Varifocals from Specsavers…
Discussion
Considering how long it took me to refine separate reading and distance glasses that either didn't make me feel like I was 14 feet high, or gave a splitting headache, I never gave varifocals a seconds' thought.
Specsavers didn't impress this time around.
Dunno if there's something a bit weird about my eyes, but I could quite happily function with reading glasses only even though I'm pretty short sighted. They only seem to lose a modest amount of detail at a distance.
Specsavers didn't impress this time around.
Dunno if there's something a bit weird about my eyes, but I could quite happily function with reading glasses only even though I'm pretty short sighted. They only seem to lose a modest amount of detail at a distance.
blueg33 said:
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
don't go to specsavers.
Utter s
te.,
.
Yup they had 6 goes at getting varifocals to work for me but it was instant nausea as soon as I put them on, and couldn't read to both edges of a page without moving my head a lot, I think the lenses they use are poor quality and the staff poorly trained. My wife had similar and has given up.Utter s
te.,.
Purely to gain experience, I probably try an independent if my eyesight changes and I need to replace them, so that I can compare experiences.
Mercdriver said:
I bought a pair of varifocals from them, I need glasses for reading but my long sight had got worse, I could not pass the driving test reading the number plate unaided. Was persuaded to go for varifocals.
Could not drive for two weeks because of the above, not really a problem for me I do few miles anyway.
Was advised to get used to the varifocals as they take a while for eyes to adjust. This would save me having two pairs one for long range one for reading. Struggled to use them TBO especially when stepping up or down anything easy to get confused about distance.
Most unhappy with them, need them for driving but cannot read the dash with them on. Reading prescription was changed from last time and they are worse, now use varifocals to drive but old prescription for reading as they are much clearer.
Boots for me next time
That sounds like varifocals are not for you, not everyone adjusts to them.Could not drive for two weeks because of the above, not really a problem for me I do few miles anyway.
Was advised to get used to the varifocals as they take a while for eyes to adjust. This would save me having two pairs one for long range one for reading. Struggled to use them TBO especially when stepping up or down anything easy to get confused about distance.
Most unhappy with them, need them for driving but cannot read the dash with them on. Reading prescription was changed from last time and they are worse, now use varifocals to drive but old prescription for reading as they are much clearer.
Boots for me next time
gruffalo said:
Mercdriver said:
I bought a pair of varifocals from them, I need glasses for reading but my long sight had got worse, I could not pass the driving test reading the number plate unaided. Was persuaded to go for varifocals.
Could not drive for two weeks because of the above, not really a problem for me I do few miles anyway.
Was advised to get used to the varifocals as they take a while for eyes to adjust. This would save me having two pairs one for long range one for reading. Struggled to use them TBO especially when stepping up or down anything easy to get confused about distance.
Most unhappy with them, need them for driving but cannot read the dash with them on. Reading prescription was changed from last time and they are worse, now use varifocals to drive but old prescription for reading as they are much clearer.
Boots for me next time
That sounds like varifocals are not for you, not everyone adjusts to them.Could not drive for two weeks because of the above, not really a problem for me I do few miles anyway.
Was advised to get used to the varifocals as they take a while for eyes to adjust. This would save me having two pairs one for long range one for reading. Struggled to use them TBO especially when stepping up or down anything easy to get confused about distance.
Most unhappy with them, need them for driving but cannot read the dash with them on. Reading prescription was changed from last time and they are worse, now use varifocals to drive but old prescription for reading as they are much clearer.
Boots for me next time
Wife got varifocals from that high street chain and they were awful, might have been the right lens but almost certainly wasn’t in the right place and they couldn’t do anything to stop her getting headaches. She moved on to a small, local, optician and theirs were fine but probably 100 more.
Mine are single vision with astigmatism (just take them off to read) so I still go to the high street chain and take advantage of the extra pair.
Anything complex don’t go to the chain.
Mine are single vision with astigmatism (just take them off to read) so I still go to the high street chain and take advantage of the extra pair.
Anything complex don’t go to the chain.
Cotty said:
RizzoTheRat said:
Varifocals do take a while to get used to though, I had several weeks of occasionally feeling similar to motion sickness. No issues when I changed to a slightly updated prescription a couple of years later though.
The left is a bifocal, the right is a varifocal. The red dots are where my eyes are in the frames, when I looked down to read with the varifocal there was no near lens for me to read though, it was too far to the center of the frame. I could turn my head to get one eye to focus but then the other eye had no near lens to look through so was blurred.
The optometrist wasn't able to explain why the reading part of varifocal wasn't closer to nose part of the frame like the bifocal is.
Edited by Cotty on Tuesday 7th May 13:39
What the OP is describing is something I struggle with- that close/intermediate distance vision. My varifocals do cover the range but I find myself looking down my nose.
Have a chat with your optician, and don't be be up-sold, but I suspect a cheap pair of fixed focus is what you need. You might even find a set of shop bought reading glasses do the trick.
Have a chat with your optician, and don't be be up-sold, but I suspect a cheap pair of fixed focus is what you need. You might even find a set of shop bought reading glasses do the trick.
worsy said:
The image you linked suggests standard lenses. The premium lenses have a much smaller soft focus area (the bit which is blurred). What standard of lenses did you try?
It was over a year a go so my memory is a little hazy. They did have three levels something like standard, intermediate and premium and I went for the intermediate. The optometrist agreed that the premium would not push the reading part close enough to the nose of the frame for me to read though so I got bifocals.The Gauge said:
blueg33 said:
Try decent lenses and optician before giving up. This made a huge difference for me.
Finding a good opticians isn't easy, it's not until you've used them that you know if they are any good. But I'll be trying out an independent optician next time for comparison.I have varifocals - from Specsavers - I expected to find it took time to adjust, but I found them great from the very beginning. For daily use / driving they're great - I can see where I'm going, and see what speed I'm doing. They seem to work very naturally and I'm rarely even aware I'm waring vari-focals.
I don't use them for work though - the "in focus" part of a PC monitor is too small, so I have some fixed lenses for that.
I don't use them for work though - the "in focus" part of a PC monitor is too small, so I have some fixed lenses for that.
The Gauge said:
blueg33 said:
Try decent lenses and optician before giving up. This made a huge difference for me.
Finding a good opticians isn't easy, it's not until you've used them that you know if they are any good. But I'll be trying out an independent optician next time for comparison.With regards to which lens, expensive Vs cheap my offering is.
I used to need quite a complex lens as I was long-sighted, astigmatic and needing reading correction. I always had expensive Zeis lenses with coatings which are thin and thus much lighter for my prescription. It took a while to get used to them, particularly the first step down a flight of stairs. The goo on my eye lashes would destroy the coating after a year, so they would get replaced under guarantee, so it was a very expensive solution if it was more than 12-months.
I had cataract surgery in 2022 and had interocular lenses inserted. This now means I need a 2.5 reading lens and a very small correction for long distance.
I now have the cheapest varifocal lenses, and they are fine and cheap enough to replace, as and when. The great irony is that if you have a designer frame, that you like, they charge you £75 to reglaze them, plus £40 for the cheap lenses.
I used to need quite a complex lens as I was long-sighted, astigmatic and needing reading correction. I always had expensive Zeis lenses with coatings which are thin and thus much lighter for my prescription. It took a while to get used to them, particularly the first step down a flight of stairs. The goo on my eye lashes would destroy the coating after a year, so they would get replaced under guarantee, so it was a very expensive solution if it was more than 12-months.
I had cataract surgery in 2022 and had interocular lenses inserted. This now means I need a 2.5 reading lens and a very small correction for long distance.
I now have the cheapest varifocal lenses, and they are fine and cheap enough to replace, as and when. The great irony is that if you have a designer frame, that you like, they charge you £75 to reglaze them, plus £40 for the cheap lenses.
Very interesting stuff, thank you for all the responses. It seems that it’s rather luck of the draw whether I get a good pair or not which is slightly concerning. My prescription isn’t too strong IIRC, I can “get by” without wearing glasses, but I am struggling a lot more in the last couple of years.
What’s worrying me is I’ve done the professional optician bit (which was great) but I’m just seeing the upselling/sales bit now and it concerns me this is where the ball will get dropped.
I will probably give them a go but bear in mind the no quibble guarantee.
Weirdly I think my fixed lens prescription always seemed to be £350-400, I have no idea why so much.
My mother recently had a new pair of glasses (her eyesight is atrocious) which had to be made abroad for some reason, a very complicated prescription, and they have just billed her (verbally) for £1650!! As she is in her late 70s and in a wheelchair I am concerned they may have seen her as a soft touch. I have asked them for a full invoice with breakdown of costs and they’ve gone suspiciously quiet…
What’s worrying me is I’ve done the professional optician bit (which was great) but I’m just seeing the upselling/sales bit now and it concerns me this is where the ball will get dropped.
I will probably give them a go but bear in mind the no quibble guarantee.
Weirdly I think my fixed lens prescription always seemed to be £350-400, I have no idea why so much.
My mother recently had a new pair of glasses (her eyesight is atrocious) which had to be made abroad for some reason, a very complicated prescription, and they have just billed her (verbally) for £1650!! As she is in her late 70s and in a wheelchair I am concerned they may have seen her as a soft touch. I have asked them for a full invoice with breakdown of costs and they’ve gone suspiciously quiet…
My garage is quite narrow, when i had my tuscan (reflex purple paint) I use to line it up and push it into the garage.
When i go my first varifocals, I line it up as usual and pushed it in, scraping the drivers side against the door frame. I cursed, pulled the car oot, realigned it and scraped down the passenger sire! Grrgh
I also learnt that spiral tube station stairs, being in a hurry and varifocals are a very bad mix. I went plummeting down the stairs at Lancaster Gate after missing a step, because looking down through the reading portion it was blurred.
I am now more used to them
When i go my first varifocals, I line it up as usual and pushed it in, scraping the drivers side against the door frame. I cursed, pulled the car oot, realigned it and scraped down the passenger sire! Grrgh
I also learnt that spiral tube station stairs, being in a hurry and varifocals are a very bad mix. I went plummeting down the stairs at Lancaster Gate after missing a step, because looking down through the reading portion it was blurred.
I am now more used to them
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