How come you can buy reading glasses for a few bucks at pharmacies or Wal-Mart, but they don’t make them for being able to see farther away?

Question

Is the lens grinding process more complicated or is there just too much variation in eyesight to make them feasible on a mass scale?

In: Other

Answer 1

Cheap reading glasses are just simple magnifying glasses in a frame

The strength only needs to be “about right” because you can make fine adjustments by holding the book/newspaper a bit closer or moving it away. They are “good enough” for their intended purpose.

You can’t make those adjustments with distance glasses, like when driving etc

So they need to be a far more accurate match for your individual eyes, and your prescription is tailored to you. And sometimes slightly different for each eye.