Varifocal or bi-focal specs?

Penelope_Penguin

So, not only am I the only one in my family to not have 20-20 vision, I now need a reading prescription in addition to my distance one

Can anyone advise on the pros and cons of bifocal or varifocal?

Anything else I need to be aware of?

And what about contact lenses?

TIA :A

suki1964

I have varis and contacts and I get the sharpest vision with vairis

The cheaper the lenses the more blur you get at the edges. In the past I have paid hundreds to avoid this but the last two pairs I got from spec savers and they have been as good

The better the lens the quicker it takes to get used to them.

I love my varis, Its great not to have to keep chopping and changing glasses. Now I spend the money on getting the frames i like

With the contacts, you can get varis - depends on your script, Myself I have to have mono lenses - one eye long - the other short - because of my astigmatism. Like i say I dont get as sharp a vision but can manage every day life

T

pattycake

Bifocals are now very old fashioned. I think only quite elderly folk still use them as they were first prescribed for them before the advent of varifocals.

Varifocals can take a bit of getting used to but I would not even consider having to have two pairs of specs and keep swopping them around.

Bronnie

I have varifocal contact lenses; the mono lens thing Suki mentioned didn't work for me. Although my distance vision is fine, it was becoming a nuisance trying to function in work, constantly putting my reading glasses on and off all the time and no, I didn't want a glasses chain thank you!

The lenses were explained to me as having different rings like the cross section of a tree trunk. As the focus changes from near to distant, the brain adjusts and learns which type of lens ring to focus through.

I'm constantly looking up and down, at the written word and to customers. In the work environment the lenses are functional and make my working day easier. When I go out to a restaurant it's nice not to have to peer over my specs while discussing the menu, like an old granny.

I do wear them to drive to and from work and they are fine for that, but rarely wear them outside otherwise. They compromise my distance vision......that is the payoff...so whilst they are fine in a limited area, outside I don't like the slight blurriness of the distant view, especially at nights if there are lots of lights. Similarly, for longer periods of reading/computer work /study, I wear my glasses as the focus is sharper.

So my varifocal lenses are a slight compromise, the convenience of functionality over the loss of sharpness. Useful in some situations but not worth it in others.