That dreaded moment when you realised you might need varifocals...

[HigherNature]

How did you know?

I am 52 years old and started needing reading glasses about 4 years ago. A few months ago I noticed myself squinting a lot when I watched tv. Then I realised I struggled to recognise people's faces from a distance. Then I started getting a bit dizzy and slightly blurred vision even when having a face to face conversation with a mate. This doesn't actually happen all of the time. Sometimes I might see just fine, and other times it seems like a lot of effort.

I have been in denial because I hate the thought that I might need glasses to wear all the time, but I have now booked an eye test for next week.
I'd love to hear your experiences with this.

Also, in the event of needing glasses for more than just reading, am I still okay to grab my prescription and buy online? I find Specsavers so awfully expensive, and hate the fact that their charges are not transparent and have been in shock at the till in the past.

I love my varifocals. They make life so much easier. I love not having to take my specs on and off all the time. Unfortunately they do come expensive. I am very disillusioned with Specsavers, although that might be just a local thing. They gave me a lot of very wrong advice. I went to Vision Express for a second opinion and new scrip and they were brilliant. Not sure if they are cheaper. I don't know about getting scrips made up online, that would make me very nervous. Maybe ask the companies you use now?

Just get tested first, it might not be varifocals you need.

Get multi focal contact lenses!

I love mine, why on earth wouldn’t you want to see clearly?
There’s plenty of choice for opticians on the high street, including independent ones so go and have a browse.

You can get varifocal contact lenses.

If you don't want to go that route don't get them online. You need to get them fitted properly by an optician. If they are marginally too high or low you won't get on with them. The smallest of adjustment scan make a huge difference to how you see.

@HigherNature I've had varifocals for years and they're great, I don't see them as signifying anything negative...

Re costs, asda opticians are far and away the cheapest. Fewer frames but I quite like not being overwhelmed by choice

I love mine - you'd never know they were varifocals from looking at them.

I don't know why you would dread getting varifocals. I have had them for years and love them.

I've worn glasses for 30+ years, but being told varifocals would be the next step was huge. I'm now on my 3rd prescription.

I'm OK with the actual ohmygodimoldandneedvarifocals now, but ye gods, the price!!!

I know what you mean, DH came back from the optician a couple of years back saying he'd had That Conversation and now needed either bifocals, or multiple pairs of glasses for different things. He'd just turned 40 and felt it was a watershed moment!

I echo PPs though, I'd avoid Specsavers if you already have suspicions about how they charge. DH and I use a good indie in SW London these days, although previously I've also been quite happy with David Clulow and Boots Opticians.

I have been wearing glasses for years and eventually needed 2 pairs. I put off having varifocals for a few years as I had the idea that only old people wore them. I am the 1st to admit I was wrong. Checked the prices at a few opticians (nearly cried to be honest) then tried Asda opticians. I now have 5 different frames and 2 different pairs of sunglasses all with my prescription for not much more than 1 pair from one of the other opticians. Please give Asda Opticians a try, you wont be disappointed.

My

I'm 10 days in with my first varifocals and they are good. It's a relief to just have 1 pair of glasses and to be able to see clearly. They took a few days to adjust, and I took a few days to recover from the price...

That said, I was already wearing distance vision glasses (and switching for readers where necessary) so a slightly different proposition than you OP.

I wouldn't get them online - it's such a significant investment that you need to be able to have some comeback if they need tweaking or if it isn't for you. My opticians provide a free returns policy for the first month if you don't get on with varifocals for any reason. I got distance vision glasses online last year and they were rubbish, in fact I ended up getting the varifocal lenses put into the frames I bought online as they were pretty useless as they were previously.

Love mine, only thing to dread is the price.

My moment was in May 2020, I was furloughed in April and spent most of it in the garden and not wearing my contact lenses. Went back into the office and couldn't read the computer screen! But couldn't take my contact lenses out as then I wouldn't have been able to drive home. So I went home.

I've since got mono-vision contact lenses (1 near, 1 distance) and they are great - except I've since developed blepharitis and constantly get an oily film on my lenses which makes things cloudy so am back to wearing my glasses more. Back to the opticians for various glasses ...

I wouldn't buy online as I found varifocals took a lot of getting used to and, with my first lot, I had to go back and get something slightly changed.

I used Specsavers when they had their BOGOF offer on as I prefer reading glasses for when I'm reading in bed so got a pair of those too as well as the varifocals. (I found that when I was lying down the focus part was in the "wrong" place IYSWIM, so it meant I had to angle my head strangely)

Contacts are the answer. I have one for distance and one for reading which works perfectly.

I love my varifocals. I'm not sure why I put them off so long. I can't be doing with contacts any more - such a faff. Good glasses are expensive but if you wear them all day every day, they're worth every penny.

Don't go to specsavers - go to a local optician and get a proper optometrist to check your eyes. They're not trying to flog you the most expensive frames they can. You should be spending all the money on good lenses rather than frames with massive mark ups.

I've had glasses over forty years so changing to varifocals wasn't such a big deal really.

Whether you can cope with them yet or not, if you can't see and are getting dizzy you need to get a test - my eyesight has declined recently and it turns out a macular hole is forming. This is not correctable with glasses, so it's really important to know what is causing your eyesight issues.

Asda specs are £80, any prescription, any frame, with thinning and coatings. £120 for two.

I personally would not buy online due to the alignment issues for varifocals.

I’m in a similar position - 50 and have had reading glasses since mid 40s, always from spec savers. Had a recent appointment elsewhere where they said I was also shortsighted though not severely so and I only needed varifocals if I was struggling with driving/tv. I’m quite confused and wish I’d questioned more as googling suggests shortsightedness is not something that develops with age.

Such helpful info here, thank you everyone. Just to address some of the comments, I don't consider contact lenses because I am extremely squeamish with all things eye related, and getting varifocals seems such a big deal for me because of vanity, pure and simply.
I wonder if I can continue using readers for now (and honestly, I manage just fine with stuff I buy from pounland or superdrug), and separate glasses to watch TV and the off time I feel I need them? That might delay the inevitable a couple years or so?
I will definitely consider ASDA!!

I'm holding off too, mainly on cost grounds and I think do whatever works for you. I have a very strong short-sightedness prescription and wear contact lenses most of the time, I did the one close / one far thing for about 15 years but as I have hit my mid 50s I found that neither is quite right any more, so I have gone over to the same correction in both eyes again and very occasionally need +1 readers or -1 cheapo glasses eg at the back of theatres. I can't bear the thought of wearing glasses full time, I truly hate them.

But last time I went tor a sight test the optician said that my next pair of glasses ought to be varifocals and that pushes the cost up significantly (already paying £16/month for contact lenses and my single vision glasses cost £££). And actually my old single vision glasses are fine vision-wise (just falling to pieces), if I need to see anything really close up I just take them off. So I'm carrying on the way I am. If you are managing the way you are and are safe to drive etc I'd just stick with it.

You don't know if you are "safe to drive" unless you have an eye test. So, regardless of whether you're going to buy glasses, have your eyes tested.

I can't imagine how taking glasses on and off constantly can be preferable to just wearing them. No-one knows they are varifocals.

And no, short sightedness does not happen with age as such, though mine has always got a bit worse with every prescription so it is progressive.

You could definitely try a distance pair and a reading pair for a while which would be cheaper. I did that for a year or two before deciding that I had to just bite the bullet and pay for the varifocals.

The OP said she has booked an eye test, so she will know whether she's safe to drive.

I'm 43 and had varifocals for 2 years now. I went to get my eyes tested thinking I might need reading glasses - came out needing both. I spent additional money to get the better field of vision but I love them!
Since the moment I tried them on I haven't looked back. It's really scary to think I'd been driving before without them - I had no idea how bad my sight was back then.
I didn't know you could get vari lenses - I'm going to look into that myself so thanks to those who mentioned it.
I love wearing glasses through but I'm lucky that glasses have always suited me.