Varifocals or separate reading glasses?

[Highlandflapped]

Help! Please.
I’ve been told I need one or the other and I don’t know what would be best.

Can anyone share experiences of either or both.

Thank you

[KnickerlessParsons]

Varifocals. Then you can knit and watch TV at the same time without having to keep swapping your glasses over 😁

Varifocals took me a lot of getting used to - several months - but I wouldn't go back to separate glasses now.

If you do anything that involves swapping between close work and normal looking around - eg following a recipe and cooking, or the knitting/watching TV example - anything along those lines - Varifocals are a game changer.

[Wheresmybrianat]

@KnickerlessParsons I came on to say the same thing. I need my varifocals for Knitting and watching television, don't want to have to choose between the two

[Chimummy73]

Swear by my varifocals! It drove me mad just having reading glasses and taking them on / off all the time. I can still watch TV, scroll through my phone etc wearing these the only thing i don’t like doing is walking downstairs with them on as it’s quite disorientating but they do warn you about that when you get them. I’d never go back to ordinary reading glasses. I remember my Grandma having them but she’d only put them on to read the paper etc whereas now so much of our day is conducted on a screen they’re just so convenient!

[Mumteedum]

I've found varifocals great for driving but crap for using the computer. Mid distance is hopeless. I'm toying with getting more pairs of separate ones and just having varifocals for driving.

[KnickerlessParsons]

My Varifocals have three prescriptions in them. Long distance, "normal" which I think isn't actually a prescription, and close up.
I have a separate pair of glasses for using the computer.

[BIWO]

I use varifocals as its to gets to be a right PIA to keep taking your glasses off to read something. If you do a lot of computing work you may need a set of glasses for that as I found it reduced glare/strain.

[Rocknrollstar]

You don’t want different glasses for different things. You will be taking them on and off, they will get scratched and you will forget to take one or other out with you. Varifocals are wonderful. Best piece of advice I received was that when you are getting used to them, put them on as soon as you wake up.

[Lifeinlists]

Varifocals but get the best lenses you can afford ( I recommend Zeiss but they're pricey) and make sure they're fitted exactly to your face. There's no wriggle room with varifocals. Keep going back until you're happy.

You do need to learn to adjust to them but it quickly becomes second nature to tilt your head very slightly when necessary. I would never go back to 2 separate pairs.

@Mumteedum DH needs to be able to read organ music, which is a similar distance to a computer screen, and he had his made so that that middle distance problem was ironed out. Specsavers did it, not a fancy specialist optician.

[TenThousandSpoons]

Another vote for varifocals 👍

[RedStripeypillow]

And another vote for varifocals. Takes a week or 2 to adjust and they're brilliant.

[Highlandflapped]

This is great! Thank you.

I honestly had no idea what to choose. Not helped by the fact that I don’t feel old enough to need varifolcals even though I obviously am!

[MuchTooTired]

I’m another for varifocals. Definitely buy the best lenses that you can, whilst it’s eye watering my expensive I love having pretty much full vision everywhere I look whilst wearing my glasses! It did take me a little while to get used to them (particularly when parking!) but now it’s automatic.

[SevenSeasOfRhye]

Varifocals as long as you can afford good quality lenses - the basic lenses are often hard to get used to. I adjusted to my upper-mid range ones in about two days.

[LennyBalls]

I wear varifocals. I don't have a massive prescription. I think it's +2 or something like that. I would definitely say varifocals are easier but they will soon become habit just to leave them on all the time not just when you need them which probably makes your eyes weaker. Not sure if that is an old wives tale though!

[reluctantbrit]

I have both.

For everyday life I use the varifocals. For longer period of reading, 7 hour workday at the computer, I use the reading glasses.

My issue is the frame size, my normal one is too small to be really good for prelonged reading/computer work. My face and larger frames don't really go together so I pay the price having two.

[OldSpeclkledHen]

I'm struggling too with new varifocals... Everything is great except computer work ... (and I work at a computer)

Guess keep on trying! 🙈

[MissMarianHalcombe]

I used to have one pair for computer work, reading etc but drove me spare putting on & off. Often I’d just not bother. New optician gave me new prescription & varifocals & I haven’t looked back. I love them! My friend tried to warn me off saying she’d never got used to multiple glass in one lens but it took me about 10 minutes to adjust. Cost me a fortune every two years though.

[Mischance]

Varifoxals every time ... I have worn them for 40 years

[NahNeedsGarlic]

I have both. The expensive varifocals live in their case, in fact I’m not even sure where they are. and I actually wear the several pairs of cheap reading glasses.

[Tessisme]

I love my varifocals. I had absolutely no adjustment period. They made my life better right away!

[LarchFairy]

I have both. I hate varifocals but they are useful for driving.
I like to hold a book up in front of me and not have to peer downwards which you are forced to do with varifocals.