Musicians - please tell me about your glasses

[Tebsurna]

I am 52 and struggling I think with age related sight issues. I have always been a little short sighted so have regular distance prescription lenses. Also have reading glasses for close work which are kind of okay. When I play piano I don't actually need glasses at all. But when I play violin/cello I'm now finding I can't see the music not with my distance lenses or with my reading glasses.

Is there such a thing as middle distance lenses? Is that varifocals? I can only do so much memorisation and I need glasses that work for me. What do you all do?

You can get middle distance lenses that are also used for computer work and you can also get specialist musicians' varifocals that put middle distance on your music stand and distance on your conductor.

I've yet to reach that part of my life so I have no recommendations, but I know that these things exist.

Thank you.

I have an optician appointment booked soon - do you think it would be overkill to take my music stand with me so I can get lenses that work for that particular distance? I am really struggling with it to the point of cribbing in advance and memorising - it would be so much easier if I could see the notes.

Yes I have glasses for work that I can see close up for reading and computer work, and up to 3 metres ahead for seeing clients. The number of metres I could see ahead could be changed depending on what I needed to do for my job. They are called "occupational lenses". They are like a mini varifocal or "varifocal light"😀

I also have varifocals and the difference/change in the lense is more extreme and I can wear them for walking around, driving, reading but they are harder to get used to and reading is slightly easier with the occupational lenses.

Occupational lenses sounds exactly like what I'm after, thank you!

Funny how these things come around - I only ever realised I was short sighted when I couldn't see the violin music years ago, and the glasses I got then got me seeing music and so much else. Now I can only see certain things with certain glasses.

No I don't think that's overkill at all but it would probably make more sense to do that when you are trying the glasses. The optician works out your prescription. The dispensers work out what you need from the prescription. It was the dispensers that recommended the occupational lenses to me and advised on the type of lenses and measured for the lens. The optician wasn't involved in that but at all.

I'd probably check how far it normally is from where to sit to your stand (and to your conductor if appropriate or anything wise you need to see when playing). They can then dispense based on prescription and distance. If you take your stand in when you go for your fitting, you can then check that then lenses are right and you can see what you need to see easily. If they are wrong, most dispensers will change them into they are right but do check their policy.

In the fitting appt they normally get you to look at a computer monitor to check for correctness at distance as most people are screen users, but they obviously won't have sheet music and a stand!

I know! I've always been short sighted but used to be able to see ok and read ok without my glasses. Now I can't read a thing close up without my glasses and plus my intermediate/distance vision is going, but even with glasses my vision is not as good as it was. There are still some things I can't read with my glasses on (eg v tiny and/or pale fonts on instructions or washing labels) especially in low light. Plus I constantly need my glasses with me now. If I forget and go downstairs without them then I need to read something I'm completely stuck and have to trek upstairs to get them before I can do whatever it is I wanted to do So annoying!!!

It's rubbish isn't it! I already feel like I'm constantly putting things on/taking things off my face and even with that most of what I think I "see" is actually me just working it out and filling in the gaps.

Thank you so much for your advice - you've explained everything really clearly and hopefully I'll be able to get something that lets me see both the music and conductor.

@OurBigBigLove
Are you in the trade?

Fingers crossed! Good luck!

The "opticians" trade? No just a customer. I've fairly recently had both occupational and varifocal lenses fitted. Just explaining what was explained to me and my experience of the process.