Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
General product information, not medical advice. A prescription or eye-health question belongs with an eye-care professional.
Short answer
Cheaters glasses is an informal name for ready-made reading glasses: off-the-shelf spectacles with the same convex lens in both eyes, meant to ease near vision lost to presbyopia. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says they can suit people whose prescription is the same in both eyes, and may not fit anyone with a different prescription in each eye, myopia or astigmatism.
What cheaters glasses are
A pair of readers is a spectacle frame holding two lenses. The AAO describes ready-made glasses as the kind sold at a drugstore or pharmacy, one-size-fits-all, and says they typically do not come in multifocal or progressive designs. In everyday speech the label “cheaters” is applied to these ready-made readers; it is a slang term, not a regulatory or optical category.
Parts of reading glasses
FDA’s classification regulation for magnifying spectacles (21 CFR 886.5840) describes the device as “spectacle frames with convex lenses.” So the two basic parts are the frame and the convex lenses. The AAO adds one fit point that matters for custom lenses: the pupils must be aligned to the optical center of each lens to get the best correction, which is why an optician measures the distance between the pupils for custom glasses and why a one-size-fits-all pair cannot adapt to it.
How readers are used
The AAO states that over-the-counter readers are designed to correct age-related loss of near vision, called presbyopia, and that presbyopia is usually balanced: the prescription is the same for both eyes. That is the reason a pair with identical lenses can work at all. Their use is therefore near tasks, the same near-vision correction explained in the reading glasses strength chart. For how a lens is designed as single-focus versus bifocal or progressive, see types of eyeglass lenses and single vision lenses.
Types of readers
The AAO distinguishes ready-made from custom glasses, and describes lens designs by how they divide the lens.
| Option | What the AAO says |
|---|---|
| Ready-made readers (“cheaters”) | Sold at a drugstore or pharmacy; one-size-fits-all; typically not available as multifocal or progressive. |
| Custom glasses | An optician makes lenses based on the prescription, including the distance between the pupils. |
| Single vision lens | Designed to correct distance vision. |
| Bifocal, trifocal, progressive lens | Bifocals put a reading correction in the bottom half and distance on top; trifocals add an intermediate section; progressives blend distance and near without visible dividing lines. |
Half-eye and other lens shapes
“Half-eye” is a frame-style name used in retail. The AAO does not define it, but its lens-size guidance applies to any shape: lenses come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, for stronger prescriptions or multifocal lenses larger lens shapes are a better option, and if the lens is too small a wearer may experience distortion or a prism effect.
Where it matters for clinics and supply decisions
Regulation: 21 CFR 886.5840 classifies magnifying spectacles as Class I (general controls) and exempts them from the premarket notification procedures in subpart E of 21 CFR part 807, subject to the limitations in 21 CFR 866.9. That regulation is written for spectacles intended to enlarge images for a patient with impaired vision, so it should not be read as the only rule covering every pair of drugstore readers.
What the AAO says about the design limits of ready-made readers:
- They are built around a prescription that is the same in both eyes, which is how presbyopia usually presents.
- With a different prescription in each eye, myopia or astigmatism, the AAO says ready-made glasses may not meet the need.
- Off-the-shelf readers typically do not come in multifocal or progressive options.
- Stronger prescriptions or multifocal lenses call for larger lens shapes; a lens that is too small can cause distortion or a prism effect.
- Lens design choices are a matter for an eye-care professional; the AAO says an ophthalmologist should guide the choice. See what ophthalmology is.
Common misunderstandings
- “Readers fix any vision problem.” The AAO says over-the-counter readers are designed for presbyopia. For nearsightedness it says prescriptions vary too widely from person to person for over-the-counter glasses to work.
- “Cheaters” is a medical or regulatory term. It is an informal label; the regulatory text speaks of spectacle frames with convex lenses.
FAQ
What are cheaters glasses?
An informal name for ready-made reading glasses, the one-size-fits-all pairs sold at drugstores and pharmacies for age-related near-vision loss.
What are the types of readers glasses?
Ready-made or custom, and by lens design: single vision, bifocal, trifocal or progressive. Ready-made readers typically do not come in multifocal or progressive designs (AAO).
What are half-eye reading glasses?
A retail name for a frame style. The AAO does not define it, but notes that stronger prescriptions or multifocal lenses call for larger lens shapes.
What are the parts of reading glasses?
A frame and convex lenses (21 CFR 886.5840). The AAO adds that the pupils must be aligned to the optical center of the lenses; for custom lenses the pupils must align with each lens’s optical center (AAO).
What are reading glasses used for?
Correcting presbyopia, the age-related loss of near vision. Presbyopia is usually the same in both eyes (AAO).
Sources
- American Academy of Ophthalmology, “Tips for Choosing the Right Reading Glasses”, https://www.aao.org/eye-health/glasses-contacts/tips-choosing-right-reading-glasses (checked 2026-10-30).
- American Academy of Ophthalmology, “Can I buy OTC glasses for nearsightedness?”, https://www.aao.org/eye-health/ask-ophthalmologist-q/can-i-buy-otc-glasses-nearsightedness (checked 2026-10-30).
- 21 CFR 886.5840, Magnifying spectacles, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/886.5840 (checked 2026-10-30).
