From horn-rimmed to cat-eye frames, aviators, wayfarers and so many more, there really is no excuse when it comes to finding the right style for your face when choosing your prescription glasses. So why is it that so many people still put off getting their pair?

Whether from ignorance or laziness, fear of feeling old or due to financial reasons, there are still many people out there who need glasses but don’t have them. What many don’t realize is the serious short and long term risks involved when they postpone this errand – driving accidents have occurred due to poor eye sight and children have been injured during playtime.

While long term risks include the eye not being fully developed as “getting a clear image to the retina helps the eyes develop, so when vision isn’t clear it keeps the eyes from developing normally.”

A quick search for prescription glasses online will generate a slew of results, from designer to indie brands, custom made and even handmade frames. But before purchasing the first pair of reading glasses you see, it is best to go for an eye test so that the doctor can determine exactly the prescription lens your eyes need.

“Several factors like position of the eyes, the angle and position of the frame, and the distance between pupils make prescription glasses unique for each wearer.”

If you are still not sure whether your case is serious enough to call your eye doctor, then you can have a look at the following five signs which indicate early on the need for prescription glasses. While the first three are quite obvious, the last two are not so much.

Hyperopia

When moving close-up to books, laptop screens or the television turns things blurry, then hyperopia − farsightedness – is the issue at hand.  Hyperopia “occurs if your eyeball is too short or the cornea has too little curvature, so light entering your eye is not focused correctly.”

Myopia

When you are struggling seeing objects, numbers or anything else that is at a distance then you have poor distance vision. “Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long, relative to the focusing power of the cornea and lens of the eye.

This causes light rays to focus at a point in front of the retina, rather than directly on its surface. It could also “be caused by the cornea and/or lens being too curved for the length of the eyeball.” Myopia could also be cause by a combination of these two points.

Astigmatism

When you have difficulty determining objects both when they are close up and when they are at a distance. “The specific cause of astigmatism is unknown. It can be hereditary and is usually present from birth. It can change as a child grows and may decrease or worsen over time.”

Difficulty with darkness and light

A more unknown early sign involves difficulty adjusting your eyes when you move from dark to light. You could see halos around light and double vision. Some even experience wavy vision such as seeing door frames or window frames wavy rather than in straight lines.

Eye strain

Another sign that often goes by unexamined are tired, red eyes. These days, with so much of our time being in front of a screen, we can easily blame our red eyes to long hours in front of our laptop but this could be an early sign that you need prescription glasses.

If you have difficulty reading or working on a computer and you are suffering from unexplained headaches, then it could be that long hours at your desk are not the only cause for these symptoms.

Even if you are suffering from any of these signs, it does not directly mean that you need prescription glasses, and so it is best that you allow a professional to determine what is causing these symptoms so that you can lead easier days.