Varifocals! Please advise me!

[Miljea]

I'm in my late 50s, and short-sighted (can see books, sewing, cooking clearly without glasses). Not hugely so, -2.00 and -2.75.

I've always bought single vision glasses to correct my distance sight (driving, TV), usually quite short height ones, so I can look under them!

However, I am increasingly aware of a couple of specific problems; at home if I want to glance at the TV while reading a book, I shift my specs across my face so the bottom of one lens rests on the bridge of my nose, thus props my glasses up so my TV vision is fine, but I have more 'lap' vision area, free of lenses, to look down at.

Also, at work, I have a PC at normal PC monitor range in front of me, but I also need to be able to look up through a window into the adjoining room to see 3-4m away, clearly. Then rapidly glance down, then up. etc

I look like a dill if I prop my glasses up for that!

Thus, my optometrist (at Vision Express- he seemed competent and informative, but he doesn't own the franchise) suggests varifocals, which I've steered away from to date.

Following a recent thread where a poster's DH was evidently sold a pup in terms of highly unsuitable eye-wear, I am wary of committing. I had to dash after the eye test, but saw a poster, displaying the varying 'levels' of varifocals lenses they do, £50-275, with a brief description beneath.

What do I need to know? What questions should I ask? Is £275 the way to go?

I'm confused.com!

Thanks for any input, thoughts, experiences.

Not much help to you at the moment but I got top grade varifocals in Turkey for less than the cheapest ones in Britain.

If you can put it off a few more months - I had a weeks holiday and my glasses for what I was quoted for specs in England. (pretty basic holiday though)

Well, I’ve had vari for years. Couldn’t do without them as v short sighted but in later life reading now a problem.

My ds also has eye problems and after two years at that optician I’m ditching. Go local.

Hi, after living with reading glasses for some time, I decided to go the whole hog and get varifocals. (I was finding reading my car displays difficult, and I also had some concerns about my distance vision when driving).
They're not cheap!
I got good quality lenses (second down from the top), with relatively cheap frames.
They ended up costing just under £500.
But, you need to hear in mind what you want them for - day to day. My job involves looking from near to far very frequently, so my glasses are worth every penny. They go on my face when I wake up, and I take them off when I'm ready to go to sleep.
The golden rule is to 'point your nose at what you want to see', so different qualities of lens offer different ranges of view.
I'd advise going back to an optician and talking through the lenses available, then deciding what you are prepared and able to pay for.
I was wearing +2.50 readers as a guide.

I went from no glasses at all to varifocals earlier this year and they're bloody amazing, I can actually do close up crafts and look at instructions and watch the telly or work on my laptop, read papers and books and see what's going on around me, all perfectly!

They were hard to get used to though, it differs for everyone, but I really struggled with nausea and distortion for a few weeks, and several months on I still find them a bit swimmy when I'm outdoors and there's more to look at. Worth it though.

I have varifocals (and am only early 40s). They are deeper than my usual lenses but are fine after only a week. Mine are from Specsavers as if you don’t get on with them they will reinstate your normal lenses. I got the most expensive lenses they do and was only about £225.

@mineofuselessinformation

Hi, after living with reading glasses for some time, I decided to go the whole hog and get varifocals. (I was finding reading my car displays difficult, and I also had some concerns about my distance vision when driving). They're not cheap! I got good quality lenses (second down from the top), with relatively cheap frames. They ended up costing just under £500. But, you need to hear in mind what you want them for - day to day. My job involves looking from near to far very frequently, so my glasses are worth every penny. They go on my face when I wake up, and I take them off when I'm ready to go to sleep. The golden rule is to 'point your nose at what you want to see', so different qualities of lens offer different ranges of view. I'd advise going back to an optician and talking through the lenses available, then deciding what you are prepared and able to pay for. I was wearing +2.50 readers as a guide.

Snap! I was also using +2.5 reading glasses and was concerned about my distant vision when driving. I still use my cheap reading glasses for reading in bed so I don't mess up my nice glasses.

What is your reading prescription?
I personally think that opticians and optometrists are a bit quick to recommend varifocals. Varifocals are great if you end up swopping from readers to distance glasses, but they are a compromise.

I'm pretty short sighted (-6.00 and -7.00) and wear contacts but started needing reading glasses on top a couple of years ago. I still wear cheapies for work with contacts but at home I wear varifocal glasses now and they are fab.. my vision is so clear.

It took a few tweaks to get them right and you do need time to adjust to them but they are brilliant once you get them right.. and you want the expensive lenses for best results.

They are worth the money I had to take my glasses off to walk.around before them as floor was coming up to meet me. Forgot to put them back on when needed causing eye strain. Now i wear them all the time and prescription has not changed in 10 yrs.

I’m an optometrist and happy to offer advice 😊 I would have also recommended varifocals for the issues you mention, they would allow you to see at all distances without having to move/adjust/remove glasses etc
The top portion of the lens is used for distance, so when you look straight ahead you would have your usual distance prescription. When you look down a little you would be in the ‘intermediate’ portion which allows you to see clearly at around arms length ie computer screen, dashboard, something on shelf in shop etc. When you look down a little further you will be in the lower portion of the lens which is for close range tasks.
To enable this to happen, the edges of the lenses are not as clear as the central portion, areas of ‘soft focus’ or ‘blending’ This means if you want to look at something to the extreme sides of your vision you need to turn your head - but you probably already do this.
The difference in price relates to the size of these ‘soft focus’ areas.
Cheaper lens: larger areas soft focus, smaller useful area of lens and more head movement needed.
Higher quality (more expensive) lens smaller areas of soft focus, larger useful area of lens and less head movement required. This gives better vision as well as makes the lenses easier to adapt to.
I always recommend people go for the highest spec lens their budget allows.
It’s worth saying not everyone manages to adapt to a varifocal, but a better lens quality gives you a better chance.
The dispensing staff will be able to explain the differences between lenses and probably have diagrams which makes it abit easier!
I hope this makes some sense/is of some use!
PS I don’t work for vision express!

@bellagogosdead

What is your reading prescription? I personally think that opticians and optometrists are a bit quick to recommend varifocals. Varifocals are great if you end up swopping from readers to distance glasses, but they are a compromise.

No prescription for reading at all. As I type, my ipad is on my lap, 18" from my nose, clear as day.

My glass of wine 😂 is 2' away, pretty good.

Beyond that, my non-corrected vision drops away so I can see the words 'The Crown' 3.5-4m away TV, but if I didn't know it said 'Netflix' above it, that's a blur.

Sorry I go feet to metres just like that. This is what happens when the 'proposed' transition between the two lasts 40 years.... 😂

@StillMedusa

I'm pretty short sighted (-6.00 and -7.00) and wear contacts but started needing reading glasses on top a couple of years ago. I still wear cheapies for work with contacts but at home I wear varifocal glasses now and they are fab.. my vision is so clear.

It took a few tweaks to get them right and you do need time to adjust to them but they are brilliant once you get them right.. and you want the expensive lenses for best results.

When you say 'tweaks', do you mean you shelling out £££ each time?

@Allsizes8to14

I’m an optometrist and happy to offer advice 😊 I would have also recommended varifocals for the issues you mention, they would allow you to see at all distances without having to move/adjust/remove glasses etc The top portion of the lens is used for distance, so when you look straight ahead you would have your usual distance prescription. When you look down a little you would be in the ‘intermediate’ portion which allows you to see clearly at around arms length ie computer screen, dashboard, something on shelf in shop etc. When you look down a little further you will be in the lower portion of the lens which is for close range tasks. To enable this to happen, the edges of the lenses are not as clear as the central portion, areas of ‘soft focus’ or ‘blending’ This means if you want to look at something to the extreme sides of your vision you need to turn your head - but you probably already do this. The difference in price relates to the size of these ‘soft focus’ areas. Cheaper lens: larger areas soft focus, smaller useful area of lens and more head movement needed. Higher quality (more expensive) lens smaller areas of soft focus, larger useful area of lens and less head movement required. This gives better vision as well as makes the lenses easier to adapt to. I always recommend people go for the highest spec lens their budget allows. It’s worth saying not everyone manages to adapt to a varifocal, but a better lens quality gives you a better chance. The dispensing staff will be able to explain the differences between lenses and probably have diagrams which makes it abit easier! I hope this makes some sense/is of some use! PS I don’t work for vision express!

Thank you very much for your input. I need to go to bed now, as my eyes are tired.... but I will read again, in depth what you've said, tomorrow, and may ask to quiz you more. Thank you.

I wear varifocals and got my latest pair at Asda, advanced varaifocals are included in their deal price. They are good quality and a good price, though a fairly little limited in choice of frame. I have been very happy with mine. I do not work for Asda.

I'm not short sighted - strong astigmatism and a slightly longsighted lazy eye - but I've been wearing varifocals for about 10 years. I also have some dedicated reading glasses for close work and I agree that not having good distant vision is a bit discombobulating and just plain inconvenient - they basically do the same for me as you taking your glasses off.

Definitely go for the best lenses you can afford and be clear about how you will use them. One of my pairs didn't have enough mid range which made using my laptop difficult. Discuss this with your optitcan - if they have anything about them, they will take note of this and adjust the lens accordingly.

I adore my varifocals. Like a pp I wear them all the time . My main issue was age related reading but I had got to the point where i was constantly moving my glasses on and off and it was driving me nuts. I got varifocals ( cheap frames and expensive lenses) and my life was transformed . They take a little getting used to and I still have to cling on to the banister going downstairs but I have adapted and the positives massively outweigh the negatives.

I love my varifocals, I wear them all the time. I had no trouble at all getting used to them and I'm very short sighted.

Asda Opticians every time. I have been wearing varifocals for about ten years or so. I usually pay around £200 or so either in Specsavers or independent opticians. £40 at Asda and the best pair I have had for probably five years. I highly recommend them.

I'm one of those who just couldn't get on with them.

Sooooooo many people I know just love them, but I could not 'get used to' them, as I couldn't wear them - I couldnt walk about in them or drive safely in them. I couldn't see the TV, and I couldn't read or use the lap top. I tried for about 10 days - went back to optician, then measured how they were sitting on my face etc, reminded me I might need a while to get used to them.... repeat and rinse. You can't 'get used to them' if you aren't able to wear them.

Maybe it's me ?
Maybe it's because apparently my eyeballs are rugby ball shaped rather than spherical ?

I wish I could. It is a right pain having to swap between glasses all the time.

I have varifocal contact lenses but haven't upgraded my glasses yet. If wearing my distance glasses during the day, then I just remove them if need to read anything. However, if wearing my varifocal lenses I do still have to wear cheap reading glasses on top for very close craft work, so not sure how that would work with varifocal glasses. I assume I would need a set of really strong reading glasses too

@ineedaholidaynow

I have varifocal contact lenses but haven't upgraded my glasses yet. If wearing my distance glasses during the day, then I just remove them if need to read anything. However, if wearing my varifocal lenses I do still have to wear cheap reading glasses on top for very close craft work, so not sure how that would work with varifocal glasses. I assume I would need a set of really strong reading glasses too

The bottom part of varifocals is your reading prescription added to your regular prescription.

I only wear my reading glasses when I need a bigger field of close vision for comfort eg form filling or embroidery.

[quote LittleOverwhelmed]@BackforGood I have very bad astigmatism and am still good with verifocals (as I posted above). Did you go for the very well blended (expensive ) ones? I don’t think the astigmatism - as such would be the problem - maybe just the processing (your brain just doesn’t like it).

My contact lenses are “mono-vision” (one eye for distance, on for reading). Sounds absolutely crazy, but works. Last time I saw the optician, they said that I may still need teeing glasses for very small print (on top of the contact lenses), although haven’t found that yet. I do notice that the verifocals are just “easier” than the contact lenses. Wouldn’t give the contacts up though: they suit me so much more!! [/quote]
I have the same set up for my contact lenses - works really well. Although apparently it’s quite “old fashioned” - however I won’t be changing anything till I absolutely have to. Interestingly my DH tried the same thing but it didn’t work for him - he couldn’t “merge” the two views. He then moved on to varifocal contacts which also didn’t suit him. He now has a complicated combination of ordinary contacts and reading glasses

Specsavers do a 'money back guarantee' on their varifocals. If you switch but don't get on with them you can return them at no cost.

DH tried them and hated them.

I got varifocals about age 50 when I got fed up with needing reading glasses & sunglasses on holiday. So now I have reactions varifocals and they are fab. I can MN and watch TV simultaneously.