Varifocals / glasses help please

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

I've worn distance glasses or contact lenses for as long as I can remember but have now found I can't read with them on so I have reading glasses to wear over my contact lenses. I can read fine without them, down to the smallest font on my kindle.

I have to take my glasses on and off if I'm reading and watching TV so I spoke to the optician and decided to try varifocals but I can't get on with them and they are going back. It was suggested I have them made into reading glasses but I don't understand why I need them if I can read without them. My eyes do ache sometimes when I'm reading a lot but the reading is no sharper with the varifocals on. Yes, I am looking through the bottom part!

Am I destined to have to take my distance glasses on and off until my I can't read without glasses?

Can someone who has an understanding of optical prescriptions please help? My prescription is:
Right - sph -2.00, cyl -0.25, axis 55, near 1.25.

Left - sph. -3.00, cyl 0.25, axis 125, near 1.25.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I have glasses over my distance contact lenses. It’s a PITA putting them on & off so they now sit on top of my head like a permanent head band. I can barely read my phone screen if I’ve got my lenses in though so constantly have to pop my readers on. Once my lenses are out I can read fine but would have to put my distance glasses on for tv.

Your left eye is worse than your right, you have an astigmatism in both eyes but only slight. You add the +1.25 reading add to your distance so your right eye becomes +0.75 with a -0.25 astigmatism but your left eye would be a +1.75 with 0.25 astigmatism. You would be a lot more comfortable and avoid the ache with the reading glasses and there will come a time when you cannot read without readers at all. It’s to do with how the lens in the eye no longer flexes as well due to age or something.

Thank you so much, that makes sense! I know what you mean about a permanent headband! Do you have reading glasses for normal wear rather than over your lenses as well?

I think I'll get readers for now as the varifocals are giving me headaches rather than eye ache. Maybe when my prescription gets worse I'll try again.

Have you tried varifocal contacts? They didn't work for me but DH loves his.

Hmm. It sounds like the varifocal measurements have been taken badly.

I am very short sighted and now need reading glasses as well. For abou the last 10/12 years.

Originally with an independent optician u til they retired and the last time Boots. Perfect every time but I go for very high quality lenses.

I couldn't get used to varifocals for ages, kept trying and going back to the old ones.... But I kept getting bad headaches(also they were so bloody expensive!!!),I just forced myself to wear them non stop for a week and after a few days it just clicked, maybe worth persisting if you possibly can.

The calculations aren’t quite right there adding the +1.25 reading add to the distance prescription still gives a minus prescription I.e Right -0.75 Left -1.75 . People who are shortsighted, depending on the amount of shortsight will often be able to see well for near by removing their distance glasses and adjusting the distance they hold things. As you get older the amount of reading add increases up to +3 or even +3.50 and the reading prescription can then move from a minus lens to a plus lens

Thanks everyone.

I can't put up with the headaches and feeling as though everything is in and out of focus for any longer. I can't find a comfortable position to read and I hate having to turn my head to look sideways. These are from Specsavers, which is my usual optician, and their almost top of the range lenses. The frames are the same as my distance glasses as I didn't want to have to get used to a different frame.

If I actually needed reading glasses (as in couldn't see to read clearly) I might persevere but as I don't I'm going to get them changed back to another distance pair as I really need a spare.

@TheOliveFinch, my reading seems to be absolutely fine at the moment. My eyes do ache sometimes but I think trying the different glasses hasn't helped. I'm also better with my kindle than my iPad, probably to do with the brightness. When DH needed reading glasses he used to hold things at arms length, I have to have it reasonably close or I can't read it!

@PinkSparklyPussyCat
what happens is the lens inside your eye progressively loses the ability to focus for near (called accommodation) If you want to read something at a distance of a 1/3 metre which is a common distance for reading at near the lens inside your eye has to focus by 3 dioptres , if you have a +1.25 reading add in glasses it would mean that your own lens would only then need to accommodate by +1.75 than the whole 3 dioptres. As you are shortsighted by -3 in the left eye when you take your distance glasses off your left eye will be in focus at a 1/3m without your lens needing to accommodate at all which is why you can see well for near without your glasses. People who are not shortsighted will start to hold things further away as they can no longer accommodate enough to see clearly for near.
People who are more highly shortsighted can also sometimes read by taking distance glasses off but if you are -5 you would need to hold things at 20cm and if -10 at 10cm so above a certain amount of shortsight it is no longer practical

@TheOliveFinch thank you for explaining, it makes sense. I think I'll get the varifocals made into distance glasses and let my eyes settle for now - they do ache but I'm wondering how much of it is changing glasses and how much is psychological now! I've always been sensitive to prescription changes so I'll wait a bit before getting the readers.