Eyeglass question (bifocals?)

[Richard]

Finally starting to happen. I've always had laser eyesight, even to the point that my wife told me I can see better without glasses than she can WITH hers.

I guess at 49, that is starting to change

Went to eyedoctor and long story short.... suggests I go to Walmart or similar and buy some $7.00 .75 or maybe 1.00 reading glasses. He said I have a slight astigmatism and my far vision is fine where I don't really NEED to have any glasses but... I might gain by using them. He handed me a prescription and basically said it was up to me if I wanted to deal with correcting my far sight. He also went on to say that with my mix of sight, (something about the astigmatism I think) I could see similar to someone else at my age with glasses.

I don't know.

Anyways.... he said if I wanted to not deal with reading glasses AND correcting for far distances, I could get bifocals.

Hmm... I always associated bifocals with the second stage of losing ones sight I would have never thought someone might go from needing zero glasses to bifocals!!

I now have a pair of cheapo reading glasses and indeed, they bring back the laser sight I now recognize as having dwindled away over time.

I'm debating on filling the prescription and here's the logic of my question.

I don't think I'd want to fiddle with reading glasses AND distance glasses seperately, so I'm wondering about his wisdom of bifocals.

I know you can get bifocals with or without "the line"

My question is to people who might wear bifocals. It would seem to me that if I got bifocals WITH 'the line', then I would have two distinct areas of focus through the lens. They would be clearly differentiated by this line.

If however, I got a lens that had the invisible line, my suspicion is, the area where the line exists might not necessarily be focused for reading and it might not be focused for distance.... it might be more of a blend of the two for the transition.

I'm wondering from a vision stand point, do you find the bifocals with the line to be more efficient at what they do (good reading, changed over to good distance) or do you find the versions with the invisible line more efficient?

I'm less concerned about how they look to others while on my face, I'm more concerned about this line of transitioin possibly being a nusiance to me.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

I wear bifocals without "the line"...took me a couple days to get used to them but after that I have not had any issues. I am very happy with them.

 

[kidr]

Any bifocal has been a PITA for me. I tripped on things on the ground because you can't see clearly looking down. working overhead or even at eye level means bending your neck so far back it hurts. I solved it by wearing long range contact lenses and full size reading glasses. A PITA or neck what ever you do.

 

[RobertN]

I've had them for a few years(I'm 46). I have the transitions; ie no line. Took a few days to get used to them, now they are great.

The only thing that gets me sometimes, is going down stairs, looking forward and down.

I had an issue with my frames a year ago. Used my old glasses for a few days. THAT felt wierd, not having the bifocals. And, wierd when I got my bifoc's back.

Two other options, wear contacts and use cheap glasses to read. My wife and another friend do that. Or, laser correction for normal sight, and cheap glasses for reading...

 

[dmccarty]

I have to wear contacts for far vision and reading glasses for, well, reading.

You did not mention contacts as an option but I figured I would just throw it out there.

Later,
Dan

 

[Richard]

I don't know if I could get accustomed to wearing any kind of contacts. I suppose people do get used to them .... maybe I'm just a wimp. I am currently speculating that I might rather wait for the vision to get to a point and simply have it fixed surgically (presuming that would allow me to shun the glasses). I'd rather be chained to wearing glasses than wear contacts...I've always been fairly sensative in my eyes (there I go, being a wimp again)

Watching my wife with her glasses... she has them on the end table next to the bed... she has them in the bathroom while taking shower.... she really lives with them at her side on a daily basis. I never really thought about just how attached someone must become with their glasses until I bought these reading glasses.

I was needing them at home so I carried them home. I needed them at work, so brought them to work... then I realized how stupid this was and bought about 4 pair of them so I could have a pair everywhere, including my car.

I'm leaning on trying the bifocal thing... I'll admit that it's in part out of curiosity as much as anything. I don't really feel the need per se', to wear them at anytime since the only thing I notice a struggle in is reading or otherwise, seeing something up close.

I'm really kind of curious as to will I notice any improvement in my vision when driving. According to the Doc it might be there but it won't be necessarily as dramatic as I've now seen while trying to read.

I could see bifocals with a distinct focus line being a little annoying.... then again, I could see bifocals with a hidden line having that transition area perhaps being a 'smear' area and bad vision at the transition. (I don't know this to be true, just a fear) and THAT would indeed, drive me nuts, more nuts than the prior situation.

 

[CurlyDave]

I have tried bifocals and they just don't work for me.

I wear distance glasses and carry reading glasses. If I am going to read or work on the computer for any length of time, I switch.

If I just need to read something quickly, I put the reading glasses on while still leaving the distance glasses in place -- that's right two pairs at the same time. Redneck bifocals. Works great for me, and if you think about it, it is pretty close to what the guys with contacts and bifocals both are really doing.

 

[MossRoad]

Richard,
I am also at the stage where my near vision is weak.

Sorry, couldn't resist!!!

My far vision is fine. I tried no-line bifocals a couple years ago and they made me nauseous. It was a no-go for me. I bought some cheap magnifiers at the drug store and they work fine. However, I have found a few things...

1. Bright lighting makes seeing things without my glasses a whole lot easier! So, try upping the lighting in your reading areas.

2. I can read close up but towards the end of the evening it gets harder and I throw on the magnifiers. Things appear fine, however, I notice that if I take them off my vision is worse than before I put them on. I think the muscles in my eyes don't have to work to focus and the magnifiers let them relax. Then they really have to strain to get back into working well. Once I put them on, they have to be used the rest of the evening.

3. If I do not get enough sleep, I can pretty much count on not being able to see well up close in the morning. So I try to read the Sunday morning paper and cannot because I was up watching Aliens all night. So I throw on the reading glasses and then I can count on not being able to see up close the rest of the day without them.

4. I have had some good success with holding my finger out at arms length and focusing on it. Then slowly moving it in towards my nose, keeping it focused, making myself go cross eyed. I do this 10-20 times and it seems to be a workout for my eye muscles. I try and do that every day and it seems to keep the bifocals at bay for now.

I will need them eventually, and plan on getting the lined ones when I do.

 

[billbill1]

Bi-focals- with the line give me a headache, I'm always looking right at the line. I've worn no line since my eyesight went south about 12 years ago. I think you will get used to either if you give it some time. Walmart sells some stick on bi-focal lenses that can be added to plain glass, try them and you'll know if the line would bother you. At 57, I can't see a menu without my glasses and my vision was always perfect until about 45 yo. I hate wearing glasses but can't function without them.

 

[GT2]

I'm in the same situation as you, need distance glasses at night and reading glasses.
I got progressive bifocals and I have to say I just cant seem to get comfortable with them.
I'm thinking of doing what Curly D is doing.

Richard, you do relies lazer surgery will only fix the distance?

 

[MossRoad]

...

If I just need to read something quickly, I put the reading glasses on while still leaving the distance glasses in place -- that's right two pairs at the same time. Redneck bifocals. Works great for me, and if you think about it, it is pretty close to what the guys with contacts and bifocals both are really doing.

HA! I do the same thing. I'll have to tell my wife the Redneck bifocal line. She'll get a laugh!

 

[dmccarty]

Get extended wear contacts and you forget you need glasses...

Until its time to change them....

Or your eyes age and you have to get reading glasses in spite of the contacts....

My granny err, reading, glasses are on a lanyard so I can just hang the glasses around my neck so they are always handy. Since I am buying the glasses at Targe't or Wally World I have a pair in the truck, in the barn, at work, in the office, and hear and there. Just in case.

Some of the bargin priced glasses the wifey will not let me wear in public so those are the one stuck in the barn.



Later,
Dan

 

[MossRoad]

Speaking of a pain in the neck...

My mom was an artist. She had trifocals. Two lines. Not only that, she had a special pair made with a duplicate of the bottom lens on the top... three lines. That way she could look out at her subject, down at her paint pallet, then up at her canvas! She loved them. However, she always looked like she was agreeing with you when she was trying to find which lens to look at you with!

 

[Steve C]

Finally starting to happen. I've always had laser eyesight, even to the point that my wife told me I can see better without glasses than she can WITH hers.

I guess at 49, that is starting to change


I'm less concerned about how they look to others while on my face, I'm more concerned about this line of transitioin possibly being a nusiance to me.

I had bifocals both with and without the line. Neither ones worked for me although I liked the ones with the line better, they seemed to have a much wider field of focus in my far vision area. If you get the ones without the line make sure you specify that you want the "wide field" type the standard ones gave me "tunnel vision" only stuff right in front of me was in focus. I agree that for me they were a constant PITA.

I like working on things and it seemed that no matter what position I get into, the focused area is always in the wrong location. Try working under your dasboard or under you kitchen sink with bifocals on, it is impossible. My perscription is such that I only need the glasses for far away vision, my near vision needs no correction. The last time I installed brakes on my truck I had to take my glasses off so I could see what I was doing, being that I was bent over under the wheel wells, looking through the top part of my glasses that have the far vision correction in them. I set them down, forgot where I put them and stepped on them.

My new glasses are for far vision only. I take them off to see things close and to read. Also now when I weld or use the grinder I just put on a pair of cheap safety glasses instead of wrecking my expensive perscription lenses. Also it gives my nose and ears a break when I am not wearing glasses.

The only time I find it inconvenient is if I am trying to read/work on the computer and watch TV at the same time. I am not very good at multi tasking so that doesn't happen very often.

I would just get a pair of half glasses that you can see over the top of for things like driving if you have trouble seeing the instrument panel and I would just leave them in the car or truck all the time. I would use regular full sized reading glasses for reading and working on stuff. And I would just enjoy my far vision without glasses for as long as possible.

This has been my experience with glasses. I have been wearing glasses for 45 years. People told me to try the bifocals, that I would like them after I got used to them. I never did. I tried them for about 12 years.

I liked the ones with the lines much better than the ones without the lines, but plain old single focus lenses are what work best for me. I like riding motorcycles both on and off the road. I depend on my full field of vision to help identify potential hazzards. The "no line" bifocals narrowed the "sweet spot" field of focus to such an extent that I felt they compromised my safety when riding.

Perhaps since your far vision doesn't need correction that wouldn't be a problem, but that has been my experience.

 

[RobertN]

I tried contacts after the surgery for muscular caused double vision(myacena gratis). They were easy; I thought I would have a hard time putting them in.

They were GREAT, except I could not get a good fit with my somewhat extreme astigmatism. The Doc tried real hard too.

I have only worn transitions bifocals. They work great for me.

Someone mentioned light... fluorescent is awful... When I had double vision, the prescription for double vision, near sight, and astigmatism was a doosey! It sounds funny for a guy, but he gave my glasses a slight"rose" colored tint. Wow did that make a difference.

I do not have so much issue since they fixed the eye muscles; the astigmatism/near sighted prescription alone is not too bad. Bifocals did not seem to make a difference in that regard.

Surgery can not make up for the need for bifocals. IF you got surgery, your normal vision would be fine, but you would still need something for reading.

I don't know if I could get accustomed to wearing any kind of contacts. I suppose people do get used to them .... maybe I'm just a wimp. I am currently speculating that I might rather wait for the vision to get to a point and simply have it fixed surgically (presuming that would allow me to shun the glasses). I'd rather be chained to wearing glasses than wear contacts...I've always been fairly sensative in my eyes (there I go, being a wimp again)

I could see bifocals with a distinct focus line being a little annoying.... then again, I could see bifocals with a hidden line having that transition area perhaps being a 'smear' area and bad vision at the transition. (I don't know this to be true, just a fear) and THAT would indeed, drive me nuts, more nuts than the prior situation.

 

[dave1949]

If you do decide on bifocals with the line, take your time deciding where to put the line, higher or lower on the lense. This makes a good deal of difference in how comfortable you find using them. It varies by person and how they typically use their bifocals.
There are two things I have found to be a PITA with bifocals; shooting a rifle with iron sights and playing pool. In each case I can't get both ends in focus at the same time.
Dave.

 

[woodchuckie]

I got bifocals at40 or 45 years old and have had trifocals for the last 15 years. The doctor always suggest I get the transitions lenses which I refuse.I think they get a kick back from someone. I'm very satisfied with the lines. The problem with working on things under a car etc is a real problem. I had a pair of safety glasses made with a reading lens on bottom and another on top. The middle lens was the 2 to 5 foot distance I need help with. I have some correction for distances but not much and do fine without glasses when driving and playing outdoors. I always have a pair handy in case I need to look at something on my tractor or read gauges on the car.
Some people will wear just one contact for reading and learn or train the eyes to see to read and distance by just switching eyes. I've also heard of doing that with the surgery.

 

[tommu56]

I got lasic back in 2002 to fux my near slightness and even after that they stressed I would need reading glasses.
I have to wear safety glasses at work so the top is no RX bottom reading.
I have the line type but they are just the 1/2 moons in the bottom
I hate them the RX needs to be further up.
I wanted them that way and works eye DR said I wouldn't need them that way.
Now I get a krick in my neck looking at my monitor while programing.
Next time I'll get my DR to make the RX for the half lined type then work's DR' can't argue.

tom

 

[blueriver]

At least we made it .... to the age of eyeglasses!!!

 

[RobertN]

Nah, I have been wearing since 9th grade...

At least we made it .... to the age of eyeglasses!!!