If restaurant menus are getting harder to read or you find yourself holding your phone farther away to bring the words into focus, you may be wondering whether a pair of drugstore “cheater” glasses will do the trick.

For many adults with age-related difficulty focusing up close (presbyopia), the answer is a solid maybe.

Optometrist Robert Engel, OD, explains when cheaters make sense — and when it’s worth investing in prescription lenses.

What are ‘cheater’ glasses?

Cheater glasses, also known as “cheaters” or “readers,” are over-the-counter reading glasses designed to help you see objects up close. They’re made with the same lens power in both eyes, and they’re available without a prescription.

Prescription reading glasses, on the other hand, are specially made for your vision needs.

“When you get a pair of prescription readers, your eye care provider can customize your lenses to each eye’s specific needs and adapt the lenses to account for the distance between your pupils,” Dr. Engel says.

Benefits of cheater glasses

For many people, over-the-counter (OTC) reading glasses can be an affordable, convenient solution. But they’re not a replacement for a comprehensive eye exam or prescription glasses.

Some advantages include:

  • Cost: Cheater reading glasses typically cost much less than prescription readers, so they’re easy to replace or keep multiple pairs on hand. Even people who have prescription readers often like having extra cheaters in their car, office or travel bag.
  • Convenience: You can buy them online or pick up a pair (or five) at most pharmacies, grocery stores and big-box retailers without waiting for a prescription.
  • Effectiveness: “For the vast majority of people, over-the-counter readers can work without much of a problem, as long as they match the power of your prescription,” Dr. Engel says.

Limitations of cheaters

OTC glasses may not be a quick-and-easy solution for everyone, though. Some drawbacks include:

  • Standard prescriptions: The lenses on OTC readers are identical in both eyes and don’t correct astigmatism (a football-shaped eye). If one of your eyes needs a different prescription from the other, or if your eyes aren’t perfectly round-shaped, cheater reading glasses won’t give you the clearest results.
  • Lower quality: “The lenses and materials of mass-produced readers are usually inferior to those of privately manufactured ones,” Dr. Engel notes.
  • Unique needs: Off-the-shelf cheaters don’t account for the distance between your eyes. In people with significantly narrow or wide distance between their pupils, OTC readers can cause eye strain or double vision.

Perhaps one of the biggest limitations is that grabbing a pair of readers from the drugstore can give you a false sense of security. Cheaters are so readily available that they can easily become a shortcut to self-diagnosing and treating troubles with your vision.

But age-related vision changes don’t always cause difficulty seeing up close, and skipping an eye exam could delay diagnosing other eye conditions.

“If you’re having trouble seeing up close, the first step shouldn’t be to buy reading glasses. It should be to get your eyes examined,” Dr. Engel advises.

An eye exam can determine whether OTC cheaters are right for you, if you’d benefit more from a prescription pair or whether another vision problem is contributing to your symptoms.

Are cheater glasses worth it?

If your eye doctor recommends the same reading power for both eyes, cheaters can provide clear vision for close-up tasks without the added expense of prescription lenses.

If you decide to buy a pair, Dr. Engel offers these tips:

  • Start with the right power. The power of the readers is often labeled with a sticker or printed inside the temple “arm” of the glasses. In most cases, they range from +1.00 to +4.00 diopters. Look for what matches your prescription or what your provider recommends. If you don’t have a prescription, try the lowest power (+1.00) first until you can read comfortably.
  • Try before you buy. Bring your preferred reading material with you, such as a book, digital device or newspaper. Kiosks also supply eye charts for your convenience. Choose the lowest power that you can still see comfortably at your preferred reading distance.
  • Ensure the frames aren’t too large. The frame width should not exceed your cheekbones. If they do, there’s a higher risk of double vision, especially in powers higher than +2.00.

If your vision still isn’t clear — or if you develop headaches, eye strain or double vision while wearing cheater glasses — schedule an appointment with your eye care provider. You may need prescription readers, bifocals or another type of vision correction.

And remember, cheater reading glasses may be a helpful tool, but they’re not a substitute for regular eye exams.

This article was written by Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials (editorial@ccf.org) from Cleveland Clinic and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.