It may sound odd to wear a pair of glasses and contact lenses at once, but this is both a common question and a common occurrence. The reason so many people opt for this solution to vision issues is because it is the most straightforward way of seeing objects that are close up and further away.

This usually means contact lenses used for seeing objects in the distance are paired with glasses for reading close-up text, or vice versa.Some people who wear varifocals - a type of lens used to correct distance, mid-range and close-up viewing - may prefer to wear both contact lenses and glasses for the same purpose.

Most people who encounter this situation, however, will be those suffering from presbyopia. This is a condition where the eyes begin to lose their flexibility and can no longer focus on near objects. Presbyopia is an age-related condition, usually striking around the age of 40, and when a person who already wears contact lenses for long distance vision correction develops this issue, it can often lead to the need for glasses to deal with close-up vision.

Generally speaking, the contact lenses will be worn throughout the day in order to correct vision for longer distances, and glasses will be worn over the top as required for close-range vision correction. One benefit of this system is that it saves the wearer from carrying two pairs of glasses around with them for each situation.

If this is the case, it is important to see an optometrist before investing in reading glasses, as it means the eyes have changed and therefore the prescription may have changed also.  It's also good to get a personal appointment so you can talk about how often you will need to use this solution and how best to deal with juggling the two sets.