# Progressive Lenses...ugh



## velvetfoot (Feb 19, 2015)

I just got my first set of progressive glasses yesterday, coming from bifocals.  I don't know if they're gonna work out. Small in-focus area, esp for reading, constantly moving my head to get things in focus-like tunnel vision.  It's bad enough moving the head up and down with bifocals, but this makes me look like I have some kind of neurological issue.  The plus is the intermediate focusing.  They say I'll 'adapt' but the way I 'see' it now, it's not worth the tradeoff.  

Anybody else out there with observations?


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## Jags (Feb 19, 2015)

Working through the same stuff as well.  Decided to change lenses to a "digital" lens.  Don't know the specifics, but said it would vastly widen the in focus area.  They couldn't even make them there - they had to be ordered.


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## ewdudley (Feb 19, 2015)

Got a pair once and never could grow to like them.  Yes there is always one little spot that is nicely in focus, but it was never worth the hassle for me.  Nevertheless, to get some use out of them I keep them in the shop and use them for welding and tool work where having just one spot in focus works pretty well.


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## Johnny_Fiv3 (Feb 19, 2015)

Lol old people.


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## BrotherBart (Feb 19, 2015)

Yep. Got my first pair of progressives yesterday. Hate the damn things.


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## velvetfoot (Feb 19, 2015)

BrotherBart said:


> Yep. Got my first pair of progressives yesterday. Hate the damn things.


Wow, you too?  They said to give it til after the weekend to adjust.  The way I'm thinking now, I really don't see the point in 'adjusting'.
Funny, I seem to remember when they introduced these darn things that a big selling point is that you wouldn't have the bifocal line indicative of old-fogieness.  What a crock.


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## BrotherBart (Feb 19, 2015)

There is no "sweet spot" with mine for using the computer monitor. The reason I got them. They are fine for distance and reading, like you said jerking my head up and down, but I have to grab the old ones to read the screen.


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## Jags (Feb 19, 2015)

Johnny_Fiv3 said:


> Lol old people.


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## Johnny_Fiv3 (Feb 19, 2015)

ROFL. You have me in the wrong age group. My pants don't do that!


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## WES999 (Feb 19, 2015)

Had a pair once, hated them. Really bad for driving a truck, couldn't see out of the side mirrors very well.


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## velvetfoot (Feb 19, 2015)

WES999 said:


> Had a pair once, hated them. Really bad for driving a truck, couldn't see out of the side mirrors very well.


I know.  You have to point your nose at whatever you look at.


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## billb3 (Feb 19, 2015)

Took me about a week to ten days to get used to them.
First day I didn't think I'd ever get used to them. Driving home was awful. I had left my old taped up broken ones at the optometrist's. 
First couple days driving was real freaky. It was great to see the speedometer so clearly  though. Had the same troubles with the side mirrors. 
My first two pairs had small close-focus areas which made working with widescreen monitors a neck exercising chore, more noticeable to begin with.

The lenses I have with my most recent pair have a huge near sight area -no nose pointing at all.

My first pair had a guarantee that if I couldn't get used to them I could trade up to the more expensive lenses or try bifocals.


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## johninwi (Feb 19, 2015)

Bart, my brother had a pair made for computer use, the focal length for the entire glass is the same, he loves them and the next time i get glasses be looking into them.

2 years ago i switched from the drugstore cheaters to proper glasses, very bizzare experience when i first put them on, reminded me of a few experiments as a teenager. When i stood up in the store it was like standing on top of a ladder, felt like i was 10 foot off the ground, when i walked out of the store to the truck i about landed on my nose steping off the sidewalk curb, got in the truck looked around and there was no way i was driving with them, put the old cheaters on to drive home. I did adjust in a few days and like them now, but the first impression was rough.

And for the tunnel vision, try adding side sheilds for safety glasses, periphial vision is gone.


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## Retired Guy (Feb 20, 2015)

There are at least two types of no-line bifocals. One has a small pea size spot that tapers to the distance prescription over a relatively small area. The type I have, and love, has a much larger reading area and have a longer area where the reading prescription slowly changes to distance vision. The brand name is Varilux Physio. http://www.variluxusa.com/lens-designs.html


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## fespo (Feb 20, 2015)

I hate mine, I will change back to my cheaters on my next visit


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## Dix (Feb 20, 2015)

I've been wearing progressive's for a few years (read many, atleast 10) for most things. I've actually come to become quite fond of them. It takes time, longer than getting used to bifocals (the steps into the house, ya know , stuff like that )

I keep a few pair of just distance glasses around. Progressives on the back of a horse at a lope will get ya sea sick in seconds


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## DougA (Feb 22, 2015)

I finally got talked into a 'progressives' by the eye doctor a few years ago.  They were absolutely AWFUL. She kept saying that I would get used to them in a few weeks. Yup, that's optometrist talk for 'your eyes will adjust to my bad prescription'  I refused to pay and walked out.  I get specific computer glasses made and they are just great.
A friend of mine got 'progressives' and it took him a year before his vision was good and he was comfortable with them.  

My wife was just saying this afternoon how she still has trouble with progressives after over a decade with them. I told her it's time to switch to reading glasses and regular glasses for distance. 

FWIW, I was part of a research experiment a few decades ago which worked on eye exercises to strengthen the eyes so you don't need reading glasses. It really did work but took 10 min/day to exercise. The problem was that glasses/optometrists are a billion dollar industry and they don't like the idea that you might be able to do without glasses.  The second problem was that if you spend hours in front of a computer screen like I do, you cannot exercise your eyes enough to counter the problem.  It's all about keeping the eye muscles strong and computers are bad for eyes because you don't flex the muscles to focus enough.


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## woodgeek (Feb 22, 2015)

I've got a sol'n!  I do optics for my work and got my first bifocal/progressives this past fall.  Couldn't see a damn thing and I was miserable.  I reverse engineered the lenses, and figured out that the difference between the near and far script was too large.

Basically, they test you to correct your distance vision, and then for close up they just add a certain fixed amount of correction., which they call the 'add'.  It appears the standard thing, is to apply an 'add' of +1.5 diopters, which IMO is a LOT.  Horrible.  There was a thin band at the top I could see far away clearly, and through the bottom I could only see a volume of space roughly the size of a melon held about 12" in front of my face. Everything else was blurry. I couldn't see my feet, my laptop screen, or a book unless I held it nipple high.  Ugh.

Maybe if I was 70 or something I might need that much 'add', but at 46 no way.

I went back and told them I couldn't see chit, headaches, couldn't work, didn't feel safe driving, etc.  Described that I wanted less add and they made me new lenses with 1.0 diopters of 'add'.  I had to talk them into doing that low of an add, but they did.  And my $$ guy made the new lenses 'for free' (satisfaction guarantee).

The result....PERFECTION.  I just use my glasses the way I did before AND don't even think about them being bifocals.  Being very nearsighted, I look under/over my glasses to see very tiny things, but I was doing that a ton before the new progressives, and very infrequently now.

I read books, laptops, my comp at work and my phone in perfect comfort.  My phone is a bit of a stretch when the font is small, and then I just look under my glasses to see that.  It is possible that more add might be useful reading on a tiny phone screen, so that might be a downside, but I can see everything else in the world clearly.


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## velvetfoot (Feb 22, 2015)

My old bifocals were pretty good-could see the dash, read a book (at somewhat of a distance), and see stuff in the distance, but they were 4 years old.
I got the new progressives along with new bifocals.  It's an insurance thing-one is 'occupational' and the two pairs have to be sufficiently different.
Yeah, the new bifocals are like new bifocals-hard to see the dash gauges, but better to read with.  But I don't have to point my nose every where I want to see something in focus, and things don't distort when I tilt  my head. 
I asked several friends about progressives, and the near-sighted ones seemed to adapt well, for what that's worth.
I tried the progressives for four days and I can't take them anymore.  The bifocals are better for me.


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## woodgeek (Feb 23, 2015)

I'm glad you worked it out.   

I think it comes down to how much you 'need' bifocals...how much your eyes can still focus.  For some reason that eludes me, they make bifocals for everyone the same, whether your 46 or 86.  For younger people they _can_ make the difference between the two lenses smaller, like 1.0 diopter (and their eyes can still easily make the difference), and in that case progressives work quite well--there's nothing to 'adjust' to, and you never realize you are wearing bifocals at all, except they do what they are supposed to do...enable close up viewing.  For older folks who _need_ a larger 'add', like 1.5 or more diopters, I suspect that traditional bifocals would work better and provide a better experience than progressives.


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## Dr.Faustus (Feb 27, 2015)

I'm 38.... is this whats coming down the pike?


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## velvetfoot (Feb 27, 2015)

Knock on wood.


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## woodgeek (Feb 28, 2015)

Dr.Faustus said:


> I'm 38.... is this whats coming down the pike?



Yes.  The eye lens stiffening process is very consistent from person to person....it becomes noticeable around 42-43 typically.  Not really disabling....but by 45 I couldn't do the crossword puzzle (small type on the clues), and had to look over my glasses (near-sighted).

Just plan on getting progressives with a 'low add' and it'll be fine...you won't even notice them, but they will do the trick.


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## velvetfoot (Feb 28, 2015)

The optometrist confirmed (on my revisit, lol)  that in her observation, near-sighted people adapted better to progressive lenses.  I


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## woodgeek (Feb 28, 2015)

Well, I am very near-sighted, and completely failed to adjust with the same complaints you have.  

Then I had them remake them to different (non-default) specs and they were awesome.


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## jebatty (Mar 2, 2015)

I've had progressives for many, many years. Important to work with an actual optician who can provide lenses that give the proper focus in the right places. Not perfect, but neither am I, so a perfect match.


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## TreePapa (Mar 4, 2015)

Like billb3, it took me about a week to get use to my first pair. The first two days were awful ... literally sickening.

I don't know what I would do without them now. Sure don't wanna go back to regular lenses. I do tend to take them off to read small things ... like my phone, or 8 pt or smaller type, etc.


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## 3650 (Mar 5, 2015)

I got some 16 months ago. Just now getting used to them. I almost threw in the towel several times but I'm stubborn and frugal. I wanted my moneys worth out of them. I still have to pull them off I I'm real close to something and can't back away further.


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## velvetfoot (Mar 5, 2015)

3650 said:


> I got some 16 months ago. Just now getting used to them. I almost threw in the towel several times but I'm stubborn and frugal. I wanted my moneys worth out of them. I still have to pull them off I I'm real close to something and can't back away further.


So, you guys can read up close sans glasses?  I only wish.  At this point I can't see far or close.  When I snow blow I go without the glasses, and I realize how fuzzy things are.


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## Retired Guy (Mar 12, 2015)

Just picked up my new progressives today, third pair over the last 10 years. Farsighted.  Had a bit of trouble initially but after a few re-visits, and one new lens my  problems were solved. Initially, the lab made the left lens with the wrong PD and one eye was always out of focus. After the new lens, it took a couple of visits to get the glasses low enough so that my near, intermediate and distance prescriptions were all in the right place and now everything is fine. I was ready to toss these in the chipper until the optician adjusted the fit.


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## begreen (Mar 17, 2015)

I had one pair of progressives. Didn't like them one bit. I was constantly hunting for the sweet spot to read. Finally got good bifocals and never went back. I now also have bifocal computer glasses which have been a blessing too. Quite a change from the days of 20/15 vision.


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## velvetfoot (Mar 17, 2015)

They changed out the progressives for bifocals, so now I have two!  Woo hoo!


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## firefighterjake (Oct 15, 2015)

Dr.Faustus said:


> I'm 38.... is this whats coming down the pike?



Seems like 40-45 or so is the magic number when things that worked great before start to not work so great . . . where injuries that you could easily shake off suddenly leave you a lot more sore . . . etc.


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## firefighterjake (Oct 15, 2015)

Good reading . . . looks like I have a few options. Thanks for everyone's input.


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## velvetfoot (Oct 15, 2015)

If you go with the progressives, try to get some kind of satisfaction guarantee, so you could swap them out for bifocals.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 15, 2015)

3650 said:


> I got some 16 months ago. Just now getting used to them. I almost threw in the towel several times but I'm stubborn and frugal. I wanted my moneys worth out of them. I still have to pull them off I I'm real close to something and can't back away further.





They weren't done right.   No way it should take that long and work that poorly.  Find another optometrist.


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## DBCOOPER (Oct 23, 2015)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> They weren't done right.   No way it should take that long and work that poorly.  Find another optometrist.


Had them hated them. I was flying Medevac at the time an they were just didn't work. There is no peripheral correction and required to much head movement. For me trifocals were the answer. Bottom for up close, middle for about 2 feet and top a very slight correction for distance. Had 20/10 until I was 43 and glasses were a big adjustment.


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