So this Lazy Old Geek walked into the Dollar store to try on some reading glasses. I tried a 1.0 power and I could read pretty good with my left eye. I tried a 3.0 power and I could read pretty good with my right eye.

Strange but I actually know why. Many years ago when I was working I had Lasik surgery. My eye doc and I agreed I should get Monovision. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it means one eye is better for distance and one eye is better for up close. It sounds pretty strange like just using one eye at a time but it actually works pretty good and you maintain a lot of your depth perception.

Anyway, as you get older and older, presbyopia still sets in. That means your eyes can’t focus as well for close up work and reading. Well, I did get a set of bifocal glasses but just hate them for reading.

Now I doubt that there are many out there with Monovision and presbyopia but there may be some who can use different powered reading glasses for each eye. This may help.

By the way, have others noticed how most stores charge $19.95 for reading glasses but you can buy them at dollar stores for a buck?

Monovision: I have found one downside to monovision. That is 3-D movies and TVs. Those 3-D glasses are pretty much designed for good distance vision in both eyes. I don't know if you can get prescription 3-D glasses.

Step 1: Buying the Reading Glasses

The first step is to see what power you need in each eye. I settled on 1.0 and 3.0.
Next I went to the dollar stores and started looking for two pairs of identical reading glasses but with the different powers. For me, I had to try a couple of different stores and a couple of different times but I finally found and bought them. Now the frames were a different color but the lens shape seemed to be identical. By the way, another thing to look for is if the lens were symmetrical, i.e. the left and right lens could be swapped. This pair doesn’t look that way but I could actually swap them.

Step 2: Modifying the Glasses

Now you take the pair with the power you want for your left eye and remove the right lens.

I thought the lens was held in by the little screw but closer examination showed it wasn’t. Well, shucks, that was a waste of $2.15. But then I decided to just try pushing the lens out and it popped right out. As you probably know reading glasses for a buck have cheap plastic lens so do this carefully.

So I remove the right lens from the other pair and put it into the first one. I did have a little more trouble putting the lens in.

Done, sort of.

Well, since my lenses looked pretty symmetrical, I decided to remove the left lens from the second pair and place it on the right side, then put the first lens into the left side. It was a little harder but it worked. I carefully used a pair of plier to get some of the lens all the way in.

Wow, two pair of custom reading glasses for $2.15.