Should I change from reading glasses to varifocals?

tiptoes27

I have been wearing glasses for reading and computer work for about 3 years. I have a few pairs at home and at work and they work fine, but I am always loosing them and find it a pain having to take them off every time I get up and walk about in the office. I have just had my eyes tested and the optician recommended changing to varofocals. I am really in two minds about whether do do this or not. The main reason is that I do not want to wear glasses all the time as I hate wearing them and the other reason is the cost and the fact that I am not sure i really need them. My prescription is as follows:
R sph+75 cyl-75 axis 175
L sph+50 cyl-25 axis 170
Near addition +2.00

I would love to get an opinion from someone in the trade. I was thinking of just staying with the reading glasses for the time being. The other thing I was thinking of is contact lenses. I know these can be expensive but would sort out the problem of hating wearing glasses. I feel very muddled about all this. Help!!

roddydogs

They do take some getting used to, but once you do youll never look back, dont go for the cheapest lenses.Good Variofocals are dear!
Beats me why rolf harris with all his money still uses Bi-focals

Mutter_2

I'm not in the trade madcatwoman but wear lenses.
My distance sight is good but like you need help for close work. I couldn't cope with varifocals, the reading part being across the bottom of the lens means that you have to lower your head not just your eyes when for instance stepping on to an escalator. I forgot that and nearly ended up missing the step altogether.
I took myself off to a dedicated contact lens place. I now wear disposable dailies, they are as thin as cling film and very comfortable.
I have my reading lens in the left and a lower strength in the right, strange ehh! but works.
Some users only need a lens in one eye.
Having had experience of a certain chain, who seemed to think one size suits all, I think Googling "contact lens specialists" in your town and take it from there. They will allow you to try before you buy. If they don't, go elsewhere.

Good luck in ditching the specs, you won't regret it I'm sure.

Mutter_2

Just seen the post from roddydogs, maybe what I tried was bi-focals.
Still don't like the daft things perched on my nose.

tiptoes27

I like the sound of the lenses! When I search on google for 'contact lens specalist' in my town it just gives me a list of all the high street chains. Are any particularly good with lenses? They all seem to offer a free trial.

Ted_Hutchinson

I love my Specsavers varifocals. I loved them from the moment I put them on and I only take them off when I sunbathe so apart from sitting on them then, I never lose them.
I've been equally pleased with the spare pair I got from Selectspecs

But the first pair you buy you MUST get from a firm that does a moneyback guarantee or a replacement if you can't get on with varifocals. My partner got them following my advice and although she persisted and persisted she just could not get used to them and she never liked wearing them so she had to take them back and get ordinary glasses. Discussing glasses with a neighbour we found he also simply could not get used to varifocals so before you buy make sure that if you cannot get accustomed to varifocals in a reasonable time they will change them for standard lens without significant extra charge.

tidus

Certainly you should try varifocals. You can't really loose because virtually all opticians will change them for you if you don't like them.

Having varifocals does not mean you "have" to wear them all the time, you can still take them off! They are just more convienient!

Contact lenses are more problematic when your problem is mainly reading - you would have to try either varifocal contacts, which rarely work, or monovision as described above. Monovision is more likely to work than varifocal contacts, but because you are only using one eye at a time, you may get some deterioration in vision. Then you also have all the other issues - you don't yet know if you'll be able to handle them well, how comfortable they will be and so on. There's nothing to be lost by trying them however....

I'd try varifocal specs if I were you on balance.
Tidus (an optometrist)

horsechestnut

roddydogs wrote: »

They do take some getting used to, but once you do youll never look back, dont go for the cheapest lenses.Good Variofocals are dear!
Beats me why rolf harris with all his money still uses Bi-focals

I wear varifocals and I feel that they are worth the money. My spare pair are bifocals and I use them mainly if I want to read a lot or sew, because they give me a larger reading lens so it is easier to scan a large area of page at once, but when you look up you can see distance (whereas with just reading glasses only you can't see distance!)
Maybe that's why Rolf Harris uses them also.
Hope that makes sense!!!:rotfl:

If you do get glasses that you need to wear all day, then don't put them on till the following morning when you wake up, your eyes will adjust more easily. Personal advice only I don't know if there is any scientific reason!!!
Dolland & Aitchenson are not cheap, but their service is excellent.

Mutter_2

I've just looked on the website of my lens supplier in Nottingham and see that they are an "acuvue centre of excellence".

Having Googled that, I see others are listed, maybe one near to you?

tidus

Mutter wrote: »

I've just looked on the website of my lens supplier in Nottingham and see that they are an "acuvue centre of excellence".

Having Googled that, I see others are listed, maybe one near to you?

I may be wrong here, but I believe this means they have an agreement with Johnson & Johnson (who manufacture the acuvue lenses), which wil involve having to sell acuvue lenses only, or at least a high percentage. In other words, its probably not a recommedation of expertise!

suki1964

I love my varifocals and although I tried lenses and really wanted lenses I just can not get the clarity of vision from them as I do my varifocals.

I have my second pair as sunglasses which I leave in the car - needed for those low sun days