As I’ve already lamented at Cecil’s Place, I’m not having the weekend I planned. Instead of running amok with an old friend down in West Virginia, I’m sitting at my computer trying to adjust to my first pair of no-line bifocals! About half an hour into the drive yesterday, I realized my old glasses weren’t up to the job. When I called my optometrist’s office to find out what could be done, they told me that my prescription dated to 1996, so, since they were booked and Lenscrafters weren’t, it was off to the mall for a pair of new glasses. That’s when I got the bad news.
The new glasses look a lot better than the old pair did, but I could use some advice on getting used to the things – I drove home in the old pair. I’m also feeling a touch old, frustrated, and depressed, and am generally wishing life could be simpler. I know any new prescription takes a while to break in, but is there anything in particular I should keep in mind? Lenscrafters gave me a short briefing, but if anyone’s got any tips, I’d appreciate it.
I feel your pain. You’ll adjust, you just won’t enjoy it.
I’ve worn contact lenses forever, and my doctor suggested that I use one lens for far vision, and one for close up (forgot the term). In theory, the brain makes the adjustment - in reality, I can’t see ANYTHING well now. Will change to both contacts for my nearsighted correction, but will use reading glasses when necessary.
Be thankful you aren’t wearing trifocals - it’s too much fun watching those people ratchet their heads up and down in tiny increments when they talk to you.
I wear contacts but use reading glasses (for more and more with every passing day, alas). I wear the half glasses low on my nose, which I guess is a similar dynamic – you just have to practice tilting your head for what you want to be looking at – it becomes second nature.
Doesn’t the very idea of it suck massively, though?
I just ordered a pair of progressive lens glasses (in honor of my approaching 50th birthday :rolleyes: ), so I’ll be able to comparee notes with you in a couple of days.
I hope your experience turns out better than mine. Once, I let them talk me into trying “progressive” lenses (i.e., “no line” bifocals). After about 10 days, it was abundantly clear that I would never get used to them.
Part of the annoyance was that the progressive correction produced the phenomenon that even small head movements changed the appearance of what I was looking at. The real killer, though, was the fact that the corrected area was fairly narrow in the middle of the lenses. When I read, I had to move my head, instead of just moving my eyes. If I just moved my eyes, I’d get into the uncorrected areas on the edges of the lenses. Really awful.
I took them back, told them to grind the lenses to dust, and give me regular bifocals again (which they did, at no charge, since they had pushed the idea in the first place).
I initially tried progressives when I got my previous prescription, and I wound up taking them back. My problem with them was that the work I do relies on making many visual correlations across some distance, and I found it very difficult. But a friend I work with convinced me to try’em again.
I ordered two pair, though. The others are distance correction only.
I’ve been wearing bifocals for several years now. There is a period of adjustment, although I suspect it varies depending on the strength of your correction and the type of bifocal you get. I’m extremely nearsighted and astigmatic, to the point where I was told that no-line bifocals were not really an option. I was advised by an acquaintance to be careful walking down stairs, since I would now be looking at my feet and the stairs through lenses intended to focus at 12-18", but I never really had any problem. The biggest adjustment I had was getting used to looking through either the top of bottom of my glasses depending on what I was looking at. Watching TV in bed is difficult unless I sit up straight enough to not be trying to look through the bottom of my glasses. I also had to break myself of trying to read by taking off my glasses and holding what I was reading two inches from my nose, a habit I had developed during the time between when I started needing bifocals and when I finally got them.
I’ve been wearing bifocals since I was 19. I hate them, but the alternative is either one contact lens in my right eye AND glasses all the time (one pair for reading, another pair for driving) or nausea. Since I have allergies that make contacts uncomfortable, and since nausea is unappealing, I go with the bifocals.
Visit a grocery store while wearing your new bifocals. Scan the shelves from top to bottom and back up again. Helps you get used to the change in focus or at least it worked for me.
If at first you don’t succeed…it may be cheap templates. There are many different no-line bifocal templates or base lenses (I’m not sure what the precise term is–the lens that is almost right for you that they modify slightly at the lab.}
Different templates have very very VERY different dead spaces and transition spaces where the glass/plastic converts from distance to close vision.
When I first got bifocals, my optometrist recommended Verilux lenses, even though they were more expensive. I got them and adjusted within hours, except for a little disorientation on stairs.
Years later, I decided to be frugal and try Lens Crafters–why not get $150 glasses instead of $300 ones. Bad move. Lens Crafters, apparently, uses a rather inexpensive template for their no-line bifocals. Even after years of using no-lines, I could not adjust to the ones from Lens Crafters. I went back to a more expensive lab, ordered Verilux templates by name, and was fine again.
Also, I had to adjust the distance between my eyes and my computer monitor. With bifocals, I need to sit either farther away (and use my distance angle) or closer (and use my reading angle).
I’ve had progressive trifocals for about 5 years. It took a few weeks for me to get used to them, and I’ve loved them ever since. The only time I have problems is when I’m on the boat - there’s a lot of relative motions that can make me dizzy. But I can get along OK for a short time without my specs, so I take them off if I have to.
I did have to get a pair reground once because the corrected field was too narrow, but they were able to make it wider and I was happy.
My husband tossed in his .02 - once you get used to them, they’re great. So there you are!
If it helps any, I’m pretty sure that is going to be the solution to my problem and I’m 31. I have an uncle that’s been wearing them since he was about my age as well.
As ** LurkMeister** says, it’s important to learn where your feet are in space. I’ve been wearing no-line bifocals for several years now – have not had a problem with ones from LensCrafter, either, for some reason – but managed to not see a curb cut a few years ago and ripped the hell out of my ankle and my Achilles tendon tripping over it.
I also use special computer glasses – with an intermediate distance correction – so I don’t have to tilt my head at funny angles when at the computer and give myself neck problems. They correct for a 28" distance.
I’m so sick of the glasses switch, however, that I’m ready to overcome my terminal cowardice and try laser surgery. Pretend I don’t have old eyes again for a few years!
I’ve been doing the contact and reading glasses combo since I hit my early forties. I’ve seized it as an opportunity to expand my jewelry-making jones into the glasses-leash field. Now part of my ritual for getting ready for work in the morning is chosing which leash goes best with what I’m wearing. I also leave many pairs of cheap reading glasses scattered around the house-one by the computer, one by my chair, one beside the bed, one at work-so that I’ll have them handy if I’m not wearing the leash.
I haven’t had much luck with bifocals. I have to resort to the “take 'em off and hold book 4” from nose" method myself, since I’ve never had the reasing part work right. I’ve got to get a new prescription pretty soon here, though, so I’m glad you al mentioned avoiding the chains. I never realized there was a difference in the end product! Maybe I’ll have a little better luck this time.
