I'm short sighted, but now also need reading glasses (I can read something without specs only if it's about 6" away but it needs to be an arm's length away if I wear my spectacles).
So, any advice on whether I should go with separate specs, varifocals or bifocals?
I am half blind and nothing works. the strongest reading glasses are too we ak for me, I have to wear two pairs, both with the left lenses removed, so I can have depth perception up close. For distance I have a glass, which is a pair of glasses with the RIGHT lens removed.
Thing is I had the cataract done in the right eye and it is 20/20 at 20, bu t requires about +500 or so to see close, where my left eye sees naturally.
If your eyes are relatively balanced, and reading glasses DO work for you, just do that. your eyesight changes as you age, sometimes day to day. you g et one prescription and the thing is off like all hell the very next day.
Then you get eyestrain.
Getting old is a bitch. you know, my roids are not all that bad, I walk OK, my blood sugar is rock solid, my diastolic to systolic spread is about 70 points on average, well, all this means that I will live a VERY long time s o that I can suffer a VERY long time.
So, other than to try to keep it cheap but be able to see, I recommend a vi gorous program of self abuse. You know, recvreational drugs, alcohol, fast Women and faster cars. Burn the candle at both ends because "You only live once" is not a copout, oh wait, yes it is - but it makes sense !
Sound almost exactly like my eyes. I started out with good eyes. At about age 30, I needed driving glasses to see at a distance. At about
50, I needed reading glasses for ummm... reading. At age 66, I now need a different pair of "reading glasses" for close work, reading, and computing. At the present rate of deterioration, I expect to loose my 20-20 hindsight fairly soon.Have you tried the department store "reading glasses"? They worked for me (for a few years).
For a prescription, Costco is cheap (about $75) with a Glaucoma exam. Make sure that you get the inter-pupillary distance correct. It's different for close up and distance, so you'll need two sets of numbers to order the glasses. Also, don't be surprised if you find that your nose is not quite centered between the eyes.
Then, order some cheap Chinese plastic glasses. Experiment with the prescription and get several pairs to see what works best. Don't assume the optometrist knows best, especially with the magnification for biforals. I have a different magnification and different pair of glasses for close work, reading, computing, and driving. If your eyes aren't too bad, you can get a clue as to the power required (in diopters) for close, reading, and computing by trying out several reading glasses with different powers. Each power will have a different range of usable focus (depth of field). Record these, and you can then tell what power is needed to work at various distances.
-- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
I like the "clic" reading glasses from speert.com ...
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson | mens |
| Analog Innovations | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| San Tan Valley, AZ 85142 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
I went from single-focus, to bifocals (non-varifocal) and found it a fairly easy transition. I was leery of the varifocal/progressive idea... my eyes find it easier if I'm not having to re-focus each time I move my head a few degrees.
In recent years I've found that I need "computer" glasses - the screen is too close for my distance-vision prescription, and a bit too far away for my reading prescription, and craning my neck to use the latter was quite uncomfortable.
I applied a "split the difference" technique (distance prescription, plus roughly half of the close-vision "adder"), used this to order a pair from Zenni Optical (an online vendor), and have been very happy indeed with the results. I keep one pair of these at work and one at home, and just take off my bifocals.
I had my right lens replaced, so that one is fixed-focussed, and I'll do the left one some day. I elected to have them at different focal lengths, both nearsighted, so I can compute and read most stuff without glasses. Brains integrate the images nicely.
I have reading glasses for fine print. I figured out what would be good, made up my own prescription (+1.25 one side, "plano" on the other) and bought a bunch of glasses from Zenni for $20 each.
I got so annoyed at optometrists that I bought a trial lens set so I could write my own prescriptions. Cost about $110 on ebay. I worked out my own distance/driving/skiing versions, too. Also $20 a pair.
Check out Zenni. Your "left lens removed" can be done easily, as plano/0 power, as I did mine. These are so cheap that you can experiment.
-- John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com http://www.highlandtechnology.com
I go to the dollar store and buy ten pair of glasses at a time. I wear contacts and then slip on a 2 diopter to use the computer. I was looking for a pair this morning and went to the bag on top of my dresser, it only had one pair left. I told my son I need to go to the dollar store and buy glasses. I tried the varifocal contacts a couple years ago, they didn't vary enough to allow me to allow comfortable use of the computer, so I still need the cheaters. I also like control/+ in Firefox/Thunderbird to magnify print. Nice feature. I have a friend with a 32" monitor, he sends me emails in number 8 font. I use the zoom feature to read his emails. Mikek
My lab glasses are computer/larger print on top and fine print/soldering on the bottom. About 1.5 dioptre difference (+0.75/+2.25). Zenni again.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
-- Dr Philip C D Hobbs Principal Consultant ElectroOptical Innovations LLC Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 160 North State Road #203 Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 hobbs at electrooptical dot net http://electrooptical.net
That works great if you match the compromise interpupillary distance they use, about 66 mm for men and 62 for women, iirc.
Mine is 69 mm, which is off by enough to cause horrible headaches and eye strain. You can get Zennis for $8 if you want, made to measure.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
-- Dr Philip C D Hobbs Principal Consultant ElectroOptical Innovations LLC Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 160 North State Road #203 Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 hobbs at electrooptical dot net http://electrooptical.net
I don't understand the "fixed focus".
My first replacement, right eye, 13 years ago, is Staar Model AA204VF, which is flexible enough to read ((at arm's length), yet drive.
My second,replacement, left eye, last June, is AcrySof IQ, Model SN60WF, is designed flexible and took awhile to adapt to, I can focus down to about 10" ...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson | mens |
| Analog Innovations | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| San Tan Valley, AZ 85142 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
I will second the opinion about varifocal lenses. I had a pair and for me they worked very poorly. But then I have one eye with a very strong astigmatism. That may make the varilens not work so well. I found for a given distance, there was a single spot on the lens that was in focus. This spot is about a quarter inch in diameter. I would have to move my head up and down, left an right to try to find the right spot. Looking through the lens at any other spot would produce an out of focus image.
I ended up with lined bifocals set for about 3 feet on the uppers and 14 inches on the lowers to support computer use without craning the neck and close up hand work respectively. These glasses cost me about $100 at Costco, but should be the same price at Sam's or Walmart. In the mean time I started using a pair of single vision lens from the dollar store for $6-$8. Rather than drag out the relatively expensive bi-focals to read things, I started carrying a second pair of single vision lens for closer work. So most of the time I use the two glasses method but when working on the computer or on boards I pull out the prescription bi-focals to ease the eye strain. So far this is working well.
Yes, I think for computer use there is no avoiding a special lens. You can either go with a second pair of glasses or you can get tri-focals. I don't know your prescription, but I'm guessing you don't have astigmatism and both lens are about the same, so a pair of dollar store glasses should serve you well.
I found Dollar General to have a decent compromise between price and performance. The frames tend to be from the lower end of quality, but the lens are just fine. If you want something better Walmart and some other stores have better frames for around $15. I tend to not pay so much because I still lose mine or drop them or even step on them. lol
I looked at Zenni but didn't find them to be any different from any other optical vendor. If you want anything other than single vision, the same in each eye, they require you to have a prescription too. I wanted to get glasses from outside the country so I could specify my own prescription, but I can't find one that doesn't require a prescription.
-- Rick
The plastic lens is rigid, and isn't varied in FL by the focussing muscles, as the natural lens was.
There are compromise lenses around, with different FLs in different regions, but still not adaptive focus. I didn't want that. I think true variable-focus lenses, connected to the muscles, are still in development.
-- John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com http://www.highlandtechnology.com
There is no requirement for a prescription.. just ask for what you want and they ship it to you, usually made perfectly.
And you don't have to deal with the local rip-off guys that want to charge you $500 for a frame that costs $10 to make.
--sp
Actually, I have a pretty substantial amount of astigmatism (-1.75 cyl in my right eye and -1.0 in my left) and some spherical difference as well.
Their "requirement" is a soft one. I've ordered two pairs of glasses for myself, and several for my wife's cousin. I've never sent them an actual copy of either prescription (which we do have), I did the calculations for my "computer" glasses myself, and they've never objected.
I didn't need any vision correction until about seven years ago. I now use two sets of varifocals, one set for close (monitor) and a "normal" pair for distance. The real problem is monitors when I'm sitting at a desk. The "tops" have to be focused at 24", give or take, rather then infinity. Unfortunately, the answer is "both".
Hint: Check out zennioptical.com. You can get good glasses, cheap. I have a "good" pair (Zeiss w/designer frames) for distance and have the cheap Zennis for sunglasses and "monitor" work. I leave the Zennis around where I use computers and in the cars.
That's great if you don't have an astigmatism. Unfortunately, I developed one when I was 55ish. The dollar-store variety didn't last for more than a year. I have drawers full of the things.
There is in much of the US. Zenni wants the prescription but they don't check it. I've used an old one for years past its expiration. I just fake the date.
There is a difference but it's not $480. ;-)
Yep. They want all the information but it's never checked.
The advice I got was to go for Zeiss varifocals. They aren't cheap, but when you walk past a lamp-post it keeps on looking more or less straight.
I got offered an own-brand once, on the promise that I could opt for the Zeiss lenses as no extra cost if I didn't like the own brand.
When the own-brand lenses arrived, I walked out of the store past a lamp-post, decided that I didn't want the street furniture doing implausible stuff in my peripheral vision, and went straight back in and told them that I really did want the Zeiss lenses.
I do have a pair of fixed focus glasses for long distance driving - keeping my neck at the right angle to keep varifocals focussed on the horizon for hours at a time gets painful, and a fixed focus lens lets me bend my neck from time to time.
-- Bill Sloman, Sydney
You actually have to scan it and send it to them? Oh, well, as long as they don't check it.
In BC they've forced the optometrists to give you your pupillary distance if you get an eye exam- everywhere else in Canada they'll generally refuse (because they want to sell glasses).
I do have a nice pair that was about $500 with French-made frames (insurance covered it), and a whole bunch of Zenni ones for computer and spares. Average was more like $40-50 each, big spender.
I also tried the bifocals with lines (too small an area for close-up) and the no-line bifocals (couldn't get used to the latter with everything moving when you move your head, and the close-up area was again too small- having to move your head all the time causes neck issues).
Best regards, Spehro Pefhany
-- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
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