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Original poster

To go for varifocals or not? Have you got them? Did you love/hate them?

78 replies

DrMadelineMaxwell · 23/08/2018 22:25

Close vision deteriorating due to age. Distance vision not great, but steady prescription.

Very fed up with everything being blurry! In my job I need to switch between long distance, mid distance and close distance a fair bit.

Pros
Will be able to see!
Won't have to keep removing glasses.
Can try them for 3 months and swap them back for single vision if don't get along with them.

Cons
Won't have a full field of vision in focus as there's peripheral zones that aren't, apparently
Close vision will continue to deteriorate so new lenses will be needed again (and perhaps again) until it settles.
Will have to get used to them.

OP posts:
princesstiasmum · 23/08/2018 22:29

My son recently got varifocals and hates them

EvilRingahBitch · 23/08/2018 22:31

I had them for a year, hated them, never adjusted, went back to single vision for a year then I moved back to varifocals and wouldn’t be without them now.

skippy67 · 23/08/2018 22:35

I have them and hate them.

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DramaAlpaca · 23/08/2018 22:35

I resisted varifocals for years as I didn't want to feel old Confused

I finally gave in & got them and I think they are amazing. They didn't take any getting used to & I love being able to see close up & distance without swapping glasses.

CherryPavlova · 23/08/2018 22:36

I have them and after a brief adjustment period, I wouldn’t be without them.

Maybeicanhelp · 23/08/2018 22:38

I get along fine with them, no problems at all.

I also recommend Asda Opticians. Frames, lenses, tinted option if you want sunglasses, lightweight lenses, the works, all for £45. I could never go anywhere else now.

Lynne1Cat · 23/08/2018 22:40

I tried them, for the same reasons you've stated.. I hated them. I felt dizzy, off-balance and nauseous when wearing them. I couldn't work out whether to move my eyes or my head in order to read. I was unable to drive in them - they made me feel strange when I moved my head from side to side.

I tried them for a couple of months, had to go back to using 2 pairs of glasses

DioneTheDiabolist · 23/08/2018 22:46

I've had them for just over a year. I love them. But I did pay for the all singing, all dancing ones so I got peripheral vision where previously there was none. It didn't take me long to get used to them.

If you can switch back to single vision glasses, give them a go. What do you have to lose?

heachybed · 23/08/2018 22:50

Former dispensing assistant here

Varis differ widely. Go for the most modern lens possible (yes they'll be pricey) but the distortion will be minimal

I wear seiko lenses - latest version. They don't feel any different to single vision except I can see at all distance!

FiveGoMadInDorset · 23/08/2018 22:50

I am just about the get my second pair, I do like them, my reading sight has deteriorated, my distance is better, I am getting the lenses that get darker as fed up with changing from glasses to sun glasses, my sunglasses aren't varifocals so I can't read outside in the sun

StillMedusa · 23/08/2018 22:52

I love mine!
But it took several visits to make them right so that I didn't feel weird when wearing them.
I generally wear single vision contact lenses in the day with reading glasses on my head until needed (as I work with severely autistic children and glasses get wiped off my face a lot!) but at home I wear varifocals and they make the world clear at all distances. I paid for the most expensive kid so have no burred areas.

I did try varifocal contacts but couldn't get on with those!

BringOnTheScience · 23/08/2018 22:56

I love mine and couldn't possibly consider having separate specs for different jobs. Took about a week to get used to them. It becomes instinctive which bit of lens to look through.

Y y to PP who said go for the high specification lens - thinner, lighter & easier. Well worth the price.

FanSpamTastic · 23/08/2018 22:57

I love them - go for the very best lens you can afford. There is a wide variation in precision.

My first pair were not so good - went for a better lens in my second pair and they are fab.

I have Zeiss here.

Mari50 · 23/08/2018 23:01

Hate that I need them.
Resigned to the fact that I do.
Neither love nor hate them. They do what they are meant to do but not as well as my eyes did when I was 30.
Buy the best lens that you can afford.
They will feel weird at first. Give yourself a few weeks to adapt. Only give up if you have to as the other options aren’t any better/more convenient.

GrumpyOldMare · 23/08/2018 23:02

I'm on my third pair. I love them. Couldn't do with the faff of two different pairs of glasses,specially at work!

DorothyGherkins · 23/08/2018 23:02

Another one who says they are brilliant! Constantly swapping from driving to reading to computer work and crafts - I forget I have them on. Life is so much easier without needing ten different pairs of glasses, the ones you need always being in the wrong place. Took me a few days to get used to them. I have had friends who couldn't get on with them, but they did have cheapies - you need a decent spec lens as others have said. Have had from Specsavers, Boots and Vision Express over the years, and never had any complaints.

Hermanfromguesswho · 23/08/2018 23:04

I’ve got the expensive ones. Took me an hour or two to get used to them. Love them. Can’t notice the peripheral bits that are not in focus at all

MirandaWest · 23/08/2018 23:05

Dh has had varifocals for about 18 months and had no problems with them at all.

I have contact lenses and am wondering when I’ll need something else - am very short sighted and wonder whether I’ll go with reading glasses for a bit or try varifocal contact lenses

Squeegle · 23/08/2018 23:06

Love em; they’re a miracle. So much better than lenses plus reading glasses. I got the second most expensive ones - I think they’re a miracle really!

Knittedfairies · 23/08/2018 23:10

I’ve had varifocals for years and got used to them really quickly, (although wearing them down the escalator in Boots when I first got them was trippy.) If you can try for 3 months and switch back to single vision if you don’t get on with them, what have you got to lose?

Etino · 23/08/2018 23:11

They’re miraculous.
I delayed getting them for years- I’m a migrainey easily flustered drama llama and I’d heard so many stories about dizziness and trouble adjusting. I took to them like a duck to water and just love them.

SingingTunelessly · 23/08/2018 23:12

I can’t get used to them despite paying a ridiculous amount for a sodding pair of glasses. They make me feel nauseous and light headed. Trying to read a book with them pisses me off trying to get the ‘right’ reading angle.

SummerIsEasy · 23/08/2018 23:14

I have had varifocals for years and never looked back. I look forward to putting my glasses on in the morning and do not remove them until bedtime.

Original poster
DrMadelineMaxwell · 23/08/2018 23:17

Apparently, I'm in the middle 'tricky phase where my close vision is fluctuating so I'm not sure how much to fork out for lenses on the basis that I then might have to buy new lenses again.... or not get along with them and end up having paid out a fortune for the vari lenses, but ending up with single vision in the end.

I am, however, extremely fed up with the glasses being on/off/on/off my face depending on whether I'm reading or not.

As a teacher I need to see the board/the classroom/my marking/the piano page/the piano keys (briefly) and the kids in the hall.

OP posts:
starfishmummy · 23/08/2018 23:17

Love mine. Took me a while to get used to them but once I did there was no looking back!!