Vision Test

Before you call your doctor to schedule an eye exam, there is actually something you can do right now. It is called the Diopter test. This test will help you see if you need readers and if you do, which ones.

Print the paper and follow the instructions.

Hold the paper 16 to 18 inches from your face. Start to read the line with the lowest number (+1.00). Continue to read the line above until the words become clear. Then look to the left and see your diopter measurement.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Reading Glasses

There are a few tricks you should know to make sure you get the most out of your reading glasses.

Normal reading of a book or your phone is done about 18 inches from your face. If you find yourself needing to do something closer to your face, like detailed model work, then you will want to increase your diopter number. How close it is to your face will depend on how much of an increase you need.

If your number is +2.00 when you read at a normal distance (18 inches), jump to +3.00 if you need to read something four to ten inches from your face. If it is eight to twelve inches, your increase would be +0.50, bringing you up from +2.00 to +2.50.

If you spend quite a bit of time on a computer, you will want to do the opposite. The farther away the monitor is, the more you will lower the power.

If your monitor is 30 to 36 inches away, then you will want to decrease your power by 0.25. If your number is +2.00, then you will want to grab a pair of glasses at +1.75. If you need to read something 36 to 48 inches away, drop the power by 0.50, bringing our example to +1.50.

As a rule, you should increase your diopter number the closer you move something to your face, and decrease your number as the object moves farther away. If you need to read anything past four feet, reading glasses will not have much of an effect.

The more you increase your number, the closer your focal point. As you decrease your number, your focal point moves farther away.

Here is a chart that breaks it all down.