Glasses :(

[Hellodarknessmyfriend]

I'm 43 and finally went for an eye-test today (I suffer from quite severe health anxiety so it was a big deal for me).
Vision in one eye is fine, vision in the other not so good (I hadn't realised until optician got me to read letters which were all a blur when good eye closed!)
I now need to wear varifocals full-time 😞
So as well from feeling dreadful as my health anxiety now "wobbling"; I didn't realise how bad my left eye is.
I have no idea what frames to go for; I've never worn glasses in my life!!
I hate getting older!!
Please could anyone lovely out there advise where to start. I can't afford a lot and of course at my age I'm really not all that bothered about my looks but don't want to look terrible!

@Hellodarknessmyfriend and that was for health. I'm stronger and fitter also which helps mobility, cardiovascular health, circulatory healthy, mental health, balance, agility. If you want to live a few more decades it's worth thinking about,

If you don't care what you look like, I don't understand why you're so bothered which frames etc suit you and that you think you'll look so "bad" in glasses? Surely you'd just pick the cheapest pair and be done with it?

I'm not fussed now. @drspouse I suppose I'm a bit unusual in that financially I was a lot better off in my 20s - mid 30s than I am now, but of course at that age anything generally looks nice on and not much make-up needed/hair appts to cover up the greys etc!
I've never really wanted to look nice for myself - I certainly don't ever look in the mirror now and think "Oh you look nice." I think I used to when I was younger maybe, but definitely not now.

of course at my age I'm really not all that bothered about my looks

You are young still OP! And glasses can look lovely. One if my best friends started wearing them at 48 (like you eyesight deteriorated really quickly) and she looks fab in her statement glasses. I can’t imagine her without them now.
Take a friend who will give you an honest opinion (not someone who will say yeah that’s nice to everything). And good luck!!!

@bimblingabout I would certainly like to lose a bit of weight. Need to eat less crap, drink less wine and walk more! Can't afford gym membership but I know I'd never find the time anyway!

But how does someone so uninterested in their appearance find their way to the Style & Beauty board??

@otravezempezamos Thanks. Going to take hubby as I don't really have any very close female friends so not sure they'd give me honest answers when trying on!!! Hubby, on the other hand, will say I look nice in anything!!
@WhatWillIWear I think my fear is looking even crappier!

@Hellodarknessmyfriend I'm not a member of a gym. You don't need one for running. I also do weights, strength and resistance exercises at home plus go walking. Plenty of YouTube fitness workouts you can try. Start with what you can do and build up from there. A fitness tracker (Fitbit) helped me too.

@Babbahabba Can't afford much more than budget anyway! Around £100 for frames and lenses?

@bimblingabout I'm not a runner, but would definitely like to walk more. Did so much more walking when I had a dog and it was massively beneficial for sure 😀

OP I'd definitely doing this all in person, preferably in an independent optician with someone who will take one look at you and figure out what suits.

But in the meantime goggles4u will let you try on glasses online so you can see what frame shapes suit or really don't, if you want a strong frame, or frameless etc etc

I’d suggest you make some female friends. Is everything ok in your marriage? You just seem so…down

@SuncreamAndIceCream Aw thanks. I'm not particularly clever. Primary teacher so have a degree but 20 years ago now. Still only mainscale after 3 very spaced-out mat leaves. Have applied to local (rubbish) uni to do an MSc from September which hopefully I will manage as well as teaching pt 🙏

@Sugarlily I have female friends, just not very close ones. I'm happy with that. Happily married now after a very traumatic first marriage in which I lost two small sons in essence (story for another day!) I definitely struggle to trust!
Hubby quite poorly with a permanent and significant spinal condition but we try our best to get through and make a great team ❤️ Money is tight but we have a nice privately rented place and get by 😀

Are you really sure you need varifocals? They are very expensive compared with single vision lenses, so if you’re worried about finances you might try something else first.

When I was your age I just had a pair for distance. I took off my glasses for reading, and still do - for example, now while on MN.

Eventually I couldn’t read with my distance glasses on, eg to sew and watch TV, and it was suggested that I might consider varifocals BUT the little local optician I’d been going to for years said if I could just have bifocals, which I did. I’m still happy with that pair.

I used to take off my glasses to read a computer screen. About five years ago my eyes were aching if I did that for long so I have a third pair for optimum vision at that distance, 20”. They sit by the computer so there’s little risk of losing them.

If you have good vision in one eye I don’t understand why you need to go straight to varifocals, unless the optician has sales targets to reach.

@Hellodarknessmyfriend mine came from Asda opticians. I was very wary about stating to wear varifocals but they were very careful with the measurements and I’ve never struggled at all with them.

mine were 2 for £120 and one of those was sunglasses at no extra charge. I highly recommend them

Thing is, I lose my mobile at the weekends about 4.5 billion times a day so couldn't be trusted with more than one pair of glasses! 😂 I kind of need one pair for minimum effort! I don't think I'd be good at all either with switching over, especially not over the course of a very busy teaching day.
Definitely won't be bothering with prescription sunglasses as I very rarely wear the one £9.99 pair I do own!!

Same situation for me, went for an eye test beginning of this year as found driving at night strange as lights were glarey. Turns out one eye was borderline for driving and I needed varifocals too.

im late 40s and no way passed my best, I still like to look good. I tried on numerous glasses at my appointment and told the woman to be brutally honest. I love my glasses and I think I look strange without them

i went to specsavers and have my varifocal glasses and varifocal sunglasses. Got both for £180. They had a 2 for 1 deal. Varifocal lenses were £90 . Need the sunglasses for driving at times.