Nearly 60pc of reading glasses not up to spec

The Consumer Council on Wednesday said it found that nearly 60 percent of ready-to-use reading glasses it tested did not come with clear indications.

It said 10 of the 17 samples did not indicate the pupillary distance (PD) or the optical centre distance (OCD), and reminded users of ready-to-use reading glasses to select spectacles that come with clear indications to avoid affecting eye health.

The council's Research and Testing Committee member Lam Hon-ming said PD indicates the distance between pupils, while OCD shows the distance between the optical centres of the two lenses.

"Your [pupillary] distance should match exactly with the OCD so that you can minimise the distortion of the image," he said.

"Otherwise, the eye muscles must adjust the image and make you [feel] fatigued."

The Consumer Council has called on suppliers to enhance the labelling of information to make it easier for people to select the glasses that best suit them.

Council chief executive Alaina Shum noted that as some users tend to opt for ready-to-wear models, consumers should conduct simple checks beforehand.

These include checking if the ground appears level when they walk with their glasses on, and see if fixed objects appear tilted.

She said that ready-to-wear glasses are not for long-term use as it could lead to eye fatigue, dry eye syndrome and vision loss.

"Ready-to-wear reading glasses are not custom-made and are suitable for only short-term use to meet occasional needs, such as when you try to order in the restaurant," she said.

As for those getting custom-made reading glasses, they should undergo eye examinations regularly as eye health and presbyopia changes over time.

Edited by Aaron Tam ...