Four good reasons to have multiple pairs of glasses
Eye doctors often recommend having more than one pair of glasses. If you agree that you could do with more than one pair, but it seems like an extravagance, keep reading.
Having more than one pair of glasses could be necessary. Your prescription eyewear is designed to correct your vision and meet your vision requirements. But they might not suit every setting.
Here are four good reasons why you could need more than one pair of glasses.
You wear progressive lenses to work
Progressive lenses are general purpose glasses that most people over the age of 40 wear to help see things at near, intermediate, and far distances. However, these lenses are made to deliver the widest field of clear vision and your visual field can become distorted when looking at objects at close or intermediate distances. If you spend most of your day working on a computer, progressive lenses will not provide the support you need. Your vision will be impaired, and your eyes will feel constantly fatigued, leaving you feeling tired by the end of the day. A spare pair of speciality office or computer glasses with blue light lenses for when you’re at your computer would be a better choice. These are designed for long hours of screen time, protect your eyes from harmful blue light that is emitted from digital screens, and provide a more comfortable and much clearer field of view in the intermediate zone.
You drive a lot
Your prescription lenses are customised to correct and optimise your vision. You should be wearing them all the time, including when you are driving. If you drive a lot or drive at night, you will have different vision support needs that your usual indoor prescription lenses can’t provide.
During the day, you’ll want to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays which can burn your retinas and corneas, leading to cataracts, photokeratitis and macular degeneration. Prescription sunglasses will not only protect your eyes from the sun but will also ensure that you have unimpaired vision while you are driving and during your other outdoor pursuits.
If your vision is blurred, you are having trouble reading signs or struggle with glare from oncoming traffic when wearing your normal prescription lenses while driving at night, you should consider having an extra pair with yellow or amber-tinted lenses and anti-reflective coating. These will let in more light and help to reduce glare from oncoming traffic and other light sources.
Be wary of glasses that claim to enhance night driving vision. Typically, they include polarised or ultraviolet lenses that serve to block rather than enhance the available light. The result is that they can block out too much light, making it even more difficult for you to see. Rather speak to your optometrist about choosing the right lenses, tints and coatings to help you to see better while you are driving at night.
You’re sporty or outdoorsy
Just as your usual prescription lenses can’t provide the support you need while you are driving, they might fall short when you’re outside doing your favourite outdoor sports and activities. Winter sports, water sports and even golf call for fit-for-purpose tinted lenses to improve your vision and comfort.
Lens colour determines how much visible light reaches the eyes and affects the perception of contrasts. While certain lens tints will enhance certain colours, they can distort others. Choosing the right lens tint can therefore help to improve your vision and performance in your sporting or lifestyle environment. If tinted lenses don’t suit your other everyday needs, from a comfort or aesthetics perspective, a pair of dedicated prescription lenses with the appropriate tint is recommended.
You need your glasses to function
Let’s face it. We can all be clumsy and forgetful. Accidents happen. We lose things. Things break. If you depend on your glasses to function because you can’t see without them, it is recommended to have a spare pair in case you lose them, or they break. You will need your glasses to go about your daily tasks and endeavours until you can consult your optometrist for a new pair.
The bottom line is that having at least two pairs of glasses, as well as a pair of prescription sunglasses, is sensible if you rely on your glasses and your lifestyle calls for different lenses to match your vision requirements in different environments.
Chat to your optometrist about the most appropriate frames and lenses to suit your lifestyle, vision correction needs, comfort level and age.