Distance glasses are used to treat people who are short-sighted or near-sighted, whereas reading glasses are used to treat people who are long-sighted. In this blog post I discuss distance glasses and who needs to wear them. 

If you can’t see clearly when viewing a distant object (e.g. driving), you might be short-sighted. Distance glasses are used to correct this problem. They use convex lenses to bring far objects (such as road signs seen when driving) into focus so they can be seen clearly.

While exact figures are not available, short-sightedness is thought to affect up to 30% of people in the UK. It affects young and old people alike, and its prevalence is increasing, possibly due to the increased use of smart phones.

The symptoms include:

• Complaining of headaches
• Tired eyes
• Sitting near to a computer, TV or classroom whiteboard, in order to see clearly
• Frequent rubbing of the eyes 

Even if none of the above symptoms apply to you, it is recommended that you have an eye test every two years (e.g. at your local opticians). This will give your eyes a full health check, and test whether you are long or shortsighted. 

The Nation Health Service website here has a list of the different treatments available, of which the most common is the use of prescription glasses. Other treatments include the use of contact lenses, or laser surgery. 

If you have any questions, or would like more information, contact us at info@southernseasglasses.co.uk 

Info on whether you can drive wearing reading glasses (the answer is you shouldn’t) is available in our blog post here.  

The author is the founder of Southern Seas Glasses. The views expressed above are entirely those of the author and do not in any way constitute legal, medical, professional or financial advice.