I’ve had them about three weeks now, use them all the time at the computer and I’ve never made so many mistakes in all my life. They seem to fall into two categories:
Analytical stuff – reaching wrong conclusions, skipping material, misanalysis, that kind of thing.
Keyboard typing – all over the show.
Certainly the world looks different and it takes a while to get used to wearing transparent saucers on your face, but I don’t know if I’m misattributing this spate of errors to the glasses. Perhaps I’m starting to lose my marbles . . . ?
Oh, and a second question, how the hell do men look other than daft in these things. Women can look great in various glass-wearing poses, but men . . …pfft. Honestly, this aging malarkey is starting to annoy me . . .
The main thing that happens is you say, “Holy shit! I really am middle-aged!” and spend a lot of time meditating on your impending death.
The typing could just be a visual thing – depending on whether you’re a touch-typer or not. I do know that I wear a slightly weaker pair at the computer than I do for other things. (I have about six or eight pairs, scattered all over the place – computer, living room, bedroom, bathroom, purse, etc.)
As far as the spaciness is concerned – well, I guess you’re male, so I won’t suggest it’s “that time of the month” (or “that time of your life,” for that matter). Perhaps you’re so distracted by the fact that you’re OLD OLD OLD that you can’t focus on the task at hand?
But seriously folks – I went through a whole mental and emotional adjustment when I started wearing them.
And I think it can be very cute when a guy has a half-sized pair balanced on the end of his nose, and we both tilt our heads down and look over our glasses, deep into each other’s eyes…
I deal with this all the time, since I prescribe them.
There are a few reasons why you might be having trouble typing. If you got progressive lenses (the no-line bifocals) they could be causeing some distortion in your peripheral field, or even in your central vision if they’re not aligned right.
If you got straight reading glasses, you might be having trouble adjusting to the magnification. My first thought there is that they could be too strong if you havn’t adjusted after two weeks.
The lack of focus and such… nothing I can do for you there. I’ve never heard of that as a complaint about glasses, and beleive me, I’ve heard a lot of complaints!
Oh, the fun is just beginning. Soon your intermediate vision will start to deteriorate and you’ll need…wait for it…BIFOCALS! They do make life much easier, however. I have a pair that I use where the upper portion is for my computer screen and the lower portion is for reading what I’m trying to type. They don’t have to sit on the end of your nose, either, so it helps get rid of the ‘grampa’ look. They also work well for meetings, so you’re not squinting at everybody (at least at close range).
If you’re having trouble focusing, you may already need prescription glasses…bwa-hahahahaha.
With regard me now attending the Mr Magoo School of Clumsy Typing, on reflection the keyboard seems quite a lot closer with the bins so I’m hoping my ham-fisted style will improve with familiarity. Fwingars crissed.
In relation to the intellectual decay, maybe I should also mention I’m somewhat dyslexic; might that not be something that becomes exacerbated in the early days of wearing reading glasses ?
Nah, who am I kidding, senility is setting in . . . damn, it was good while it lasted. Where does one go for name and address tags. Do I wear them around the neck of leave them in my wallet ?
Eirik – Thank you for your professional guidance. I’m now mulling over idea that they may be too strong. Probably going to get a second Opticians opinion . . .
Chefguy – Thanks for the encouraging input. I’d rather jump off Westminster Bridge than wear bifocals. At that point, it’s the laser or bust.
Everyone else, thank you for either your vote of reassurance (on appearance) or for mocking the age-afflicted. Bastards!
There is an alternative to bifocals other than laser; I wear contacts AND reading glasses. If you start wearing your glasses on a cunning little keeper around your neck, you will NEVER ever have to worry about someone mistaking you for ANYONE under forty either. Welcome to old fartdom, relax, enjoy, take a nap.
I’ve been wearing glasses for at least part of the time since I was in 5th grade. From 6th or 7th grade until the end of high school, I had bifocals.
Needing glasses doesn’t broadcast that you’re old. It merely corrects your vision, whenever it happens to go bad.
Relax. No-one’s going to look at you from across the room and think, “Oh, my GOD!! That guy’s wearing…gasp…GLASSES! He’s ancient! He’s lost it completely! Quick, call the paramedics–this poor sucker’s gonna go any minute!”
As long as you choose glasses that flatter your face, you’ll be fine. It might take some adjustment for you to get used to them, but it shouldn’t harm other people’s assessment of your vigor and general with-it-ness.
LC? 41 year old Aussie checking in here. Holy shit man. I hear you. I honestly hear you.
Same deal here… 2 weeks ago I ordered my first ever pair of reading glasses for the exact same reason as yourself - the goal being just to be able to see the PC screen a dash clearer.
However, my symptoms are just a little different in so far as my right eye 15 months ago had a permanent artifical inner lens inserted behind the iris due to an unusually young age cataract. Accordingly it can no longer focus - and anything beyond 1.5 meters away gets progessively blurry the closer the object gets to my right eye.
My left eye however is still 100% fine. I can focus up to 35 centimeters which means I can type and read fine print no problems.
Unfortunately, my local optometrist thought he was doing me a favour by prescribing me finely graded optics for both eyes and man, I simply can’t wear the shitters. I’m taking the suckers back (I ordered two pairs) and I’m gonna ask for a totally neutral left eye lens and a fixed gradiant on my right eye which focuses at about 700mm - which is my typical distance from a PC screen.
But yeah, I hear you.
And Coldfire? Lap it up mate… lap it up. It’s gonna happen to you too one day… and LC and I are gonna fucking laugh our heads off.
You big meanie, you! I’ll have you know I lost a few kilos recently. Don’t know how many, as I don’t have scales, being a guy and all. Guys measure by belt notches. I’m one notch down already.
(I loved that song, BTW, cracked me up. :D)
BBF, I already feel 41 every morning, when the alarm bell goes off. Does that count?
From what I’ve heard, people who get glasses in middle age, whether prescription or reading glasses, usually have these kinds of problems. I’ve had glasses since I was 5, so I’m pretty used to them.
That’s not to say I didn’t have bifocular-type problems when I hit 40 (or was it 50. 51? No, wait.). But I solved those by buying a Celestron telescope and sitting on the opposite side of the room from my computer. It’s ahrd to tpye, though, as yuo kn cee.
I had the same thing happen, at least with respect to the goofy typing errors and such; it did take more than a couple of weeks to get used to the glasses. I’ve had them for about 5 years now (I’m 34); they are a very weak prescription - my uncle the optician actually laughed when I showed it to him and said “You call that a prescription?”
I see just fine without them, thank you, but they are a miracle when it comes to reducing eyestrain. I only wear them when I’m doing a long stint on the computer (mostly at work), but they make the difference between just feeling mentally tired at the end of the workday and being in actual pain with red, stinging eyes. Go nuts and go for the anti-reflective coating!
As for how they look? Well, depends on how well-suited the frames are to your face. If you haven’t gotten some horribly hideous ones (my grad school roomie used to point our guys wearing these and say, “Look! Another victim of bad Soviet eyewear!”), I’m sure they look just fine. Show us photos if you want, and we’ll critique!
As for the gaps in logical reasoning? Sorry, dude, can’t help you there!
Bugnorton – contacts and reading glasses ? Nay, nay and thrice nay! Couldn’t deal with it . . I’ve got problems dealing with things as they are . . .
Boo Boo Foo – wow, that’s puts my little tantrum in <cough> perspective. Never heard of an artificial lens before. It’s obviously great that the left is so good but given that you can see stuff close up with the right it probably means it won’t go ‘lazy’ ? that’s obviously important . . . Hope you get yourself sorted out at the Opticians
Eva luna – Mad thing is I never had eye strain yet these things are thicker than Hubble – I’ve gone straight from zero to paperweight-thick bins! Don’t understand it, well, apart from me exaggerating a little. Had help when I chose the frames from a very enthusiastic gay man so I’m reasonably happy with their ‘look’ – just trying to work on the smouldering middle-distance gaze (circa Dicky Gere).
Anyway, that’s me. Off now for a quiet evening of bingo and a warm nightcap. Where’s my cardigan . . .
Oh Coldfire, It’s the booze, lardy-arse. Get down the bloody gym!
I was prescribed glasses when I was 23, I made the huge mistake of getting a pair that made me look about 125 years older than I was so I ditched them. Then at about 28 due to my job I started driving a lot, I would end up with a huge headache after a couple of hours driving, so I went back to the optometrist.
The first time I wore my new glasses it was like **WOW! ** The world looks so much cleaner than I thought. The difference was rather big even though I have a not-so-serious problem. AND just like LC I did have moments of mental blankness.
I suppose that been that I am absent-minded and have the attention span of 3 month-old child didn’t help much, but I blame it on the fact that suddenly there were so many other things that I hadn’t noticed before because I couldn’t focus that… oh look, a shiny object.
