When I started wearing contacts a few years ago, my doctor gave me a prescription for reading glasses to use when reading while wearing them. But they didn’t seem to work as well with computer screens. They were okay but not optimum. He said that was normal and gave me a slightly different prescription for computer glasses, and they worked fine.
Does Chrome have anything?
Also manipulating “text” size may not affect web sites AFAIK. I wonder how to magnify content on a site.
Progressive means as opposed to bifocals or trifocals, which would have a sharp line dividing the different sections of the lens. A typical progressive lens would go from reading distance at the bottom to mid distance at the top.
My mid/long distance prescription is very slight. When I started needing reading glasses, I found that a computer screen was too far away for OTC reading glasses but too close for my mid distance prescription. So I use progressive computer glasses which go from close reading distance (say 12"-15") at the bottom to computer-screen-reading distance (arm’s length plus a few inches) at the top. Took the optometrist a couple of tries to get them right, but worth it.
OK. Looks fairly simple actually. Just “display settings” and a percentage. Let’s see how I like this.
It’s weird but no matter how big things are onscreen, eyes make reflections, shadows, and coronas.
Interesting. Computer glasses with limited progression from 12 inches to a few feet? Sounds like a good idea.
How does it work with an Optometrist? Does he just make them until you are satisfied, and charge for one pair?
The first optometrist I went to called them “office progressives”, and pretty much got them right the first time. Then I switched clinics, and wanted to get a second pair (one for home, one for office). Even though I thought I explained pretty clearly what I meant by “office progressive”, the first time they came back with distance on top and arm’s length reading on the bottom. They had to re-do the lenses a couple of times before they finally got it right. Only charged me once though.
I think if you make it clear that you want “close reading to arm’s length reading, NO mid or long distance at all”, they should be able to do it.
ETA: The top portion of these is just arm’s length reading glasses, for the distance from the chair to the computer screen. Much less than a few feet.
I have multifocals, but mine are for everything. When I started out, I didn’t need any distance, so the top was basically normal/clear/whatever and I didn’t need them to walk around or drive. Now I do need distance, and there’s some prescription in there. I can do everything with my glasses on, read, look at the computer, drive. I’m not aware of how/where I’m looking at things, just that I can see “normally” without swapping any glasses or taking them off/putting them on.
If somebody doesn’t need any long distance, having all of the middle/top part for computer distance sounds like a good idea.
These days, with places like Zenni and its competitors available, I just got my eye doctor to give me a prescription for specifically 26 inches (I measured from where I usually sit), and had a several pairs made for about $8-$12 each. Stick one in front of each computer, and I’m good.
I find it very uncomfortable to read the computer with my distance glasses (started about the time I was 40), and effectively impossible without any glasses, so this works for me. Other than my wife laughing at me when I forget to change them (very cheap glasses tend to have…less aesthetically pleasing frames), there’s no downside.
I wore progressives for a year, and while they worked, I never really got used to them, and too small a region (I do a lot of computer work on multiple very large screens) is “in focus” at any one prescription level for my personal comfort.
I have an office chair that rocks back. You can get a nice recline going but you are 3 or even 4 feet from the machine. With a large monitor I would think this was common.
Getting this chair was a big deal in itself. I was sitting very unhealthily and leaning in and forgetting how long I was doing it for. I am in PT for multiple stuff. It may well be that I need to get a swing arm for my monitor, or a new customized table.
I think I am having this thing happen too. The little band in the middle, and my eyes are completely mismatched too.
I’ll just relate this: Last month I went to pick up my reading glasses, two pairs, I got on a special deal. They took way longer than the reg ones I got in the deal. When I went in finally, they were for distance!? It took another two weeks to get them.
Well, if you’re getting them custom-made, you can get whatever you want. If your nose is a maximum of 4’7" from your monitors when you’re sitting comfortably, then get the top of the progressives set to an appropriate power for your eyes at that distance. Let their computers figure out the rest. 
That’s generally good advice, but the exception is when the the resolution is an integer multiple: you can run a 4k (2160p) monitor at 1080p with 2x2 pixel blocks or 720p with 3x3 pixel blocks and a 1440p monitor at 720p (2x2 pixel blocks) without blurriness.
It’s generally better though to use a physically larger monitor and appropriate eye-wear.
And take proper breaks. It’s very stressful for the eye muscles to constantly maintain one focus. Seamstresses used to go blind from this. Take 5 minutes off from your PC and go make yourself a cup of tea or do some filing. This will allow your eyes to relax and refocus.
That would be annoying, when you are working on one distance, it makes sense to get specific glasses for that distance. Having said that, I paid a LOT of money for my multifocals and the expensive lenses are supposed to have a wider area that is “captured” without needing to move your head. Even so, I got a pair with the “lesser” lenses with the narrower focus area (a spare pair) and I can’t really notice the difference (but I’m not doing anything intensive like working on lots of computer screens). I’m lucky, I think, that multifocals have just ‘cured’ me. I’d certainly recommend a good optometrist to anyone with vision issues. They are the best to sort you out.
I’d found some eye exercises online, things to do to combat eye strain.
Yes, fixed for whatever distance for your eyes to yput monitor (mine is 27"). And the whole lens is at that one focus.
My regular glasses are progressive, and I can use the mid to close range on them on my computer. However, those are in the lower part of the eyeglasses, so I have to hold my head back to see thru that part of the glasses – that gives me a stiff neck after a while. With the computer glasses, I can move my head & neck to various positions, and still read the monitor well. Ad the whole screen is in focus, even on bigger, dual monitors.
Is there a magnification feature in Windows 10 that is as convenient as the MacOS magnification?
Whenever I am using my Mac, I just hold <control> and stroke the back of the mouse for a really smooth full-screen zoom of everything.
I would like to be able to do that in Windows 10 at work.
And yes, I have vision issues while on the computer. For some reason as the day goes on and I get more tired my eyes get pretty bad. It’s particularly bad if I go for a run over lunch–when I get back to work I struggle to focus and read the screen.
Hmm. works for me but I tend to use mine for reading. I haven’t seen the blurriness that you reference. And every time I’ve upsized my monitor, the default resolutions seem to result in smaller text on the screen with a heck of a lot more edge space.
Yes I’m looking at 125% right now.
it’s a snap. Right click on the desktop and “display options.”
It’s a bigger issue going forward because I like closed captions when I watch movies, and I do this on the computer too. I’m doing a number of disparate thing on it actually, involving many distances. So those are text too. Going forward I probably will need to use reading glasses to play iphone pool. It seems like a million considerations.