bifocals

[redrhodie]

My up close vision is going. I just got new glasses last month, and discussed getting either bifocals or reading glasses with my optometrist, and I opted to wait another year. Now, a month later, I'm regretting the decision to wait. My vision is getting worse by the day, and I'm having a hard time working (I'm a goldsmith).

I can now see better while soldering without my glasses than with them, but looking for tools, etc., I need the glasses on. It's frustrating to constantly be taking my glasses off and putting them back on. I'm guessing that means I'd prefer bifocals to reading glasses.

So, what are your experiences? Has the transition from single focal lens to bifocal been hard or easy? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Zen]

I don't like bifocals, I just take off my distance glasses and use magnifier reading glasses from the dollar store when I need them

[OakLeaf]

I just buy the cheap narrow reading glasses from the drug store, wear them low on my nose, and look over them when I need distance/middle vision. It probably looks really stupid, but it works and it's really no effort.

The optometrist doesn't even talk to me about bifocal contacts. I haven't heard good things from anyone who's tried them.



ETA: I keep looking at magnifying goggles for close work (in my case, mostly electrical work on the vehicles). They just flip up when you need to look around the room. Here's a much cheaper pair, I don't know the difference. Might be a better option for your soldering. And +1 to SK on nothing but contacts and wrap-around sunglasses on the bici. In fact, when I first started needing vision correction, I had glasses, and needing my peripheral vision for cycling was the whole reason I went to contacts.

[SadieKate]

Fortunately I wear contacts 99% of the time so I use readers as necessary.

I have bifocal glasses for backup but I wouldn't ever consider wearing them on a bike. That close-up lens interfers too much with my line of sight and depth perception when riding.

[badger]

how frustrating! it's a b*!ch getting older, isn't it? I'm noticing that I'm starting to pull things farther to see more clearly.

For me, it's a bit of a dichotomy, as my prescription's very strong so without contacts or glasses, I can only see about 5 inches in front of my before things get blurry. But my very up close vision is perfect for fine details.

I thought about getting laser eye surgery, but then I'd lose that up close focus so I opted to just keep wearing glasses/contacts and one day end up with bifocals or readers.

Have you tried what Oakleaf does? to put a pair of narrow glasses low on your nose and just look down them when you're doing work up close?

[azfiddle]

I have had progressive lenses for about 4 or 5 years. Took a month of headaches to get used to them, but I don't notice them at all now. I occasionally take the glasses off for close work- probably because I need a new prescription, but have no trouble on the bike.

[DebW]

I wear bifocals. Unfortunately, I can't just leave them on all the time because the computer screen is too far for reading glasses (and too high) and too close for distance glasses. I'm better without glass to see the screen, unless the print is small, and then I have to crane my neck to look through the lower part of the bifocal. Trying to have a conversation with someone in a noisy environment also tends to put me in the "too close-too far" zone. So I'm always taking my glasses on and off, but at least I only have one pair of glasses to look for. Maybe I really need trifocals, with plain glass in the middle.

It took me a few months to get used to the bifocals. Going down stairs is challenging for awhile, as is hiking down steep trails. You just have to remember to use your neck so you're not seeing the ground through the reading glasses (fuzzy stairs, fuzzy rocks). Driving has the same problem - you can see the road fine through the upper lens, but the instrument panel is fuzzy through the reading lens (remember to move neck). Also, if you have the bifocals with lines like I do, you get to see double images of anything that the line passes through - sometimes that's nice, sometimes it's not. I prefer my bifocals to any alternatives, but sometimes it sucks to need them.

I do ride my bike in bifocals.

[Pedal Wench]

Ugghh... similar problem. I just got my first pair of progressive lenses. I used to only need distance glasses, and I took them off or look under them for reading. But, last eye doc visit indicated I needed reading glasses too. (Was doing some soldering a few months ago and borrowed my BF's readers to see the circuit board - first hint that I had a problem. )

I don't really like the progressives. I have to work to find the focus point when I'm reading, and like Deb, walking down stairs is a challenge. I'm really worried about them hiking. My plan is to use my regular (non-progressive, just distance) sunglasses for hiking and biking.

[DebW]

I don't really like the progressives. I have to work to find the focus point when I'm reading, and like Deb, walking down stairs is a challenge. I'm really worried about them hiking. My plan is to use my regular (non-progressive, just distance) sunglasses for hiking and biking.

I wear my bifocals for hiking now without a problem (except a sore neck on a long steep downhill). These are things you get used to if you do them consistently. My non-progressive lenses have a large focus area for reading. They are fine for biking (couldn't read the bike computer without them).

[bambu101]

I have tri-focals after wearing contacts for years and then needing reading glasses and finally my eyes were just too dry for contacts any more.

These were made up to have a larger middle distance piece for computer work, which I do most of the day. I also had a separate pair of just reading glasses made up, which I almost never wear.

You do get used to bifoclas and trifocals, and the best advice I can offer is to point your nose in the direction you want to look.

Good luck!