Eyeglass question (bifocals?)

[2manyrocks]

Dave1949 is giving you very good advice. The positioning of the different lens on bifocals has a lot to do with their user friendliness to the person wearing them. They come in different sizes and your comfort really does depend on how they are made for you to start with. So the person doing the measuring better be good at it.

I don't even notice the lines, but glasses are a pain. Sometimes they're great when they protect your eyes from damage, But when they fall off under the tractor, that's not so good.

Everybody needs to type like MossRoad. I could read his post real well.

 

[Richard]

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'lll admit that I'm not 100% sure I'm describing accurately, what the Dr. told me.

He went on to get into a general chit chat (he is also a client of mine )

One of the things he ended up telling me is he knew of an opthamologist in California who had surgery done as well. He wanted them to 'target' him for SOME astigmatisim, much like what I have.

As I try to remember what he told me, the mix of astigmatism along with the reading & distance... is actually somewhat helpful. Seems this Dr. wanted to end up with a similar mix to what I have.

I was a bit confused, so I turned it around and reworded it back to the Doc... I said..."you mean this other Dr. in Calfornia is going to pay for symptoms which I have for free?"

Yep

I don't really know what that means since I'm 100% eyeglasses ignorant. I guess in the end he was telling me it could be worse than it really is.

by the way, I detest floursescent lighting... makes my eyes turn bloodshot and really wears them out, especially if it's dark outside and it's my only light!!

 

['Bota Fan]

Richard, I've had good success with "progressive" lenses. I'm not sure if others have been describing the same product and calling it "transitions", but the Rx strength decreases gradually going from the bottom to the middle of the lens. I just have to raise or lower my chin slightly to get the optimum strength to best see at any near distance. Before, I had bifocals and then trifocals, both with lines, and I'll never go back.

While we're on the subject, let me cast my vote for the Cocoon-type sunglasses that fit over regular glasses. I keep a pair of Cocoon knockoffs on a lanyard around my neck all the time and it's so much easier than any other solution I've tried.

Good luck with your search. Glasses, no matter what kind, are a royal pain, but it beats the heck out of not being able to see and read.

 

[ray66v]

I buy no line bifocals with Plano, (no correction lenses on top), off the internet; they work great. I pay $40-$50 for a pair.

Reading glasses are fine, if your sitting and reading, and I use them on the computer. But, if your working, readers are a pain. No line bifocals eliminate the need to constantly remove the readers, or try to look over the top of them. They also provide you with the ability to automatically vary the degree of your correction as needed, because they go from 0 to the full strength of the reader gradually.

The larger the lens on a no line bifocal, the easier they are for you to adjust to them. If you start with a large aviator style lens, it can take as little as a day to get used to using them. A smaller lens is currently more stylish, but the smaller sweet spot, requires moving your eyes around more to find the right focal point. This can cause mild nausea in some people, until you wear them long enough. This also usually happens with regular readers when people first start wearing them. When your brain adjusts to them, this goes away.

You also now have the option of getting bifocal contacts. My sister swears by them.

 

[Gizmo2]

I have my third set of glasses with Varilux Progressive Lenses. It took three tries to get this set correct. My rule of thumb when buying new glasses with progressive lenses is two days. If I am not use to them by then they are not correct, for me. It does not cost any more so you may as well get them correct for you. However, when I do feel they are correct I still have an issue looking down, as in going down stairs. I find it better NOT to look down while going down stairs. No way would I go for the line bifocal lens. I can focus on anything at any distance by just moving my head.

 

[Richard]

I'm actually gathering what I was hoping to gather.

I'm inferring that I was mistaken.

I was originally thinking that with the no line bifocals, the transition area would in essence, be a smear of vision because it might not be near nor far...but a mismash between. I feared this band of blurr might be say.... 10% of the lens (as the band goes from side to side and takes up say, 1/4" of the height of the lens, although I don't know if I'm making sense here)

No one has mentioned this so this must be a misunderstanding on my part. I was thinking a bifocal with lines would in essence, be two distinct lens mated together and on either side of this line you would have full lense power (which is probably accurate)

I then took the no line bifocals to mean, they took this transition area and sort of ground it to blend in with both individual lens which meant it would not represent either one...therefore, the line of blurr.

I really am ignorant on this stuff so I appreciate all the comments and different viewpoints. It seems I could skew the top bottom lens and instead of having them 50/50, I could have 60/40 or 40/60...I would have never thought about this.

The Doc said these were optional for me that I don't really 'need' to have them (other than for the reading which is being taken care of with the cheapies)

I'm leaning on getting these so I can in essence, immerse myself into the education of them. I guess there is little doubt that SOMEDAY I will in fact, "need" to have glasses so the sooner I learn some of the ropes, the better I'll understand them.

 

[dave1949]

I'm leaning on getting these so I can in essence, immerse myself into the education of them. I guess there is little doubt that SOMEDAY I will in fact, "need" to have glasses so the sooner I learn some of the ropes, the better I'll understand them.

You would be the exception if you don't need them eventually. Like someone else posted, don't let glasses or contacts get in the way of being able to enjoy reading or other activities.

I waited way too long to get reading glasses, when I did, it was as close to being 'born again' as I will ever experience What finally pushed me over the edge was not being able to read a roadmap at night under a dome light. Once you go around the same loop road two times, you start feeling pretty stupid about not owning a pair of glasses.
Dave.

 

[MossRoad]

Progressive no line bifocals work like this...

You just tip your head around and it is supposed to become automatic in a couple days.

Problem for me was trying to look in my rear view mirror on the driver side door.... I had to look and tip my head down, which took away my peripheral vision for traffic in front. I about creamed some folks on the way home from the eye doctor.

 

[Wis Bang]

My wife and I both went with progressive glasses this summer. I was having alot of trouble after ten years of drug store [really dollar store] readers. I haven't been able to read the auto oddometer for years and was getting to the point where by the time I could read the street sign, it was almost too late to make the turn.

I had a pair made in Polaroid sun glass lenses too.

While there was some adjustment, I got used to them quickly. My wife, a almost lifelong glasses wearer w/ severe nearsightedness opted to get a close/mid pair made for working onthe computer at work which she likes alot but had a longer adjustment to the progressives.

It really becomes automatic to move your head up/down to focus. I do have some problem w/ un-even ground and I find I walk alot slower in the woods, not a bad thing when hunting!

My biggest adjustment was going from no glasses 'cept the readers to wearing something full time. The benefit if actually being able to read my dashboard as well as the roadsigns, etc. has made it all worth it.....

 

[Bird]

I haven't been able to read the auto oddometer

Now there's a problem I can identify with. I wear bifocals with the line, but I don't wear my glasses all the time. I don't normally need them driving, but for something such as reading license plates at any distance, I need them. And since I write the odometer reading on the receipt every time I buy gas, I have to have my glasses on, raise them up to read through the bottom part, and sometimes turn on the dash lights to read the odometer.

I have a pair of the small (a little more than half) frame glasses with the same prescription as the lower part of my bifocals that I keep here by the computer and use them when I'm on the computer. They're also actually better than the bifocals for reading magazines and such because I don't have to tilt my head back.

I wear the bifocals, using the top part, to watch TV. I wear the bifocals when shopping so I can read labels and prices.

And I don't wear any of my eyeglasses to shoot pool.

 

[LBrown59]

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

My wife has worn glasses since 8th grade.

 

[RobertN]

I started in 2nd grade, but didn't wear them like I should have. By high school, I had too...

My wife has worn glasses since 8th grade.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I had a bad three week bout with the German measles when I was in the 3rd grade. Though I was kept in a dark room, by fifth grade I needed glasses for distance. I did not try contacts until around 30. For me, contacts were a love/hate relationship due to dry eyes. Around 40, I had to start using reading glasses but when I could no read a road map, I decided it was time to dump the contacts.

I went with no line bifocals immediately and only ever had problems with one doctor who could not get my lenses right. Which leads me to state something I have not yet picked up on. Besides that one bad incident with a bad prescription, I have had problems with cut rate eye wear shops either with frames that did not or could not be made to fit correctly or improper placement of the bifocal cutoff.

Having been diagnosed as a candidate for gloucoma, I get a check up every six months by an eye surgeon. Medical pays for my checkups rather than my regular eye coverage though new glasses are still under eye care.

 

[MikeBurr]

I've worn glasses all my life and should be using tri-focus lens, but I use line bi-focals with out problems. One thing I did do was have the closeup part of the bi-focal put on the top part of the lens. This, for me, works great. I use the computer a lot and the doctor adjusted the closeup part so the computer screen is in focus at about arms length. No problems going up/down stairs. To read or look at things closeup, I just tilt my head down a little, a lot easier than streaching my neck upwares all the time to read and do other closeup work. The line on my bi-focal sits just above the black part of the eye, not nearly as large as it would be if it was on the bottom of the lens.
Try it, you may like it.

 

[brin]

I tried using bifocals even though I can see 20 -20 for distance and I almost killed myself trying to walk down some stairs when I forgot to take them off one time. All I use now is the reading glasses from the dollar store..LOL - safer that way.

 

[Cat_Driver]

The secret is in the measuring of the glasses to your eye to what you do.

I had all the problems you guys are talking about till I went to a guy at Costco. He had a super duper computer that measured the eye and strength I needed, but the art cam in when he asked about my usage. He asked where exactly was my computer monitor, how far and what angle, where are the tings I read on a desk or on my lap mostly, when driving etc.

He designed the glass to fit my needs with a tri focal. top for far while driving, middle for computer work and lower for reading.

WOW what a great combination works perfect fro me. I only have one pair and they stay on from when I wake up till I go to bed.

He also tried a thing with contacts where he put one contact in my LEFT eye ( because I'm right handed ) and a weak lens in my left eye. This supposedly tricks your brain. One eye for far and one eye for reading close,

I never did get used to that combo, he did say it would take time, nah, not for me.

Again the secret is going to someone who knows what the heck they are doing. I paid four times as much to a guy who did a lousy job compared to the great job at Costco for $200.00 including the eye test.

 

[Bird]

I tried using bifocals even though I can see 20 -20 for distance and I almost killed myself trying to walk down some stairs when I forgot to take them off one time.

You definitely need to get adjusted to bifocals and be careful until then. In December, 1972, an officer who worked for me got a temporary extra job delivering fruit baskets for Christmas. He would back his pickup up to the loading dock, and not lower the tailgate. Then, with a fruit basket in his hands, step off the dock onto the top edge of the tailgate, then down into the bed of the pickup. That worked fine until the day he got his first bifocals. His foot missed the top edge of the tailgate, he fell across the tailgate, and broke some ribs.

It was quite a few years later before I got bifocals, but you can bet I remembered that and was very careful on steps until I got accustomed to them.

 

[MossRoad]

My mother in law has contacts with specific lenses for right and left. One is for far sight and the other for near sight. She likes them a lot.