A ready-reader trial conducted for The Daily Mail (April 24) revealed problems with buying corrective eyewear over the counter and concluded that most adults need prescription glasses.
The Daily Mail conducted a similar trial in January (News 14.01.11) but this time consulted Boots optometrist Carolyn Norman to assess ready-readers. These included ready-readers from Primark and Poundland, Online Reading Glasses, Foster Grant, Funspex, Magnif-1 and David Clulow.
Norman commented that ready-readers had their place and offered some correction, but should never be an alternative to properly made spectacles. She said ready-readers were sold with a limited variation of strengths, 'so most adults would need something tailor-made'.
The £2 readers from Primark were not the correct strength, said Norman. She revealed problems with the optical centre (OC) of the glasses.
The £12.99 Online Reading Glasses frames were both +2.00, each lens was 'warped', as if to correct an astigmatism.
Both lenses in the £11.99 Foster Grant readers were warped and the wrong strength, while the OC would be too big for a woman and too small for a man.
The £21.27 Funspex +2.25 readers also had warped lenses and 'the wrong prescription, meaning these are pretty useless', said Norman.
Magnif-I's £7.99 +2.00 readers might give wearers eyestrain, while the OC was too wide for women.
Norman said the £1 Poundland readers were for a small nose, yet had a large OC suited to a man.
Norman said she would be surprised to find 'anyone who would persevere with these'.
The £27.50 +2.00 ready-readers from David Clulow were the correct prescription but had a narrow OC.
Norman also stated that when her customers, who had been using ready-readers for years without having a sight test, were given glasses, they realised just how much they had been missing.