Has anyone taken longer than 2 weeks to adjust to new varifocals?

[fishfingersnpeas]

I got my new varifocals 2 weeks ago. They have a stronger prescription than before, and are a different brand of lens, so I was warned it could take a while to adjust. There is a 4 week guarantee. Two weeks in I am still feeling a little "drunk". I'm wondering whether to give it more time or give up on them. Does anyone have any experiences of this that can encourage me one way or the other?

Two years now and still hate them and I used to take them off to walk downstairs. They are actually broken now, thank goodness and I won’t be buying varifocals again.

Don't give up on them,take them back to the opticians and ask for them to be adjusted.

Yes it was 6 -8 weeks before I was used to them,I even had to take them off or put them on my head to cross a road! I like them now but due an eye test soon so will probably go through the same hoha. Persevere though it gets better ime.

I got a pair from a high street / chain and they were bloody awful. Went to a private optician and the glasses I got from them did not make me feel ill for a minute.

Clearly there is a difference in quality.

Are you wearing them as soon as you get up?

That said, I did have one pair which just never worked for me and I left it too long to get them changed. The pupil distance was wrong or something so I could never focus properly regardless of where I looked.

The prescription might not be right - it happens. When I get varifocals with a good prescription, I don't have to adjust to them at all - they just improve my vision right away.

Have them re-do the refraction.

I've worn varifocals for years, but my prescription seems to gets stronger every 2-3 years. This time, my right eye got a significantly stronger prescription, but the left only changed a little.

It is a different lens brand too, on special offer, so maybe going back to the previous brand would help. However, they still cost £850 (of which only £250 was the frame) so the 15% lens discount did cushion the blow.

I've worn varifocals for years with no problems at all. When I picked up my latest pair I felt just like you - drunk, but also as though everything was a bit magnified. I suffered it two weeks, feeling a bit sick and staggery and as though everything was shouting in my eyes.

Went back to the shop and saw another optician. Turned out the first person I'd seen had tried to do me a favour by prescribing me 'better than 20-20 vision' lenses. They changed the prescription back to something just short of 20-20 and I was sorted immediately.

I have a really strong prescription- -9.50 both eyes with severe astigmatism and a reading add of +2. The only time it’s ever taken me time to get used to new varifocals was when I went to specsavers and the quality of the lenses were terrible (the top grade ones!) and they measured the lenses wrong. Complete disaster. They did agree to completely refund them (£575) after me trying to get on with them for weeks. I went to a local optician and paid £800 for Nikon lenses and they were amazing from the off. No issues whatsoever.

I had the same,6 weeks trying to get used to Specsavers varifocals and gave up and got a refund. Went to Boots and wore them straight away with no issues at all.

I have worn varifocals for years and recently had new glasses which I couldn’t get on with at all, went back to opticians and they found them to high for me but corrected the glasses by tilting them slightly, so now they are fine.

@fishfingersnpeas It is a different lens brand too, on special offer, so maybe going back to the previous brand would help.

I had similar - optometrist had tried a new, "high-tech" brand with the new prescription. Not good. She re-did it with the previous brand, but it didn't make any difference.

Get them to check the frames. I felt drunk when I wore my first pair. I went back and the manager said that the frame was wrong for my nose, and they were at the wrong distance from my eyes, so the different zones were in the wrong place. He ordered different frames and when I put those on they were perfect immediately.

I agree with every word of this. If the lenses are right, I adjust to them immediately. If they are wrong, I can tell straight away. Definitely ask for them to be checked; it might be that only a tiny adjustment is needed.

Yes. Took ages for me, but I went from no glasses at all straight to varifocals, including astigmatism correction, so it was a big leap.

I agree with you both. I used Specsavers once and wouldn't again. I use a local optician. They charge more but their eye checks are very thorough, the frames are very good quality and I walk out wearing my new prescription varifocal specs with no issues.