Ask HN: Do you use reading or computer glasses for computer usage?

As you get older you need 'reading' glasses to allow your eyes to focus on close-up things like books.

Now the thing about those reading glasses is that they will have a focal distance where things come into focus for your eyes. (The lens in your eyes plus the lens in the glasses gives a multi-element lens with an overall focal distance.)

I have a night-reading pair of glasses which have a focal length (for my eyes) at around 9 inches between my eyes and my kindle.

Obviously i can't sit so that my eyes are 9 inches from my 43" 4K TV computer monitor, so I have a pair of 'computer' glasses that have a focal length (for my eyes) of about 20-24 inches from that monitor.

Now you CAN go into the local supermarket and get a pair of reading glasses of suitable focal length, but ....

The best glasses for reading are made from high quality optical-lens glass. That makes them expensive, but they're a lot better in the long run. Also your eyes may have different focal-lengths, so you may need different correcting lenses for your left and right eyes. It's possible for one eye to be able to focus with a set of 'cheapies', but the other eye may be out of focus. And that's not good.

When I have my eyes tested periodically, I get one set of glasses for 'night reading' and another set of glasses for 'computer use', as well as my ordinary bifocal everyday glasses. (Bifocals rather than those progressive focus lenses because I find the narrow width of field means I have to turn my head rather than just flick my eyes left and right. YMMV.)

Note that the short-distance glasses (night-time and computer) don't require changing as often as the 'everyday' glasses, so you can alternate getting new ones, so: one eye-test - everyday glasses plus night-reading, the next eye test - everyday glasses plus computer-use, ......

I'm not, our monitors are 1920x1200 ~24" so the text is not yet too bad. I use xterm with the default bitmap font which I've become very accustomed to over the years and so I can probably read it better than I can actually see it.

Yes, but for a fairly unusual reason.

I have had cataract surgery. I now have fixed-focus lenses in both eyes. One eye focuses at infinity, the other at 20 feet. That is not ideal for a computer monitor (or for reading).

I have prescription glasses that put both eyes in focus at the standard distance from a monitor. When you use a computer 8 hours a day, it really matters.

For reading, I just use regular reading glasses. I'm sure that's only putting one eye in focus, but I don't read for long periods day after day, so it doesn't bother me.

i've got astigmatism bad enough i need glasses to give me depth perception when driving. Last time i saw the doc i got a prescription for that, and another to give me sharp correction at 12in to 30in "reach" range; which i call my "workbench glasses." They make soldering much easier.

I generally sit with my monitor at 30in range, and get by without glasses. Everyone complains my fonts are too small to read. If I'm working on something intense, lately, I'm getting to the point where i find the workbench glasses helpful. It's not quite noticeable "vision problems" but the eyestrain mounts after a while.

My usual idle browsing and commenting here, I don't get that so much and don't really notice an issue yet.