Should I get varifocals?

[AnonyMouse80]

Got my eyes tested yesterday and was told for the first time I have an astigmatism and could get varifocals.

I definitely need glasses for distance but don’t really notice the need when reading, although I do get eye strain from my computer monitor.

I was a bit information overloaded and worried I wouldn’t take to varifocals, which is a risk due to the cost. So in the end I just got 2 distance glasses. The opticians confirmed I could get away without reading glasses. Now I’m thinking maybe I should have just got the varifocals. I’ve probably time to change my order as I only visited yesterday afternoon.

What are others experience with varifocals when you only have a very slight need for them at closer distances?

My prescription is below.

My eyesight is starting to change because of age and think I will be going for varifocals next time. The lower the prescription the easier it is to take to them apparently.

FYI Astigmatism doesn’t mean you need varifocals by the way it means the lenses need to be shaped in a particular way to counteract it but it might just be the way you have written your opening sentence. I’ve always had astigmatism but distance only lenses.

When I'm out and about I wear contact lenses. I have a lense with my distance prescription in my left eye, and a lense with my reading prescription in my right eye. I have no problem with doing that.

Around the house and garden I've worn varifocals for many many years .I've never had a problem with them, even from the outset. I'm extremely short sighted btw.

I know there have been threads on here before and posters have said they haven't been able to adjust to varifocals and I must say that surprised me. But before I decided on varifocals I had one pair of bifocals and found them very difficult.

I've always had astigmatism but recently developed some long sightedness and the optician recommended the varifocals as the prescription isn't that strong yet so they would be easy to get used to, she said as we get older bits of they eye get more inflexible so our vision changes and that it would get worse. They felt weird for a few days and now I can't even notice the difference.

I've got a relatively mild prescription for both distance and reading, and recently got varifocals. I didn't like them at all, and just felt like they did everything badly, so the lenses are currently being replaced for reading. DH has had a similar experience.

I don't think I particularly need glasses, but I like my vision to be as sharp as possible. Hopefully having separate distance and reading glasses will be the answer for now. I've read on here about people having 3 pairs, including a pair for writing on a monitor 😄.

Just to add, I was able to change my lenses within a month for no extra charge (in fact, I got a refund).

/ working on a monitor 🙈 / can't edit on app

I tried varifocals last year. After I'd fallen up and down the stairs, walked into door frames, tripped over my own feet multiple times, I took them back to the opticians and swapped with normal glasses.

I think I tried them for about four days!

I love my varifocals.

I think if my prescriptions for reading and distance become stronger in future, I might appreciate varifocals then.

So getting varifocals made me realise how good my eyesight is 😄.

Love my varifocals. I don’t use them for computer work and use reading glasses for that but otherwise best decision I made. So much easier when out and about as need to keep putting reading glasses on.

I have a high prescription and I hate the varifocals. I can't see anything properly other than driving as I guess you don't move your head that much when looking ahead.

I went for varifocals literally a few weeks ago and it was awful. I hated it. It felt like I was in a fishbowl, they were blurry in places and very expensive. I didn't cope with them and have changed to separate now. I got a refund too. You could try it as they work for some but not everyone. You have to learn to use your head to move which made me feel sick as well

I've got a very high prescription & took to my varifocals immediately! I don't think that one person's experience will be the same as yours, OP - everyone is different.

Added: I don't know about moving my head, the optician said I'd have to but I just do the same as I did before - maybe I already moved my head?! Maybe it was because I already wore glasses & had to move my head to make sure I was actually looking through the lenses

I also have a strong prescription and varifocals and love them, no issues.

After wearing 'odd' lenses for five years, to counteract my increased difficulty with reading, I reached the stage where it wasn't enough any more. Since summer 2023 I've switched to multifocal contact lenses (life changing!) and I have variofocal glasses (called progressive lenses where I live). They are suitable for PC, distance and reading and I also have astigmatism.

I tried varifocals, couldn't get on with them. Went back and had normal lenses again. My optician has a time period where you could try and swop them if you couldn't get on with them. I did this and had a partial refund

Thanks everyone, mixed opinions! I’m going in for another appointment tomorrow.

I’d like to avoid different glasses for different purposes if possible, I’m too scatty and always forgetting where I’ve put them. I think I’m more open to the varifocals now as I think my distance prescription is so low it shouldn’t be much of an adjustment, but the astigmatism correction should help me with more general daily use, which I don’t currently use glasses for.

Oh me! I'm short sighted but about 10 years ago even with my glasses I was having near misses with doors. I had varifocals and they were life changing!

It took me about two weeks to get used to them. Driving was ok, walking was hit and miss and stairs were a bugger as it felt like the ground was moving. But after that I was great. And I think they've help my eyesight not deteriorate further.

Your eyes shouldn't ache with computer work so I'm glad you are going back.

If you can afford the better quality ones you get a better field of vision. And factor in that when you are reading with varifocals you have to be looking down, not straight ahead, which is actually quite tricky with a computer monitor and varifocals. I love varifocals though, my glasses are always on my face and never lost.

I had my eyes lasers at 32 and after 15 years of great vision, age was catching up on me and I had a very mild prescription similar to yours

Optician recommended varies but I was in denial so born some cheap readers from Primark and

6 month later went and got some varifocals and they are great for reading distance and computer

Took to the from day one and cannot remember they are a varis

£120 for 2 pairs

Asda will let you return them for single vision
you

yes, there’s no near add on there.

how old are you OP?

I'm about the same as you - only need them for distance and can still manage to see without for reading (though I do have a cheap pair of specs for low light conditions).
I tried varifocals and couldn't get on with them. Think they were made up inaccurately too.
They were about £650 from Boots but I got a refund.

I've had them for years now but when I started it was the lowest prescription for the reading part (quite a high prescription for distance). I did notice the benefit straight away. I thought I wouldn't, as, being short-sighted I can happily take off my glasses and read by holding the text close to my face, but it made a huge difference to screen work.

I've been short sighted for years, medium ish prescription.
Don't need glasses for reading etc, but was persuaded by my optician to try varifocals last year.
I LOVE them, hadn't appreciated how much my 'middle' vision had deteriorated.