It happens to the best of us. We hit a certain age and our eyes start to go fuzzy. They start to go blurry and it seems as if someone has somewhat pulled the wool over our eyes. This wooley-eye effect usually happens around age 40 and is sometimes, jokingly, referred to as "Over-40 Syndrome". Your eyes just don't seem to focus quite as well as they did to objects nearby. The technical term for this is "presbyopia". It's a common eye condition that decreases our focality on nearby objects. When the muscle that causes the crystalline lens to change gets weaker or less flexible presbyopia occurs. Bottom line: you need eyeglasses.

Shock. Horror! Despair. Ok, maybe it's not so bad. You may need to wear specs but you need specific ones. You need reading glasses. It sounds tempting to just run to the drugstore and pick up a pair of "readers" but stop and slow down. There are too many different strengths of reading glasses to choose from at the drugstore. So, the first thing you should do is get an eye exam. Given that your fuzzy or blurry vision may not be caused by presbyopia- and actually caused by a serious complication, an eye exam is most definitely necessary. It will also help you understand what will best fit your eyes as far as prescriptions are concerned.

You're probably wondering what the difference is between prescription glasses for reading and drug store over-the-counter (OTC) readers. First, OTC readers are one-size-fits-all glasses. They are made in specific strengths for short term usage. They are not tailor made to fit your prescription. Second, they do not cover astigmatisms... at all! Without correcting an astigmatism - even a small one - your eyes can feel tired and blurry and you may even experience headaches. Third, OTC readers are the same for both eyes but your prescription may call for one prescription in your right eye and another for your left eye. Buying OTC readers will not give you relief if you need two different powers in your eyes.

Lastly, and perhaps one of the most important, readers will not help people who are nearsighted - people who cannot see into the distance and have a prescription with a minus or negative prescription. OTC readers only come in a positive number. Prescription eyeglasses for reading can be made with positive or negative powers and with or without astigmatisms. Prescription eyeglasses for reading can also be worn for longer periods of time whereas over-the-counter drugstore readers should not be worn for long periods of time.

When looking to correct "over-40 syndrome", you may want to choose the prescription readers option as opposed to any over-the-counter. OTC glasses are great when you're in a bind but long-term wear may cause headaches, dizziness, and tired eyes. Wearing professionally-made prescription eyeglasses will ensure that you'll be able to see and not encounter any side-effects like you would from over-the-counter readers.