viewing distance I need the glasses for. This was for a pair of reading glasses which work really nicely for me at say 0.5m distance.

I took a punt last night and ordered some very cheap glasses from SelectSpecs using the above info but without the Near-ADD adjustment, in the hope that they're suitable for distance work. If they work well, great (I'll soon know!) - if not, I'll make an appointment with Specsavers and ask them to retest me or whatever.

I could use some glasses for driving as well...without glasses on I can see the road and the traffic nicely but the dashboard etc. is a complete blur! Maybe glasses good for watching TV will also be good for driving (I live in central London so I don't own a car & don't drive very often, but it'd still be a good thing to have).

kirtondm

Yes ordering the distance rx should also help with the drivnig

Floss

Why not try some of the different strength OTC glasses available in chemists, Superdrug, Tesco etc?

bigalxyz

Floss said:

Why not try some of the different strength OTC glasses available in chemists, Superdrug, Tesco etc?

Alas…they never seem to fit me. I’ve got quite a big head. Nothing excessive! But the supermarkets specs never fit comfortably. It would have been worth a try otherwise.

kirtondm

It is illegal to sell OTC specs for driving or TV

Undervalued

kirtondm said:

It is illegal to sell OTC specs for driving or TV

Yes but it is not, in itself, illegal to buy and use them for that purpose! Rightly or wrongly!

Given the OP's prescription for distance, I think we both know that their vision for driving is likely to be better with a pair of OTC +0.75 specs than with no specs at all!

In any case the OP says they have ordered a proper pair, to their distance prescription, from SelectSpecs which is 100% legal however much it may annoy high street opticians!