Most of us will need reading glasses sooner or later—and maybe that fuzzy point for you has arrived. Even if you’ve gone four decades with perfect vision, the time comes when your phone screen, watch hands, and restaurant menu starts to look not so sharp. Don't ignore it; just invest in one of the best reading glasses for men.
If you equate reading glasses with the Ben Franklin-esque readers elderly restaurant-goers unfold like switchblades over early bird specials or the cheap frames on display at your local pharmacy, fear not. Readers have gotten a lot cooler, thanks to stylish new frames coming from designer brands—you just have to know where to buy them.
“Style still matters to us and most of us are still doing cool shit!” says Wil Thomas, a brand ambassador for Caddis Eye Appliances, whose founder, Tim Parr, started noticing “fuzzy phone texts, grabbing conditioner instead shampoo, and uncooperative restaurant menus” in his mid-40s. What Parr also saw was a hole in the market for readers that “any card-carrying Gen X member would consider hanging on their face.”
What Are Reading Glasses
Think of reading glasses like a magnifying glass. They're designed to help you see images at close range more clearly. Some readers are designed as bifocals where the lens is split into two different prescriptions to correct your vision for distance and up close.
You don't need a prescription to purchase reading glasses, but it's wise to schedule an eye exam if you notice your vision is changing (as well as to check in on your eye health each year). Your optometrist will let you know what strength you need, but you can also print out a reading glass strength chart if you notice a rapid change in your vision.
“I’m still amazed how reluctant people are to improve their eyesight,” says Parr, “but I guess that’s also become our mission: Changing how Americans think about aging.”
Declining vision is more common than you think. A study conducted by the Community Eye Health Journal found 62 percent of people need reading glasses over age 40 because of presbyopia—an increasing difficulty for eyes to focus on close subjects.
Here are the best reading glasses for men that'll change the way you think about readers. We've got retro frames that'll bring your Zoom meeting into focus, sport-friendly glasses that'll keep your Peloton instructor sharp, and sun readers that make tying flies on the water a breeze.
The Best Reading Glasses for Men in 2023
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Gwyneth Paltrow made her Caddis Metamodernist Scout readers famous in recent courtroom appearances over a Utah skiing accident. Whatever frames you choose, Caddis’ Wil Thomas encourages people to get out of their comfort zone with style or color. “Lean into the thing you’re not comfortable with—it grows confidence,” he says.
These bold frames were designed in collaboration with the Los Angeles-based tattoo artist of the same name, who's inked the likes of Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Beyoncé, while wearing them for the fine work required of his job. The large size makes these ideal for heart, round, and square face shapes. The frames are made from bio-based acetate, and the lenses have an anti-reflective, scratch-free coating that also blocks blue light. Available as readers, sun readers, or progressive readers, the colorways are dark metallic gray, gloss black, and a gloss cobalt blue that matches Mister Cartoon’s blue Cadillac.
[$160; caddislife.com]
Austin-based Roka made its name outfitting triathletes and Olympians with sports specs. For these readers, Roka took everything great about its sports eyewear and paired it with classic frame designs you can wear on a run or at the gym, then to work. Made in its optical lab, all Roka readers are engineered with the company’s GEKO technology, a patented fit and retention system with a proprietary elastomer for the nose and temple pads that are hydrophilic, chemical resistant, and offer multi-directional traction. In other words, they won’t come off in your CrossFit class.
These mixed-material frames have an acetate front and metal temples, so they look very classic head-on, and the wire temples keep them ultralight and comfortable. Three different sizes of rubber nose pads provide a perfect custom fit, while three cool color options—clear, black, and tortoise—dictate how classic or sporty you want to go.
[$135 (was $270); roka.com]
The first thing you notice about these Japanese-made reading glasses is the aggressive brow bar and hinges, which we think look especially great in gold. Besides this retro aesthetic, what sets them apart is how they fold down to 10 mm thick, which the brand says is less than half the thickness of standard folded readers. That’s thin enough to slide neatly into the included metal case, a compact way to bring these readers on the go safely.
[$188; amazon.com]
Renee’s Readers has an array of glasses under $100 that wear like pricier specs. The anti-smudge treatment outperforms more expensive options, and its light-sensitive lenses epitomize the brand's value proposition by offering a feature many charge a premium for. Indoors, they function like normal readers. Take them outside on a bright day and they develop a gray tint and become sun readers. The hydrophobic lenses have an anti-glare coating for computer screens and bright sun, and they’re coated for scratch and smudge resistance. They come in tortoise and black colorways, and a broad range of eight magnification options. We're a big fan of the oversized retro frames.
[$98; reneesreaders.com]
Warby Parker has great resources on its website if you like to do your research before pulling the trigger. The brand offers in-house eye exams in many of its 200-plus locations. It also has a cool online tool that lets you use your computer camera to try on any frames virtually. The readers are made with the same high-end attention to detail as its other eyewear, though Kim Nemser, the company’s chief merchandising officer, says people shopping for readers “tend to be a bit bolder in their style choices.”
Made in Japan, the quality eyewear capital of the world, these ultralight wire frames come in polished silver or gold and will flatter various face shapes. The exceptionally high-quality lenses can be ordered in a vast range of magnifications, and you can order them as blue-light filtering for an additional $50 and light responsive for an additional $100.
[From $175; warbyparker.com]
Based in New Smyrna Beach, FL, Bajio eyewear has recently entered the reader market with a smattering of eyeglasses that marries sport aesthetics with reader capability. Smart design features include wraparound frames to block out unwanted peripheral light and rubber nose pads and temple tips for added security when on the move. Bajio hits a real sweet spot for outdoorsmen who don’t have time to switch their glasses between scanning the horizon or scouring a map. They’re also made from plant-based materials that bio-degrade more easily, making them easier on the planet.
Named for a New Smyrna fishing spot with redfish so big they’re called “toads,” these frames are on the larger side and perfect for wider face shapes. They're hybrid readers with no magnification in the middle and upper section of the lens, while the lower portion has a band of magnification that can be ordered in one of three strengths.
Wear them like normal sunglasses until you need to glance down to thread a hook or read a tide chart, and the reader function is there for you. Toads come in three frame colorways and four lens options (note the lenses can also be ordered in poly or glass). All lenses are polarized with a proprietary blue-light blocking technology. The oleophobic lens coating reduces scratches and makes them easier to clean, too. Bajio claims these are the “clearest lenses on the planet.”
[$229; bajiosunglasses.com]
Can a pair of men’s reading glasses evoke a sense of rock ‘n roll cool? These bio-based acetate frames from Caddis say yes. The anti-reflective, scratch-resistant coating and seven-barrel industrial hinges mean they’re plenty tough for life on the road, while the clear finish shows off the metal internals for a look that’s simultaneously industrial and polished. Rock (and read) on.
[$130; caddislife.com]
Small Faces was a pioneering British rock band founded in 1965, but small faces fit perfectly into these tortoiseshell frames from Eyebobs. The silhouette here is one of the classics: round lenses, a notched nose bridge, and temples held in place by metal hinges. At a svelte 127mm wide, these reading glasses won’t look oversized on smaller faces and, even more crucially, they won’t fall off of them.
[$95; nordstrom.com]
We’re not sure exactly what makes reading glasses so easy to lose, but the simple truth is that having some extras on hand is a smart move for when your primary pair inevitably goes missing. This inexpensive (to say the least) three-pack of men’s reading glasses from Foster Grant includes two gunmetal and one black pair, all of which are available in magnification levels between 1.25 and 3.25. They aren’t the fanciest frames around, but they do the trick.
[$14; amazon.com]
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