Quote Originally Posted by shootingstar View Post
THis is going to sound strange but forgive me for this naive question, since I haven't needed any glasses for anything in life, except for sunglasses. But my luck may run out soon going into the 5th decade of life.. I am noticing it's just more difficult to thread a sewing hand needle when I need to alter clothing. And I used to be a regular sewer..before cycling, so I knew how sharp my vision was for many hrs. under those circumstances.

I always thought it was safest to have one's vision tested first before figuring out prescription vs. non-prescription route.
Yes, you should definitely be having eye exams even if you don't need glasses (I go every year but I am nearsighted and have astigmatism as well -- and vision insurance that pays for a free yearly exam). In addition to vision, they check for early signs of cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, etc. But there's nothing wrong with picking up a pair of drugstore readers for sewing and other close work. In fact, you'd need to try a few different strengths either there or at the eye doc's to know what strength to get.

My DH started with drugstore readers at age 50, when he started having problems with fine print. He'd never worn glasses in his life either. Very few people make it through their 50s without age-related far-sightedness (presbyopia).

There's some good info here about prebyopia, and they even mention difficulty seeing while sewing!