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Test Your Eye Strength Using a Diopter Chart

The best way to determine the strength of reading glasses that you require is to make a visit to the eye doctor, but it's never a bad idea to do a quick check on your own before you purchase a new pair of eye glasses. After all, typically, you only visit the eye doctor once per year and you never know when  something may change.
 

Diopter is the measurement of optical power that the lens of your eyes have and relates to the eye's ability to bend light. This is where the basic eye strength chart for judging the strength of reading glasses that you need gets its name 'The Diopter Chart'. Many in the vision field suggest printing this chart in order to gauge your vision;  but this is only partially accurate. You can more accurately test your vision at home by printing the diopter chart in PDF format. Otherwise, the font sizes can become distorted and don't render an accurate reading.
 

If you'd like to use this method, determining the strength of reading glasses that you require is simple. Print off the Diopter Chart  in PDF, hold it 14 inches from your face. Read the chart from bottom to top and determine which lines of text are the hardest to read. Take the Diopter measurement that's next to that text line and buy reading glasses of that strength! Wayne Yarrow with Readerwear also provides another easy way you can accurately test your vision at home using the resources you already have. According to Wayne, "correct lens strength should bring small print, like a map or phone book into focus at about 15 inches".

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