Vari-bloody-focals?

Took me a while to be able to be able to read with them but fine now

TIZEROFIZZ - never looked back - ha ha
Hate specs, hate vari focals they give me vertigo - ended up with vari focal lenses stitched in - absolutely fantastic

The 3rd choice is bi-focals. I can't wear varifocals. I was prescribed a pair once but, back then anyway, Boots used to ask you to come back after 2 weeks to see how things were going. I suffer from vertigo and balance problems. They were making this worse and I felt nauseous when I was wearing them. So they prescribed a pair of bi-focals instead and I've had bifocals ever since and am more than happy with them. I do use a pair of single focus specs for computer work though. That's mainly to stop me getting neck ache holding my head up to look through the bottom half.

I would suggest a separate pair of reading glasses to begin with as the reading "Add" is easier to get used to if it isn't entirely string enough to read small print with, but over time, I've had stronger and stronger "adds" and can now read really small print with my usual varifocal glasses.

And I disagree that they should be perfect from the get go - they really aren't. It isn't just the glasses. Your brain has to get used to looking at everything through a different area of the lens, depending on how far away it is from you. Your brain has to get used to them - but only if you will give it enough time. And then you have really good vision.

I have had varifocals since my 20's - I appreciate that it takes longer to get used to them when you're older. I was diagnosed with cataracts in my 20's, and the only way to give me good vision was varifocals.

Oh, and definitely get the most expensive ones, it's worth it

Absolutely get them checked to make sure they're correct. It took me a week or two to get used to mine, but once I did, they were absolutely life changing. New prescriptions now, take maybe a day or two to get used to, but they are difficult the first time. Good luck, because they gave me normal vision once I got used to them

The aspect that needs getting used to has nothing to do with eye muscles. We have to adjust the position of our heads to function properly when wearing varifocals. It was actions like walking down steps that I needed to adjust to in the early days of wearing mine. When doing that, we naturally glance down with our eyes. In varifocals, this means we can’t see the step/s properly. As we ‘get used to them’, we learn to unconsciously move our head to compensate.

I’ve been wearing varifocals for a long time. If I ever have an issue it’s because the lens isn’t centred properly - when I get them changed they are fine.

same here. The first pair I ever had were a nightmare. I physically had to lift them up to read. Happened again with my last pair and both had to be re measured and the lenses remade.

I think a lot depends on the skill of the person doing the measurements but over the years I’ve had to get them redone twice. I still don’t find it particularly easy to read small print in them though.

Had mine a few years and love them now. Was getting fed up having to swap glasses to read menus and so on. The real pain was swapping from distance to reading pair to look at phone while out and about.
I got a 2 pairs of varifocals, clear and sunglasses (part of an offer). Vision express. What persuaded me is their guarantee if you didn't get on with them. Anyway, I tried them for 2 weeks, and at first thought WTF had I done. Felt sick wearing them, everything was distorting as I moved my head.
Went back, and they double checked and fiddled with the arms and nose rest. No better. A week later I went back and they said they'd get new lenses made, with a different setup.
These came back, and at first seemed a bit better, but I wasn't convinced
Anyway, I persevered for a week, and something just clicked in my brain and I got used to them.
Would not be without them now. Being able to walk down street and get phone out and read it is wonderful. Sunglasses on holiday that I can just keep on all day for distance, reading, phone, etc.

That's just my experience. Maybe some people never get used to them. Maybe some people take to them immediately.

Oh, and for office computer work I have a pair of single visions,.as I found the middle distance range of the varifocals too narrow, but that's fine as they just live on my desk.

I have the opposite, for cross stitch and tv my house ones are great.
My sunglasses for driving are set wrong for postion of my head, I have to drop it forward slightly. Going in next week to see if i can have my distance prescription put in instead.

I had the same experience with my first varifocals pair. I too was wearing for distance only prior. I payed for the top range lenses at Boots Opticians, but no deal, they were still awful and I couldn't get used to it. I then tried another optician, Vision Express, and the glasses came out bloody perfect. Try changing the supplier not only the glasses. I don't agree you should take weeks to adapt to new glasses, they should fit perfect from the second you try them on. Remember you eyes are muscles and they will adapt to anything if they're forced to. It doesn't mean it's right, though. And like you, I use computer for work all day 5 days per week.

Went from bifocals to varifocals

initally found them on my face all the time annoying,

by a couple of weeks realised I could finally see everything - near and far - totally in love with them.

first thing I put on in the morning and last thing I take off at night.

can’t imagine how I ever managed without them!

the higher up the level of technology you go with varifocals, the smaller the area of peripheral vision is effected. There is always some peripheral blurring, but in the top of the range, it isn’t noticeable. I can confirm that because I have them and, although I struggled a bit with the main part of the lens for a couple of weeks, the difference at the periphery didn’t register with me at all. I suggest going to Boots Optician if you find others upsell. I have been using my local branch for many years and there has never been a whiff of that. The staff’s focus has always been entirely on what is best for me. I had to use a different branch a few years ago and I found the service the same. Also, if you are not happy with your glasses within a reasonable time period (not sure why it is), you can change them. I did that this year with a pair Transition Lenses because I really didn’t like the frame!

@OhBeAFineGuyKissMe I started needing varifocals at about the same age as you. I am very short sighted and found varofocals a game changer.

Specsavers are really good at readjusting them for you until they get it right, and they give you a month to get used to them. If you really can't they will swap them for something that works for you.

TBH I never see anyone in bi-focals any more @Topseyt123
See my point above about Specsavers if you do want to give varifocals a try. DH ended up going back three times, and now they are great.

This is why I would never recommend buying them online as the lens has to be situated perfectly, and this can only be done well by a human being.

Painting and drawing.
That's interesting about ASDA opticians, particularly the petite frames, because I do have a very small face and 90% of frames at Specsavers are too big for me.

My preference is bifocals, with transitions lenses so that they are also my prescription sunglasses as needed. They are my normal day to day pair that I wear for the majority of the time. The top half of the lens is for my distance vision, the lower for reading and close up stuff.

I also have a pair of reading/computer glasses that I change to occasionally if using my tablet or laptop for any length of time. These contain just my reading and close up prescription and are not transitions lenses.

I looked at varifocals but didn't take the plunge in the end because it seems like a lot of money to try them out when I felt sure I would be happy with bifocals (which I was).

Have you tried bifocals?

I have to have my vf adjusted a lot lower than they normally make them in both well known high street chains....who tried telling me they are fine to be blurred at the sides etc. I've had vf for 20 years it's not fine you shouldn't find it hard to cope go back and insist they retest and make adjustments. ...my last pair were altered 4 times really annoying

@crackofdoom what kind of close work do you do?

My varifocals are set for distance and reading.

I do intense Excel and multi document work so I have a separate pair of VDU glasses. I could have had the varifocals done for VDU and distance instead as I can read with my VDU glasses I just have to hold my phone a bit further away.

Seriously get your prescription checked and get yourself to ASDA options £80 for varifocals! I travel half an hour and would go further for the savings. They have a decent selection of petite frames which a lot of places fail to have.

Vision express have a range of four types and allowed to change if the type you try don't work.

Only problem with mine is DIY above eye height as close focus is bottom part of the lens

Well done Brian! 😆

Following with interest because I tried varifocals a couple of years ago and could not get on with them. The lenses were the second from the best option that Specsavers offered (I have to go to Specsavers, because I'm poor. By the way folks, it's perfectly OK- and in fact helpful- to name the actual optician you've been using- you don't have to say "a well known high Street chain 🙄"). I took them back and got a refund after a couple of weeks.

But now my eyes have deteriorated a lot. I have the kind of job that involves both doing close up work and standing back to check the bigger picture, and I must have switched glasses about 25,000 times yesterday 😬. So, I'm going to have to give them another try.

Thank you that is really useful. How big a difference does it make going for the more expensive options - I’m wearing them every day for 2 years (before replacing) so want to get it right as it is a significant investment.

@OhBeAFineGuyKissMe
varifocals are a lot easier than multiple pairs of glasses. They work for all distances, although I have separate pair for intensive periods of working at the computer.
trifocal lenses aren’t commercially available at the moment.

occupation lenses are usually computer distance at the top and close at the bottom. So they wouldn’t work as well in a teaching situation.

Some people adapt really quickly to them (even the cheaper ones). Basically, you point your nose at the thing you want to look at, moving your head rather than your eyes.

i didn’t (and I’m an optometrist), it probably took me a month of persevering, plus a change of lens to get used to them.

Going to resurrect this thread to ask for advice. I’m 47 and have worn glasses full time for distance since my early teens. Now starting to struggle with close up tasks. I used to be able to cope reading by just removing my glasses but recently I am struggling with this (I tried to do some soldering and could not get it into focus with or without glasses).

Trying to figure out my options before going to the opticians as part of their job is to upsell.

I have had to make the font bigger on my work computer so maybe I do need intermittent lenses as well? Which would either be trizone or varifocals - I think?

What are the occupational lenses mentioned above?

I am a teacher so worried that verification will reduce my peripheral vision, would that mean multiple pairs would be better?

I hated them at first and felt like one of those nodding dogs trying to work out which part of the lenses to look through but you do get used to it. Stick with them. I couldn't be poking up with different glasses myself.