What is the lowest strength of reading glasses?
On most store racks, +1.00. Online you can find +0.75, +0.50 and +0.25.
Updated November 12, 2026 · General information, not medical advice.
The short answer
Most pharmacies and supermarkets start their reading glasses at +1.00. Some brands also make +0.75, and a few sell +0.50 and +0.25, mainly online. Strengths go up in steps of +0.25 from there.
Who uses the lowest strengths
- +0.25 and +0.50: people in their late thirties or early forties with tired eyes after long screen days, and people who want a little help at a computer but not for books.
- +0.75: people who are just starting to notice small print, usually in their early forties.
- +1.00: the usual first pair, typically between 40 and 45.
Do you need them yet?
If you can read the smallest line of the reading glasses test at 14 inches without effort, you do not need readers for ordinary reading. Low strengths can still make long sessions of close work more comfortable, and they do no harm.
Low strength for a computer
A screen is farther away than a book, so it needs less strength. Someone who reads with +1.50 or +1.75 may find +0.50 or +0.75 right for a monitor. The calculator works this out for your screen distance.
If even +1.00 feels too strong
Readers that are too strong make print sharp only when it is held close, and they blur everything else. If +1.00 forces you to hold a book nearer than is comfortable, try +0.75 or +0.50, or wait a year.