Progressive lenses

[Brandi]

You know it is cheaper. My friend said her glasses including the office visit was almost 600. ouch! And if you go to the dollar store they are even cheaper only a $1.00 (hence the name)! lol

[pll]

Getting progressive lenses or reading glasses is a major event... an admission of age, so to speak. I have had progressive lenses for more than 3-4 years now. The first week or ten days were hard (I was dizzy) because you need to get used to the way you use the lenses. I don't think your eyes get any worse. My prescription has not changed.

What was funny is that the day picked my first pair of glasses with progressive lenses, I had dinner with a couple of friends of mine (both use glasses). They told they did not need reading glasses yet, but when the menus and the bill came, they read those by removing their glasses or held the bill high to read it by looking above their glasses.

[OakLeaf]

Well I think it's pretty common for people with nearsightedness to be able to read without correction for many years. I've been using reading glasses with my contacts for I think 12 years now, but when I'm home with my contacts out, it's only recently that I sometimes (not usually) need a little bit of "help" to read. If the type isn't super small and there's a reasonable amount of light, I don't need any. DH wears glasses for distance vision and same for him, his close vision is fine without any correction at all. If they were to make progressive lenses (or regular bifocals) for people like him or your friends, the bottom tier would be plain glass (no correction) anyway. So why pay extra for it?

[radacrider]

I am at that age , according to my doctor where it is just because of my age that my vision needs are changing. I have had progressives for some time as I am far sighted and my work does require close up and reading.

Over the last year, I have had a problem even with those, so now I have 2 pairs of progressives, 1) a general purpose pair for most things; and 2) a "working" pair for computer and close up work. The working pair have a higher transition line to give me more close up lens area.

It is a PITA, but I like being able to work without eye strain. I should note I have to have prism and astigmatism correction also.

[pll]

Well I think it's pretty common for people with nearsightedness to be able to read without correction for many years. I've been using reading glasses with my contacts for I think 12 years now, but when I'm home with my contacts out, it's only recently that I sometimes (not usually) need a little bit of "help" to read. If the type isn't super small and there's a reasonable amount of light, I don't need any. DH wears glasses for distance vision and same for him, his close vision is fine without any correction at all. If they were to make progressive lenses (or regular bifocals) for people like him or your friends, the bottom tier would be plain glass (no correction) anyway. So why pay extra for it?

For me, at the end it was an issue of comfort and safety to some degree. I was progressively annoyed at not being able to read my watch when I was driving or, at a stop, not being able to glance at a map or read an address. I still can read comfortably without my glasses and some detail oriented tasks are more easier without them, but now I don't have to remove them or do awkward eye contortions to look above or below the glasses. The comfort is well worth the price, in my view. I had the reading prescription for more than a year before actually caving in and ordering the progressives.

[Selkie]

I'm nearsighted and have been wearing progressive lenses for a couple years (I'm almost 49). Agree with pll. They are worth the investment---particularly the middle distance option for computer work.

It can take a bit of time to adapt but if I can do it, anyone can. :-) Have to admit that going down stairs can still be disorienting if I forget and look out of my "low beam" (reading) portion of the lens!!

One tip is to get frames that allow a decent size lens.

They haven't made my eyes worse (have had the same script since I got the lenses).

[Crankin]

I wear contacts for distance and reading glasses, like Oakleaf. I have a pair of progressives that I hardly ever wear, as I have my contacts in all of the time.
I started needing reading glasses when I was barely 40, so 18 years.
My distance vision has improved in the last 4-5 years and my reading has leveled out.
I am going to get a new pair of progressives this yr., that are a little bigger, as I can't read well with the ones I have. But, I need child sized frames, so this will be interesting. It's worth the $. I mean, vision is, ah, kind of important.

[bmccasland]

I currently wear gas-perm contacts for my very bad nearsightedness and like Oakleaf, have reading glasses sprinkled all over for close work.

I need to get my back-up glasses updated, and my optometrist has mentioned progressives. I'm holding off - partly because I'm currently funding my dentist's office - and partly because I'm not sure if I want progressives. Because of the strength, thus thickness, of my glasses, I need smaller frames. I learned in the "big frame" craze that they were just too heavy. I can see to read without glasses, but have a little trouble at that middle range for computer work. I want to avoid eyestrain, anything to keep me from having headaches.

[jusdooit]

I am very happy with my progressive lens. I had no trouble adapting to them. I did get a hint from someone however, blink when changing your vision from the reading portion to the distance portion. This break in input makes it easier to adjust to the change. I had to make a conscious effort to do this at first, but now it's second nature. Just a note, my vision actually improved last year.

[Irulan]

You know it is cheaper. My friend said her glasses including the office visit was almost 600. ouch! And if you go to the dollar store they are even cheaper only a $1.00 (hence the name)! lol

Good lord, love those expensive eye clinics. WTF?

I've been getting my glasses at Costco optical for years. I have two sets of progressives, one for eveyday and one for work. Each set was less than $200, I'm sure. I've been a fan of the Costco optometrist ever since he figured out what my problem with contacts was, and the expensive eye clinic guy couldn't. That was lot of money down the toilet until we got that solved.

[jessmarimba]

Good lord, love those expensive eye clinics. WTF?

I've been getting my glasses at Costco optical for years. I have two sets of progressives, one for eveyday and one for work. Each set was less than $200, I'm sure. I've been a fan of the Costco optometrist ever since he figured out what my problem with contacts was, and the expensive eye clinic guy couldn't. That was lot of money down the toilet until we got that solved.

That's not really an absurd price depending on the prescription. Even at Target Optical with insurance, non-progressive distance lenses for me are about $300. Add in non-clearance frames and I pay about $400 (and then I have to wait about 3 weeks to get them).

Which is why I'm wearing glasses that are about 4 years old.

[indysteel]

You know it is cheaper. My friend said her glasses including the office visit was almost 600. ouch! And if you go to the dollar store they are even cheaper only a $1.00 (hence the name)! lol

I don't wear progressives, but my lenses, frames and exam run close to that (although not quite) because my prescription is so bad (-1200 or so in each eye). By the time everything gets factored in, it adds up. So, yes, maybe your friend just went to an expensive optician or maybe she just has a difficult prescription.

[Brandi]

I don't wear progressives, but my lenses, frames and exam run close to that (although not quite) because my prescription is so bad (-1200 or so in each eye). By the time everything gets factored in, it adds up. So, yes, maybe your friend just went to an expensive optician or maybe she just has a difficult prescription.

You could be very right about that. Maybe it is a hard perscrpt.