The best reading glasses for computer work

Measure your actual screen distance

Sit as you normally work and measure from your eyes to the monitor. Most people land at 50–70 cm — considerably further than reading distance. A reader powered for a paperback overshoots at that range, which is why you lean in.

What to look for

• An intermediate focal zone, not just a near zone
• A strength chosen for the screen, not for the smallest print you own
• Light frames — under about 25 g for all-day wear
• Anti-scratch coating, because desk glasses get handled constantly
• A return window, since desk comfort is hard to judge in a shop

Single-power versus graduated

A single-power reader set for your monitor distance works well until you look at your phone or a colleague. A graduated multifocal covers the screen through the middle of the lens, print through the bottom and the room through the top — the approach described on our computer work page.

Setup does half the work

Monitor top edge at eye level, roughly an arm's length away, brightness matched to the room, and a 20-second look into the distance every 20 minutes. Glasses cannot compensate for a screen placed badly.

On blue-light filtering

Useful as a bonus, weak as a headline claim — the research does not support it as a fix for tired eyes. Our view is on the blue-light readers page. Correcting near vision is what actually reduces the strain.