Varifocal lenses a good option for VDU and phone use?

Savvy_Sue

Know that your employer only has to pay the basic rate for glasses for VDU work, not for fancy varifocals.

Savvy_Sue

TELLIT01 said:

Savvy_Sue said:

I don't wear mine for walking around all the time and especially not for coming downstairs! I can, but I don't 'feel' safe doing so. 

That's one of the reasons I paid out for top of the range lenses.  There is little or no distortion when looking through the edges of the lens.

Well, I feel I paid enough! And it's not a problem to remove them on the stairs.

Mrs_Boo_Boo

I have varifocals and haven't looked back. Wore them to drive back from the opticians. Could see the dials on the dashboard! Wear them all the time and forget they are there. Went for the 3rd biggest area option. Also have transition lenses so no need for prescription sunglasses. Flipping expensive (over £300) but well worth it.  

TELLIT01

Mrs_Boo_Boo said:

I have varifocals and haven't looked back. Wore them to drive back from the opticians. Could see the dials on the dashboard! Wear them all the time and forget they are there. Went for the 3rd biggest area option. Also have transition lenses so no need for prescription sunglasses. Flipping expensive (over £300) but well worth it.  

Mine were a  similar price but this is a case where you really do get what you pay for.

Longwalker

Ive been wearing varifocals since my 30's and have never looked back.

Only once have I had to have a pair changed, those I couldn't walk in , certainly not stairs, but got the lenses changed FOC after a couple of days of trying to settle into them 

My latest pair have been the easiest to adjust to as the fashion for narrow frames has waned and theres a better selection of larger frames.

My only thing is I dont do give ways when driving. I come to a stop and turn my head to make sure I get a perfect view of the road 

gm0

Learning to adjust focus is easier to adjust to with taller frames.  I wear mine all the time - but you definitely need "tall" frames for more vertical area for each focus zone distance/mid/reading and so less precise eye adjustment and head tilts to need. 

My only troublesome pair after several was a too small shallow metal frame chosen before I knew better. 
I am dealing with +7/8 distance / 1.5astig and a dioptre or two of short sight on the varifocal so your lower prescription may be a bit easier to manage - I could not say

Fashions change and taller styles go in and out of availability sometimes it's easy to find something suitable and others not so much.  Last time I went to my optician - fairly hopeless.

The main snag I have found long term with wearing a stronger vari for reading while wandering is that your brain "smooths" out the (setup for reading looking down) out of focus area in the bottom 1/3. 

So you may not see an obstacle or a step on a marble floor before crashing over it. And keys, phones and other small objects of similar colour to a background can disappear.

getmore4less

FhhhfhDo you have any offsets skew hcccfhcwith your eyes?

For a +1.25 I would have no problem doing a test pair from goggles4u with one of their discount codes(eg New2023 upto 50%+40%)

Should be able to get a pair  ~£30

Go rimless with 1.61(bit thiner) they will be around £45 with clear lenses and all coatings.

Measure your own pupil distance.

I have +2.5 on top of my regular prescription with asigmatism.

No problems with my order.


Note to those driving that have decent distance.

 if you need near vision add  you may need to wear glasses to see the instruments.

otb666

i liked my varifocals but went back to my old short distance glasses for VDU work at work but then retired.So just use my varifocals all the time Driving you have to turn your head as others have already said Strangely when reading a book  i dont use any glasses

mcpitman

Hi, i use "readers" for VDU work (laptop 10+ hours per day).

I use Varifocals at all other times, including driving and navigating staircases.

The comments are true to some extent in cost of lenses, there are several types of varifocals available some tailored for digital usage and others for driving etc. https://www.specsavers.co.uk/glasses/glasses-lenses/varifocals

Main reason I changed to Varifocals, was because with "Distance" glasses on for driving, the dashboard and sat nav etc were all soft focus.

Spinybif

Worth looking at a varifocal specifically intended for computer use - best one I have found is Hoya Lifestyle INDOOR.  Means less eye movement to see VDU but does compromise distance slightly so not the best lenses for driving