Do I need varifocal glasses?

Peggysboy

I am 60 years old and have had a prescription for distance glasses since I was around 25 (I still remember how amazed I was at the improvement in my vision when I got them) but since then my prescription has been relatively unchanged. I am able to read books and newspapers without glasses or difficulty but I have noticed recently I am having difficulty reading TINY print I could previously read. I am type 2 diabetic so I went for an eye test to make sure nothing was amiss (I have my diabetic eye screening annually and that is fine). I go out frequently without my glasses and manage fine. I don't drive so this is not an issue. At my eye test yesterday the optician suggested I get reading glasses as this would put less strain on my eyes but also said that the deterioration in my ability to read very fine print she would have expected to have started happening about 15 years ago so my eyes are doing really well (talk about mixed messages) and she suggested I consider varifocals. I then spent 50 minutes with a "consultant" and by the time we had finished she was trying to flog me a pair of glasses for more than £400. I am reluctant to allow my eyes to become dependant on lenses they do not need. Does anyone have the knowledge to advise me as to whether it is true my eyes will be less strained by wearing reading or varifocal lenses I do not actually need or should I continue with my distance lenses and let nature take its course in relation to my near nearsightedness or am I just a victim of a needless hard sell by a high street optician who should perhaps know better:question:?

Pop_Up_Pirate

Eyes change at around 45 years of age.
So if you are long sighted all your life, short sightedness will start to develop at around 45, meaning the longsighted glasses will no longer be sufficient to read.

To get to 60 without any issues is great.

You don't have to have varifocals. You can have two pairs of glasses. I have two pairs as I can't get used to varifocals at all.

I have one pair that I wear all the time and can do most things in them. Computers are fine, I can still read some things ok, but for small print I need my reading glasses.

If I were you, I would go back to the optician, tell them you don't want varifocals and that you prefer to have two pairs that you can control when you use.
If this is specsavers, you can often get two pairs for more or less the same price.

TheGardener

I'm long sighted so can see very well in the distance but useless with print or screen close up. I tried varifocals and they were hopeless for me and an expensive mistake, I gave up on them and went back to my ordinary prescription reading glasses. £400 is expensive in anyone's book for glasses - far too much in mine.
Specsavers are great for the two for 1 deals but very pushy with varifocals. I wouldn't bother.

sheramber

I am long sighted. I have worn varifocals for years with no problems

My husband cannot use varifocals so has four pairs of specs; reading, computer, distance and sun glasses.

[Deleted User]

Leaving poor vision untreated increases the risk of developing dementia later in life:

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/171/6/728.full.pdf+html

trailingspouse

Why not try using the reading glasses you can buy over the counter at various chemists and supermarkets? They're about £10-£15 depending on style, so you can have a go without breaking the bank. You might be surprised at how much of an improvement there is.

I've been wearing varifocals for about 3 years now. They took a little bit of getting used to, but I don't even think about it now. I spent £700 on the last pair - it's the only item of 'clothing' that I wear all day every day, with every outfit and to every occasion, so they have to be right.

anitawilliams

I agree reading glasses might help you.

Northern_Rose

I'd suggest buying "over the counter reading/magnifying" glasses as someone has suggested.

My personal experience was that at just over forty I need to add reading glasses to my distance glasses. I picked two pairs from Specsavers that I loved but after just over a week I went back and changed he lenses to varifocals. Taking glasses on and off in a clinical environment in work drove me crazy :rotfl::eek:

JulieM

If you need glasses for distance but not for reading, then you're shortsighted, not longsighted. I'm the same. I did try varifocals some years ago but couldn't get on with them, I do have a pair of prescription reading glasses though to be honest I don't really find them much help with very small print. As others have said, try a pair of over the counter glasses first. Or if you're at home, and it's only small amounts of small print that you need to read, a magnifying glass might do the trick.