Glasses? Contacts?? Long and short-sighted

[Slayyy]

20 years ago in my mid-20s when I started working in a desk-based job, I could feel my eye sight getting worse for distances. Optician said I was -1 and I got glasses for driving / TV etc but found them a right pain and didn’t need them to look at my screen at work so kind of gave up and managed without.

Since then I’ve gone to the opticians again a handful of times, but have never really been satisfied with their suggestions. I tried contacts, loved the convenience waaaay more than glasses but optician said not recommended for daily use due to desk/screen-based job. So I stopped. Have updated my glasses prob 8 years ago at probably -1.5. I generally only wear them when driving at night.

Now in my mid-40s I am struggling with far vision and also with close vision. I can’t read the TV guide but also can’t see my armpits for shaving.

I know I need to go to the opticians but it’ll be a couple of weeks before I have time for an appointment. so I’m wondering what others do in this situation?

I prefer the idea of contacts to glasses, and guess they would sort the distance stuff, but won’t sort the close-up stuff and my job is still desk/screen based!!

You have entered your varifocals era. Welcome to the club 🤗

its a pain isn't it
I have worn contacts for probably 50 years (-12) and now need glasses for close work.
optician suggested, and I tried various options- varifocal lenses and one lens for distance, one for sight and neother of these worked for me
my solution, which works well for me, is to have contacts for my distance vision and a collection of very cheap reading glasses dotted around my environment. I do do close work but never for very long periods at a time (maybe I'd get decent readers if I did)

Alternatively you could have lenses for the distance stuff, and reading glasses to put on top when reading/ computer work. That's the set up I've had for years as I don't get on with varifocals

Yes Im -6 in both eyes give or take, but also +1.5

I got varifocals but just couldnt manage with them they gave me terrible vertigo and I fell down some stairs with them
So I manage with my glasses, taking them on and off as I need to, to see small print, and then wear contacts when Im out, with reading glasses.

I wore contact lenses for years and worked with a screen with no problems. Now I use reading glasses when I need them but I have one of my contact lenses slightly undercorrected so that I can read better than I would if my distance vision was perfect.
I have toric daily disposables as I have astigmatism as well as short sight. They're expensive but worth it for the convenience.
I buy my reading glasses off the shelf.

I’m -9.50 both eyes with astigmatism and a +1.5

I always used to wear contacts in my younger years (I’m 44) but when I started to need the reading add it just wasn’t working for me anymore. I tried several different options - multi focal lenses and one lens slightly weaker than the other etc that some recommended but I just felt I couldn’t see very well all round. I got myself a pair of really, really good varifocals from an independent optician and they’re amazing. It’s like I have normal, excellent vision whatever I’m doing. They did cost £600 just for the lenses though. I’ve had varifocals from Asda and specsavers and they were so awful in comparison they went straight back - the field of vision was very poor in comparison.

I’m the same. Just switched to multi focal contact lenses. No glasses needed over the top and just use my regular distance glasses on the rare occasion I don’t wear lenses.

I'm really short sighted and now need varifocals. I use both contact lenses and glasses. I used to use my contact lenses all the time but since needing varifocals I tend to use my glasses a lot more. I think glasses just seem to work better as varifocals. Also, I'm perimenopausal and I think my eyes are now drier so I just generally find glasses more comfortable And my eyes get dry with lenses, which I never used to find a problem.

Recently I started very lightly dry shaving my armpits over the handbasin, using the same razor as I use for my legs in the shower. It’s a lot, lot easier to see what you are doing in the mirror, and I get a better shave as well, no odd hairs left. I have a scar to avoid so was always wary of shaving in the shower where I couldn’t see properly. Maybe everyone has been doing this for years but its news to me!
As a pp said , if you go for varifocals don’t get the cheapest, they are awful - distracting and disorientating. I went without for years thinking I couldn’t wear them until I tried the expensive ones.

I have multifocal contact lenses that work for distance and reading and it is an absolute game changer. They are daily disposable and cost me about £40 a month.

Optometrist here, I'd try the multifocal contact lenses first, biofinity are the best at the moment IMO. See how you get on with them. It often does take a couple of tweaking appointments to get the best prescription.

If not, try varifocal glasses, again you'll need a little bit of time to adapt to them.
Alternatively, I suspect you're still okay for the screen at work, so you could just get a pair of glasses for near vision and wear those for reading.

Oh and if you're -1.50 you definitely are not within driving standard without wearing glasses, so you must wear your distance glasses every time you drive. If you were to have a crash and your vision was checked, it could not only invalidate your insurance, but you could be charged with dangerous driving.

I wear multifocal contact lenses - I’m about -5 in each eye and have a low close addition. Mine are Claryti brand and cost a fortune - about £55 a month - but are worth it for me. I did have to have a few tweaks to get them right but my optician was very patient.

I should look at multifocal glasses, but I only wear them at home, and really can’t stand the thought of such an outlay. My normal specs are fine unless I need small print, so I just stick them on my head!

Lots of half prescriptions on here . Your prescription is more than the power .

Got contact lenses it is recommended to have a days break . You do need back up glasses.

There are lots of options , I wear distance contact lenses , with readers over the top .

you may not be ready for full varifocals you might just want a boost at the bottom .

Ask options once you have a sight test

Do you think on a chit chat thread about glasses someone is going to type out their full prescription?

Another alternative is wearing a contact lens in one eye only. I do this so one eye is corrected for distance vision (my dominant eye) and the other is good for reading. I'm about -2 in both eyes.

It won't work forever but for now it's great (mid forties).

Varifocals cost a bomb. I have different contacts to make one eye close focussing and one further away. It's not perfect but it's OK, until my eyes stabilise or really go wrong so varifocals are required. Won't help in the shower though.

This is exactly what I do. I've worn contacts for 25 years including full time IT job, and my eyes are still good at age 60.

OP. I wear contacts from 5am to bedtime. At work I have reading glasses which are prescription to go over the contact lenses.

I am - 2.75 in left eye and - 3.25 in my right eye. I have astigmatism but wear normal contacts and always have.

I wear clariti daily disposable which are silicon hydrogel and I buy from whoever is cheapest that month. So yesterday I got two months for £56 from total lenses. Some months I buy from lenstore or vision direct.

I'm the same as this. I have relatively mild prescriptions for both distance and reading / monitor use, so I have separate pairs of glasses at the moment. It's a bit of a pain swapping them sometimes, but I didn't like varifocals when I tried them first.

Oh no, I misunderstood actually^, I have different pairs of glasses for each. I've never tried contact lenses.

My eye sight has always been appalling and I'm now -9.50 in both eyes.

Last year I got varifocals for the first time. Oh my goodness, the difference? However they don't do varifocal contact lenses in my prescription.

My optician recommended keeping my same contact lens prescription for distance and then using the cheap reading glasses you can get in various high street shops for reading while I am wearing my lenses. So that's what I've done.

However I am finding I am leaning more towards my specs and am considering giving up my lensmail scheme at some point in the near future and just moving solely to glasses.

I have a great local independent opticians. Have had regular eye tests there over the years and gradually got to an ‘on, off, on, off situation which was very impractical. Tried varifocals and after about a week of slight discomfort I am really pleased with them. One pair of glasses, and I can see to read and also drive and see things in the distance with them too. They were expensive - £350 but that was partly the frames that I chose. Spending £40+ a month for contact lenses would soon mount up more than that.