Reading Glasses and Magnifiers: Ready Readers Explained

Last checked November 2026. Offers and rules change: confirm with the provider before you rely on them.

Ready-made reading glasses are a cheap, handy way to sharpen close-up print if both your eyes need a similar, simple correction, and a magnifier helps with the smallest print. Neither replaces a regular eye test, which is free on the NHS once you are 60.

Who they help

Almost everyone finds close work harder from their mid-forties onwards, as the lens inside the eye gradually stiffens. This is called presbyopia and is a normal part of ageing. Ready readers suit people who see well in the distance and just need help with reading, sewing or a phone screen. Magnifiers help with medicine labels, cooking instructions, maps, crosswords and hobbies, and are important aids for people with sight loss.

Ready readers or prescription glasses?

If your eyes differ from each other, you have astigmatism, or ready readers give you headaches or eye strain, prescription glasses will be more comfortable. Ready readers are perfectly sensible as spares to keep by the phone, in the kitchen or in a coat pocket.

Choosing the strength

Reading glasses are sold by "dioptre" strength, usually from +1.00 to +3.50 or +4.00 in steps of 0.25 or 0.50. Higher numbers are stronger.

• The best guide is your latest prescription. Ask your optician what the reading addition (often written "Add") is.
• In a shop, try reading normal-size print at your usual distance, about 35cm to 40cm. Choose the weakest pair that makes it comfortably clear.
• Too strong, and you will have to hold things uncomfortably close.

Types of magnifier

• Handheld magnifiers — the familiar lens on a handle. Versatile and portable; needs a steady hand.
• Illuminated magnifiers — with a built-in LED light. Light often helps as much as magnification.
• Stand magnifiers — rest on the page at the right focusing distance, good for shaky hands.
• Dome or bar magnifiers — a solid lens that slides across the page; bars magnify a line at a time.
• Hands-free magnifiers — worn round the neck or on a flexible arm clamped to a table, for sewing, knitting and model-making.
• Electronic (video) magnifiers — a camera and screen that enlarge print many times and can change contrast and colours. Handheld and desktop versions exist. Expensive, and best chosen with specialist advice.
• The magnifier on your phone or tablet — most smartphones have a built-in magnifier using the camera, free of charge. See smartphones for over-60s.

What to look for in a magnifier

• Magnification — shown as 2x, 3x, 5x and so on. Stronger is not automatically better: the higher the power, the smaller the lens and the less you see at once. For general reading, 2x to 3x is usual.
• Lens size — a larger lens shows more words at a time.
• Lighting — bright, even LEDs, with batteries that are easy to change or a rechargeable type.
• Weight and handle — comfortable to hold for the time you will use it.

Rough price guide

• Ready-made reading glasses: from around £2 to £25 a pair; multipacks work out cheaper.
• Handheld or pocket magnifier: around £4 to £20.
• Illuminated or stand magnifier: around £10 to £45.
• Electronic magnifier: from around £100 for small handhelds to well over £1,000 for desktop models.

When to see an optician

Buying ready readers should never be a reason to skip an eye test. An eye test (sight test) checks the health of your eyes as well as your glasses prescription, and can pick up conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration, often before you notice anything wrong. It can also show signs of other health conditions.

NHS sight tests are free for people aged 60 and over in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and NHS eye examinations in Scotland are free for everyone who lives in the UK. Your optician will tell you how often to return; it is usually every one to two years. See free prescriptions and eye tests for the details, including help with the cost of glasses if you get certain benefits such as Pension Credit Guarantee Credit. If getting to an optician is difficult because of illness or disability, ask about an NHS home visit.

Help if your sight cannot be fully corrected

If glasses no longer give you good enough vision, ask your optician or GP about a referral to a low vision service. These NHS or locally run clinics assess what you need and often lend magnifiers free of charge; arrangements differ across the UK, and Wales runs a low vision service through high-street optometrists. Your council's sensory support team can also advise on equipment and lighting, and the charity RNIB has a helpline and a shop with specialist products.

Mistakes to avoid

• Going up and up in strength year after year without an eye test.
• Wearing ready readers to walk about or, above all, to drive. They blur distance vision.
• Buying the strongest magnifier you can find. Try a moderate power with a good light first.
• Reading in poor light. See lighting for ageing eyes.

Related guides

For savings on prescription glasses see optician discounts for over-60s. If print is the problem, large-print books and puzzles and e-readers, which let you enlarge the text, are worth a look.

Common questions

Will ready-made reading glasses damage my eyes?

No. The wrong strength may cause eye strain or headaches while you wear them, but they do not harm your eyes. The risk is in missing regular eye tests.

What strength do I need?

Ask your optician for your reading addition, or try pairs in a shop and choose the weakest that gives clear, comfortable reading at your normal distance.

Can I get magnifiers free?

Often, yes, on loan through a low vision service if you have sight loss. Ask your optician or GP for a referral.