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Best reading glasses: our expert picks from independent testing 2026
We've tested reading glasses from well-known brands including Calvin Klein, Converse, Karl Lagerfeld and Lacoste as well as more affordable high street and online brands
Anyone can pick up a pair of reading glasses (also known as ready readers) online or from the high street, making them a convenient and often affordable choice. We've tested cheap and unbranded glasses alongside reading glasses from the biggest names in fashion to find out which will be best for you.
Only reading glasses that pass all of our lens and frame tests, and are popular with our user panel, earn our Best Buy recommendation. We look at how secure the lenses are and how well the frame retains its shape when being stressed, and check that the lenses provide the magnification claimed and that both lenses provide equal magnification.
We also see what users think of each pair of glasses. We ask our testers to try on each pair and tell us how well the glasses fit their head and face, and how comfortable they are on their nose and ears. And we get users to give us their views on how well built each pair of glasses feels to them.
In this test, we’ve pitted reading glasses from the biggest names in fashion, such as Calvin Klein and Karl Lagerfeld, against high street favourites from Boots and cheaper online options bought on Amazon and eBay.
How our tests find you the best
We've tested 16 pairs of reading glasses
We've tested 16 pairs of reading glasses from leading manufacturers to see how accurate the lenses are, how robust the frames are and to find out what they're like to wear.
Lens tests
We test each lens on every pair of glasses individually to discover how accurately they deliver the claimed magnification. Both lenses should be of equal power.
Frame tests
Reading glasses frames are permitted to distort by 2% after stress testing. But we’ve found frames that distort more than three and a half times the permitted amount.
We also test…
We asked six people to test each pair to tell us how well they fit, how comfortable they are and to give us their opinion on build quality.
The reading glasses we tested
The biggest brands and the 16 most popular reading glasses are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view our test results.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations.
| Reading glasses | Price | Type | Lens and frame tests | Fit | Overall comfort | Build quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableGet Digital access £9.99 per month, cancel at any time. Already a member? | Women | Pass | ||||
| Not stated | Pass | |||||
| Unisex | Pass | |||||
| Unisex | Pass | |||||
| Unisex | Pass | |||||
| Not stated | Pass | |||||
| Men | Pass | |||||
| Not stated | Pass | |||||
| Not stated | Pass | |||||
| Unisex | Pass | |||||
| Unisex | Pass | |||||
| Unisex | Pass | |||||
| Not stated | Pass | |||||
| Men | Pass | |||||
| Women | Pass | |||||
| Not stated | Fail |
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Unlock tableGet Digital access £9.99 per month, cancel at any time.
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Date tested: August 2026. Page last checked August 2026. We are not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
The reading glasses we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best reading glasses from our tests.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations for reading glasses.
B&M Rimless Reading Glasses
Available from B&M (£1.99)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Not stated
Magnification +1.5
Boots Graham Reading Glasses
Available from Boots (£10)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Not stated
Magnification +1.5
C-Sharp Unisex Reading Glasses & Case
Available from Tesco (£9)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Unisex
Magnification +1.5
Calvin Klein CK25512
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Female
Magnification +1.5
Converse CV5015 Reading Glasses
Available from Selectspecs (£87.32), SmartBuyGlasses (£125) and Speckyfoureyes (£65)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Male
Magnification +1.5
EyeLevel Readers Majestic
Available from EyeLevel (£7.99)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Not stated
Magnification +1.5
FG & Co Premium Reading Glasses Camden
Available from Boots (£25 )
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Not stated
Magnification +1.5
Goodlookers Reading Glasses Kai Black
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Unisex
Magnification +1.5
Izipizi Office Oversized Square Reading Glasses
Available from Izipizi (£40), John Lewis (£40)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Not stated
Magnification +1.5
Prefer to buy your glasses from an optician? Discover where to go to with our guide to the best opticians
Karl Lagerfeld KL6177 Reading Glasses
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Unisex
Magnification +1.5
Lacoste L3661 Reading Glasses
Available from Speckyfoureyes (£80)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Male
Magnification +1.5
Lightweight Reading Glasses
Available from Sellers listing on eBay (£3.55)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Unisex
Magnification +1.5
OK Frame Co OKO-2220 Reading Glasses
Available from Speckyfoureyes (£40)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Female
Magnification +1.5
RBENN Fashion TR90
Available from Sellers listing on AliExpress (£6.68)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Unisex
Magnification +1.5
Tifosi Swank Clear Reader Glasses
Available from Debenhams (£30), Tifosi-Optics (£30)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Not stated
Magnification +1.5
Tiger Specs Snowball
Available from Tigerspecs (£21.50)
Most recently tested August 2026
Gender Unisex
Magnification +1.5
Don’t Buy reading glasses
Our tests uncover the best and the worst. If a product performs so poorly that we think you should avoid it, we name it a Don't Buy. We found one Don't Buy pair of reading glasses in our 2026 tests.
Don't Buy reading glasses will be the ones with lenses that fail our tests – for example, they might not provide the required magnification, or one lens might be stronger than the other. Or they'll be the glasses with frames that simply aren't tough enough and will break easily.
Log in to reveal the reading glasses we've named Don't Buys.
How we test reading glasses
How do we test lenses?
In lab conditions, we check that the lenses are fitted securely, so that when you clean your glasses, drop them or take them out of their case, the lenses stay in place without becoming loose.
We make sure the magnification is within permitted limits for reading glasses, that it matches what the manufacturer claims (+1.5 for this test) and that both lenses provide the same magnification. We also test for prismatic power to check whether light passing through the lenses will hit the pupil perfectly – if it doesn't, this could lead to eye strain.
How robust are the frames?
We test the frames in lab conditions to make sure they're not brittle and don't warp easily, and we check that they don't break during normal everyday use.
Can the glasses withstand being dropped?
We drop a 16g steel ball on the glasses from waist height to check that the lenses don't shatter or pop out if they're dropped.
How comfortable are the glasses?
A panel of glasses-wearers tell us how well the glasses fit their head and face, and how comfortable they feel around their ears and on their nose. The panel is made up of six men and six women, with each person trying nine pairs of glasses.
For glasses intended to be worn by women, all six women on the panel tried the women's glasses; six men tried the men's glasses.
For glasses listed as unisex, or who they are for isn't stated, three men and three women tested each of the pairs.
What is the build quality like?
Our user panel try the glasses on, handle them and manipulate them as you would every day as a glasses-wearer. They then give us their views on the build-quality of the glasses. Some glasses were descibed as sturdy and robust, while others were reported to be brittle and flimsy.
Find out more about how Which? is not influenced by product manufacturers or retailers, and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent
How do I know what strength reading glasses I need?
If you're buying on the high street, take a book along with you. Try the glasses on, starting with a low magnification, and see how clear the text in the book is. If the text is blurred, move up to a higher magnification until you find the one best suited to you.
If you're buying online, you can use a test-at-home eye chart, which can be bought online or printed. The first line you can read clearly on the chart will be the magnification you need. But make sure you use a physical chart – if you try this online, the sizes of the letters can be distorted.
Is it better to have stronger or weaker reading glasses?
If you find that you're caught between two magnifications, choose the lower one as it's better to have reading glasses that are a bit too weak than a bit too strong. You might end up holding anything you read slightly further away but you'll be reading at a more natural distance and this could lead to less eye strain and fewer headaches.
Are cheap reading glasses okay to use?
We've tested glasses costing close to £100 alongside brands where you can buy three pairs for under a tenner, and many in between. Our tests show that for the vast majority of the reading glasses we've tested, the lenses are fine and will do a good job, regardless of the price you pay.
But we've found glasses with weak frames that would break easily and we've seen huge differences in fit, comfort and build quality – all of which really matters for something that you might be wearing for a large part of the day.
What exactly do reading glasses do?
Reading glasses correct age-related loss of flexibility of the eye's lens (presbyopia), which tends to start when you're around 40. The lenses curve outwards to make text appear larger and, in doing so, compensate for the effects of ageing on the eye.
A common sign that you might need reading glasses would be holding books, newspapers or menus further away to be able to read them comfortably.