Varifocals.....again
Discussion
I see this topic has popped up a few times in the past, but I have a quick query to regular Varifocal users.
I have just got my first pair of glasses, aged 50. I went to the optician as I was sure my sight of long distance, i.e. reading road signs etc wasn't as good as it had been.
He confirmed that although I still has sight that was legal for driving, I have an astigmatism and glasses would help for "concentrated' work, or driving etc.
He prescribed varifocals, £300 later the top of the glasses are great, he was correct I can see a lot more clearly for long range, however everything about 50cm from the floor is just a blur.
I have no issue reading, using a computer etc without glasses,but the varifocals seemed to have been prescribed to solve a problem I don't have, and is throwing a spanner in the works.
So;
a) Is this normal with varifocals to have a blurred part of vision, could it be down to bad fitting ?
b) Is it normal for an optician to prescribe a reading part for an issue I don't (yet have a problem with)
I've been back to the opticians twice now. The reply is always "They take a little time to get used to"......I've just done 10 days straight now. The cynic in me tells me they make more money selling me these than a pair of single range glasses, and will be reluctant to change.
Any advice or comments gratefully received.
I have just got my first pair of glasses, aged 50. I went to the optician as I was sure my sight of long distance, i.e. reading road signs etc wasn't as good as it had been.
He confirmed that although I still has sight that was legal for driving, I have an astigmatism and glasses would help for "concentrated' work, or driving etc.
He prescribed varifocals, £300 later the top of the glasses are great, he was correct I can see a lot more clearly for long range, however everything about 50cm from the floor is just a blur.
I have no issue reading, using a computer etc without glasses,but the varifocals seemed to have been prescribed to solve a problem I don't have, and is throwing a spanner in the works.
So;
a) Is this normal with varifocals to have a blurred part of vision, could it be down to bad fitting ?
b) Is it normal for an optician to prescribe a reading part for an issue I don't (yet have a problem with)
I've been back to the opticians twice now. The reply is always "They take a little time to get used to"......I've just done 10 days straight now. The cynic in me tells me they make more money selling me these than a pair of single range glasses, and will be reluctant to change.
Any advice or comments gratefully received.
If the reading vision was okay before then I'd expect zero prescription for the lower part not something that interferes with reading. Obviously Varifocals are a compromise - mine are positive prescription both long range and close-up but vary in dioptre levels. There's also an astigmatism factored in too. I have to angle my head according to what I'm looking at: high mounted signs on walls are difficult. Those ads in front of your face at the urinals in motorway services are impossible. Another minus for positive prescriptions (single or vari) is the loss of downward peripheral vision. Negative lenses will give you two images at the periphery but positives lose a bit at the margins.
I would advise that you go and speak to a Dispensing Optician who knows what he/she is talking about, if you are unhappy with the advice you have received up until now. I'm guessing that a series of inexperienced and unqualified 'dispensers,' possibly from a High Street outfit, have been involved here. If I am wrong, I apologise.
Insist on seeing a qualified Dispensing Optician, seriously.
I would also advise that you disregard forum replies from folks (no disrespect to those intended) who clearly don't quite understand spectacle prescriptions and presbyopia, however well their intentions. (Come on! A 'zero' prescription for reading?)
OP: feel free to PM me.
Insist on seeing a qualified Dispensing Optician, seriously.
I would also advise that you disregard forum replies from folks (no disrespect to those intended) who clearly don't quite understand spectacle prescriptions and presbyopia, however well their intentions. (Come on! A 'zero' prescription for reading?)
OP: feel free to PM me.
I am 50 and have had varifocals for well over a decade. I really like them although they certainly do take a bit of getting used to. You have to tilt your head but after a while this becomes something you do subconsciously.
I recently replaced a pair after 5 years and had difficulty with the long range vision initially causing headaches riding the bike and driving. This was interesting as the reason I replaced them was due to problems reading and using the computer. Short range vision now spot on.
I persisted with the (high street chain) supplier who retested me and found that they'd over cooked the prism. They were on a 30 day money back satisfaction trial and they replaced them - they are fine now. I've used the same supplier for over 20 years and they're really good.
So my advice would be to check what the refund period is, go back in to get your prescription checked and don't take no for an answer. Errors do happen. It sounds like you should have virtually zero in the lower part but they should be able to work this out.
As I said above, they do take a bit of getting used to, so see if you can live with them during the refund period initially.
I recently replaced a pair after 5 years and had difficulty with the long range vision initially causing headaches riding the bike and driving. This was interesting as the reason I replaced them was due to problems reading and using the computer. Short range vision now spot on.
I persisted with the (high street chain) supplier who retested me and found that they'd over cooked the prism. They were on a 30 day money back satisfaction trial and they replaced them - they are fine now. I've used the same supplier for over 20 years and they're really good.
So my advice would be to check what the refund period is, go back in to get your prescription checked and don't take no for an answer. Errors do happen. It sounds like you should have virtually zero in the lower part but they should be able to work this out.
As I said above, they do take a bit of getting used to, so see if you can live with them during the refund period initially.
Varifocals do seem to take a bit of acclimatisation, even single prescription lenses are weird to start with if you have never needed specs before.
In the past I have had to return a pair of varifocals as the optician had chosen the wrong reading prescription for me as I needed to read clearly at a metre, not the common arms length IYSWIM. They were OK with this, probably as the lenses are fairly cheap and not many people reject lenses anyway.
On the other hand, when I first wore varifocals I felt drunk for the first couple of weeks, I just needed to have the fit adjusted and become used to them. My latest pair have fashionably small lenses and need a lot more head angling than those with larger lenses.
In your position I would go back to the shop and see what they say, maybe the frames need a tweak.
In the past I have had to return a pair of varifocals as the optician had chosen the wrong reading prescription for me as I needed to read clearly at a metre, not the common arms length IYSWIM. They were OK with this, probably as the lenses are fairly cheap and not many people reject lenses anyway.
On the other hand, when I first wore varifocals I felt drunk for the first couple of weeks, I just needed to have the fit adjusted and become used to them. My latest pair have fashionably small lenses and need a lot more head angling than those with larger lenses.
In your position I would go back to the shop and see what they say, maybe the frames need a tweak.
I'm. 71 and have had Varifocals for several years, retest every 2-3 years. I have worn glasses all my life morning to night and have few problems with Varifocals, mainly on odd occasions where I want to see something close up but underneath a ledge or overhang where I would naturally be looking through the '"distance" part.
I have the widest (but priceiest) Varifocals - I understand there are three widths - and apart from the odd problem mentioned above I think they are absolutely great for fit and forget daily wear.
Year old grandson loves them too, you can see him looking at them and thinking "I'll have those"
but at £300 a pop that's a 
I have the widest (but priceiest) Varifocals - I understand there are three widths - and apart from the odd problem mentioned above I think they are absolutely great for fit and forget daily wear.
Year old grandson loves them too, you can see him looking at them and thinking "I'll have those"
but at £300 a pop that's a I got my first set of glasses/varifocals a few months ago. Went to a high street chain and nearly passed out at the £300 charge. Just couldn't get used to them (they have three different ranges) and found the loss of peripheral vision the most disturbing.
Went back to speak to them and they were great. Upgraded the glasses but still no joy. The upgraded them again to have a wider field and I found these much easier to wear. The final lenses were much more expensive but they never charged me an extra penny.
It's just remembering you have to point your nose at what you're looking at. You don't notice how much your vision has deteriorated until you get glasses.
Went back to speak to them and they were great. Upgraded the glasses but still no joy. The upgraded them again to have a wider field and I found these much easier to wear. The final lenses were much more expensive but they never charged me an extra penny.
It's just remembering you have to point your nose at what you're looking at. You don't notice how much your vision has deteriorated until you get glasses.
I'm an optician and with varifocals you find some people you can put in any make/type of varifocal and they get on with all of them. Others you can use exactly the same prescription and measurements in two different manufacturers and get completely results.
Varifocals are getting more sophisticated and can be tailored to give you bigger areas and less distortion at the distance you use most. Office lenses are good if you mainly want to use them for sitting at a desk and some can give you across a room if you need a bit more distance but would be no good for walking about or driving. Generally varifocals are a compromise but if that solves a problem you have (fed up of taking your reading specs on and off or a work related task) they work well. If you were happy with a pair of reading specs you probably have got something you don't need
Varifocals are getting more sophisticated and can be tailored to give you bigger areas and less distortion at the distance you use most. Office lenses are good if you mainly want to use them for sitting at a desk and some can give you across a room if you need a bit more distance but would be no good for walking about or driving. Generally varifocals are a compromise but if that solves a problem you have (fed up of taking your reading specs on and off or a work related task) they work well. If you were happy with a pair of reading specs you probably have got something you don't need
Tim16V said:
I ..... found that they'd over cooked the prism.
That's not a term I've ever heard in the world of optics! I would cringe if I heard someone I knew in the workplace say that.I would like to hear the full story, though. Do you actually require a prismatic correction for distance and/or near binocular vision?
I'm not picking holes in what you're relaying here, just interested in the veracity of what you were told.
On another note, it's interesting to hear several posters saying there are 3 different ranges of varifocal lenses. Really ...... just 3?
Again, I'm not knocking anyone's personal comments based on what they've been told, but this is ridiculous. There are SO many different types of lenses out there to suit specific personal needs - not just the lazy, slap-dash 'good, better, best' rubbish on the High Street, spouted by unqualified 'dispensers.'
It's absolutely bizarre. Put 100 people against a wall and ask them which their most important sense is; touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing?
I'm guessing that virtually every single one of those people would plump for 'sight.'
Would those same people take the best advice and spend a little more towards that most precious gift? Making sure they get the best vision they can?
Ha! No chance. There's an offer on, down at Specky-Saveroonies - 2 for one!!
Elroy Blue said:
When I mentioned '3 ranges' I meant my particular glasses have long,medium and near prescriptions on them. It was nothing t do with how many types you can buy.
Which goes to show just how easy it is to misunderstand, when discussing progressive lenses. What is not clear for most is just how many individual and separate issues can cause a plethora of problems for the wearer, particularly a first-timer. Spectacle prescription, accurate measurements, frame fitting, lens design, lens index, prescription tolerances, genuine varifocal intolerance to name a few.
There's no convenient catch-all answer with varifocals, because every patient is completely different, has different needs, different lifestyle/hobbies/expectations and has a different desire/lack thereof to wearing spectacles and will therefore carry a lower/higher threshold of tolerance to wearing those spectacles.
Who enjoys spending a load of money on something they don't want? (Technically, they might NEED them. But they don't WANT them.)
Therefore, in the event of problems with adaption, etc, it is imperative to return to the supplier and get the best advice/help. In your case, Elroy, it looks like you did that and got the end result you were after - good stuff, and congrats to the people who got it right for you.
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