Varifocal glasses/lenses - advice needed.

[alisonardwick]

Hi all, a few months ago I was told by optician that I would benefit from varifocal glasses as I now need to wear glasses for driving, TV and reading. He advised me to make a decent investment on my first pair to give me good surround vision and to also make it much easier to adjust to the lenses. I had heard a few horror stories from friends about this so I decided to spend a decent amount to ensure I don't the same problems. When I was given a price of £470 just for lenses I nearly fell over backwards. I would then have to add the cost of my frame on top! I quickly decided to walk away and have a think about it.

That same week I met up with some friends who are already wearing varifocals, and they told me that investing in decent lenses was the best thing they ever did. I mentioned that my optician had recommended me to 'Zeiss' varifocals but the price blew me away. Apparently Zeiss are a very good German make of lenses and I remembered that my husband used to bang on about Zeiss lenses for his camera. One of my friends already has Zeiss varifocal lenses in her glasses and she said that they were a vast improvement on the glasses she had previously bought from Specsavers. 

My dilemma now is whether I should bite the bullet and shell out for the glasses or go to somewhere like Specsavers and buy a cheap pair in the hope that I'll get on with them. Most of my friends have got the cash to pay out for these expensive German lenses but I'm on a limited budget. Also, do any opticians just put new lenses into your current frame? I love my frame and it's only a year old. Seems such a waste to have to pay for a new one. When I asked my optician if he offered this sort of service he just frowned and told me that it would be far too risky!??

[GobbySadcaseFucker]

Mine are the second most expensive spec savers ones and I get on with them fine

[gobbin]

My Tesco optician varifocals (top range personal made-for-you) were far superior to my current Specsavers top of the range ones. I've even considered getting these frames reglazed at Tescos.

[SolidGold]

I'm on my second pair of varifocal from Boots (was D&A) and have had no problems at all with them. I have the middle price range of varifocal lenses.

[soontobeslendergirl]

I have varifocal contact lenses - they are monthly disposables and I think they cost me £27 a month - I find them really good, is it worth having a trial of those as it wouldn't cost you anything to see how you get on?

[SolidGold]

I have had varifocal contact lenses in the past too. They were fine for a while, but now I can't read with them, so have changed to glasses. I tried them again a few months ago, but just couldn't read with them.

[soontobeslendergirl]

I only read books before bed and I take mine out at night. most of the day I work from a screen and find them perfect for that. I struggle with really small writing on packets though, that's when I generally would have taken my glasses off to get a closer look.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Also boots and specsavers are currently doing 2for1 offer ATM.

Rather than taking the free second pair I always negotiate a discount on one pair. I don't have verifocals but have very expensive thinned lenses so I feel your pain. I negotiated down from £300 to £220 last weekend.

[SolidGold]

I read a lot at work and found it really difficult.

[Oblomov]

Just be very careful. Many people can't get on with varifocals. Buy them and just hate them. You need advice. Try a pair first, atleast.

[VivaLeBeaver]

What happens if you can't get on with them?

It worries me as my eyesight is really bad. -8 in both eyes.

I don't think I could have a reading pair and a distance pair. What would I do at work when one minute I'm reading notes and the next minute I'm answering an emergency buzzer and need to run down the ward. I can't swap glasses every two mins?

[VivaLeBeaver]

I don't think I'd be able to see across the room in reading glasses.

[soontobeslendergirl]

What happens if you can't get on with them?

That's why I suggested the contacts as they are happy to give you a free pair to try - I had headaches for a few days as my eyes adjusted, but I find them great now. I have no idea how they work......it seems to be magic.

There is a bit of compromise between distance and close - i.e. far distance could be better and close could be better, but the average use far outweighs that in that I can see 90% of stuff perfectly well.

[VivaLeBeaver]

I can't wear contacts.

I've tried for years.

[Pussypaws]

Hi. I have, in the last 2 weeks, bought a new pair of Varifocals. I have been wearing them since 1999.

Re your question on lenses and the price, I would say buy the most expensive you can afford. I have always had ESSILOR VARILUX lenses and find them absolutely brilliant. I believe they are slightly cheaper than Zeiss, but if for any reason I couldn't get Varilux I would opt for Zeiss.

The expression...."you only get what you pay for"....is true in this case. My story goes like this: I decided to try Boots for a change (normally go to Vision Xpress...NEVER Specsavers!). I bought Boots Platinium range thinking they would be good, they also assured me they were Essilor Varilux. On first wearing them everything was slightly out of focus and swishing around, but my old specs were still perfect. On taking them back and questioning this I was told that they were Varilux BUT to Boots specification, and thus cheaper. As they were useless to me, Boots agreed to fit the proper Varilux Physio lenses that I thought I was getting in the first place and everything now is fine.

Basically to sum Varifocals up......the more money you spend the thinner/lighter the lens is, so therefore more comfortable to wear....but more importantly the actual field of vision is a lot wider in the more expensive lenses. Having wider/clearer vision virtually cuts out all the blurry areas that you get with cheaper ones. I can look almost anywhere and don't get any blurred or swishy vision. So the moral is.....buy your Zeiss or Varilux, even Rodenstock. All good lenses, not like the cheap Pentax ones at Specsavers, or Boots for that matter. (Incidentally, I read somewhere that Specsavers own Pentax lenses). Buy a good branded name, your sight is one of the most important things!

[SolidGold]

I'm sure the expensive ones are good, but I've had two pairs of D&A/Boots mid range varifocals and have had no problems, no blurry areas, nothing like that. I didn't need a long time to get used to them, got straight in the car and drove home.

The most important thing I think is make sure when they take the measurements that you position the glasses in the right place on your nose, as otherwise they won't be right if, say, when you get them you push them further up your nose.

[Pussypaws]

SolidGold....I am sure the D&A/Boots mid range varifocals are fine.

I think the reason I encountered problems with Boots Platinum lenses is because I had been used to a better lens initially. Had the Boots ones been my very first pair of Varifocals I would probably have been happy.....but being used to the very wide field of vision offered by Varilux just made the Boots ones seen inferior. I hope that makes sense....

[sashh]

Have you considered contact lenses? They now come in bifocal and multifocal.

I'm currently experimenting with a toric on one eye for perfect distance vision in that eye and multifocal in the other so I have good (legal for driving but not perfect) distance vision and an addition for reading.

They can be worn for 29days and nights continuously. Each lens is about £20 for 3 so £40 for 3 months.

[ouryve]

I have the top range Specsavers Varifocals and took to them straight away. I even had a problem with my weaker eye, which is already quite lazy, as my reading prescription changed significantly in it about 3-4 months after buying my VFs and they retested my eyes and replaced the lens with one with a stronger reading prescription, for free. I opted for the second pair to be sunglasses, since my eyes are quite sensitive to bright light and the weather has to be pretty dingy for me not to need them when in the car.

[Bunbaker]

"What happens if you can't get on with them?"

Boots let you try them for up to a month. If you don't get on with them you can change them for something more suitable.

[digerd]

Depending on your prescription your lenses will have to be much thicker or thinner.
Mine meant really thick lenses so had to be thinned down by the maximum. If your prescription hasn't changed much then the lenses should fit your frame without being thinned down too much to fit.
The thinner they have to make them to look good the more expensive they are and the heavyness of the thicker lenses is not nice either.

[alisonardwick]

Update: Got my frame back today from the online company with the new Zeiss lenses fitted into them, and what a difference these lenses make! I can now sit at my desk and use my computer, whilst reading from patient referral letters (I have an admin job), without having to wear my reading spectacles half way down my nose! LOL

The vision through these are perfect, much better than I ever expected. I've been wearing them for just over 2 and half hours and I'm not getting the 'swimming distortions' that many people speak of. I'm sure now that I've done the right thing by buying these Zeiss lenses. Definitely money well spent. Also I got them at half the price I was going to get charged at the opticians. I was warned by a couple of people not to do this online but I know don't see what all the fuss was about. Taking the measurement myself was so easy and the service and advice I got from the website company I used was extremely impressive.

Although I have nothing to compare these varifocals to, I am already over the moon with how they work. I'll probably leave it a day before I try them whilst driving but I'm pretty confident I'm not going to have any problems. They did feel a little strange when I first put them on but I suppose that's because I've never worn varifocals before. I still can't believe I've saved so much money doing this on the internet. Just goes to show how much profit these high street opticians like Specsavers, Boots and others must be making!

Indecently, the company I got to do this for me, eyewearglasses.co.uk gave me a coupon code to get 10% off my next purchasewith them. Don't know if this will work for new customers but here it is: RT100

I'm now going to practice going up and down the stairs in them as I've heard that this can feel a little odd when you first do it wearing them. The neighbours will probably think I've lost the plot!!

[Brighteyes27]

Hi just wondering how you are getting on with your varifocals? The cost of these at the opticians is ridiculous. I've seen a frame I like in 'vision express' and the frame is almost half the price online. No mention of Zeiss lenses etc but one place does free thinning to 1.6 included in the price. I was thinking about phoning or messaging a couple of suppliers next week. I currently have varifocals (I think I went for the second most expensive lenses Boots had awhile ago). They are ok most of the time but I hate being in a crowded play ground or trying to reverse. I mainly wear contacts and have really gone off my existing frames. I'm unsure whether to opt for two pairs of glasses (distance) and reading or just one good pair of varifocals from an online retailer?

[50ShadesofGreyMatter]

I'd also be interested in how you got on?