Progressives, progressives, progressives............got it? I started with Verilux progressives about 15 plus yrs. ago and happy I didn't make any stops along the way. I think it took me a couple of days to get used to them from being originally nearsighted, then ofcourse the reading became a little harder to read and the opthomalogist said I should try the Verilux and have never, ever been sorry. Then a couple of yrs. ago I had cataract surgery on both eyes and really only need reading glasses (cheaters) now as my distance is 20/20. I would never tell you this was a good thing without trully being a believer...a bit more expensive but so, so worth it. If you have any other questions please ask away....certainly have the experience.

Well, congratulations on making it past 40...hahaha!

Agree with progressives. My Dr's reccommendation to me was to get used to them early. I don't need to take my glasses off every time I use the computer and I don't need to peer over the tops. It takes a few days to learn to move your eyes and not your head, but after a while it becomes second nature.

I wear progressives and my only complaint, and I think I might be the only one who has ever had this problem, is sometimes they seem to make straight lines looked curved. Not a lot, but just a slight curve...not good when trying to quilt or do stained glass. Other than that, I love them. I have monovision contacts, but haven't taken the time to get used to them. I feel like Steve Martin in All of Me when I wear them.

LOL sue!! I'll take that as a must-avoid...

O.K., thanks, susan & softfurn, too--I guess I'll go with the progressives. I've been lifting my head to see up close but even that isn't so good anymore. Or I take my glasses off. But that gets old...Sue, I do have the question of what to do when I'm doing upclose work, like mosaics or taking splinters out of my family's hands, etc...what do you use?

I'll just throw my 2 cents worth on the progressives, even though you've already said that you guess you'll go with the progressives . . .

If you've never had bifocals before, then the progressives are definitely the way to go . . . there is a little bit of getting used to with them . . . with me, it seemed that it was more using my whole head, rather than moving my eyes . . but it's been so long now, and you know how the memory thing is also . . . (!!!) . . . My mom tried to use the progressives after having used "regular" bifocals for years, and just couldn't get used to them at all . . .

As for close-up work . . . you just look through the bottom of the glasses . . . It does take just a little bit getting used to, but you'll quickly learn where the "line" is . . . Another thing . . . TV viewing when lying on the couch . . . I find that I need to push my glasses down on my nose, so I'm looking out the top part.
Just little things like that . . . but no big deal at all, and it is ever so nice to be able to see !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: my sunglasses . . . the faraway field of vision in the glasses is larger, and the up-close part much smaller than in my reg. glasses . . . with the idea being that sunglasses are for driving, or looking farther away, not up close. My only prob. with this is reading labels in stores . . . stuff like that.

My sister just got the transition glasses . . . I think that's what they're called . . . the ones that turn dark when outside, and lighten up inside . . . They're apparently new and improved . . so, that's something I might look into, so I'm not having to always switch glasses !!!!!!!!!

Well, have fun with it all !!! Bifocals are a good thing !!!!!!

C.

Thanks, kcc...I have an appt. today at 1 so I know now what I will get and your tips help a lot. I do look forward to being able to see.

Re sunglasses: I've never gotten the transition ones because I want dedicated sunglasses that are WAY bigger than my everyday glasses frames. With my glasses frames, sun could still get in on the side and give a considerable amount of glare. Unless I get HUGE regular glasses, I feel it's better to have sunglasses that are designed for what they're good at (helps w/preventing UV getting into the eyes, too) and regular glasses that are good at what they're good at, ykwim? How big are your sister's frames? I'd probably look like Edna Mode if I got the size glasses I normally get as sunglasses :)

Thanks again :)

I'll weigh in on progressives, too. I have Varilux lenses, and I'd never use anything else, even though I had a very difficult adjustment to them. (Had only used separate glasses for near, far and medium distances before, no bi- or tri-focals.)

You do have to learn to turn your head, rather than just your eyes, and I am still (even after several years use) a bit annoyed at the loss of peripheral vision acuity. You don't "lose" it, it's just that the curve of the lens distorts it enough so you wind up not using it. It took me about 3 months of constant wearing to adjust to my dismay about this, but I did.

And the payoff is seamlessly in-focus vision straight ahead from here to infinity. The first morning I was wearing the lenses I took a load of laundry out to hang up on the line. As I turned the corner around the barn and looked toward the clothesline I was staggered to realize I could see it 50 feet away, and everything from the end of my nose to the edge of the forest half a mile distant was in complete, crystal clear focus.

I do keep a pair of reading glasses on my nightstand since I read in bed, a lot, and the geometry of my eyes, the surfaces of the Varilux lenses and and surface of the book propped up on my kneee is not resolvable. I can do it, but it's tiring. Having a pair of straight reading lasses at hand is the solution. The only other deficit I notice is that using binoculars is a bit more challenging than with straight corrective lenses (and neither is as easy as not needing distance glasses at all!).

Varilux lenses are more expensive, but I think it's worth it.

HTH,
Molly~

I went from very, very nearsighted with a lot of astigmatism in one eye, to even worse eyesight with the need for bifocals. It only took me a day to get used to the progressives. I also discovered that my prescription sunglasses for distance were useless for driving because my dashboard was too out of focus to read!

It may be too late to mention this, but, I hope your Dr asked you how far away from the computer screen you read, and how far away you hold a book. My first glasses were made incorrectly when the dr assumed I read 12" away. Yikes! I thought I was going cross eyed trying to move the bookthisclosetomyface to read. My own close range is more like 18" away. If your glasses doen't seem "right" to you after a day or two, doen't hesitate to get them adjusted.
Also, I have glasses with magnets on the corners which hold removable sunglasses.

Molly & KO, thanks very much...I'm getting progressives but it sounds like I need to ask for Varilux? (verilux?) The person today drew the approx. locations of the various lenses and I can tell I'm going to need to learn to move my head down when I read. Hope I don't get more headaches from it...generally I keep my head up and move my eyes. But I can try it for a few weeks and see how adapt--it sounds like it will be o.k. unless I get vertigo/nausea etc...but I bet I'll be able to tough it out :)

Thanks, you all!

softfurn, yes, we did discuss it but I'll confirm it once I confirm the color of my frame (next week sometime). I understand that there's a middle ground for computer distance as well as a closer-up for reading? I told them I want to be able to read a magazine as well as take splinters out of my family's hands (sounds odd, but I get called to do so on a regular basis LOL)...

forgot to mention: seems I've got early glaucoma in one eye :(... .66 cupping or whatever that means...as my grandmother said, "it's never nothin' but it's somethin'"...

I have the progressives like everyone else. I adjusted to them in about a day. I work on a computer alot and mine work great for that, reading, distance, driving, etc. You do end up needing bifocal sunglasses though. I've found I prefer the magnetic clip-ons too - I don't like carrying around a second pair of glasses and the little magetic clip sunglass is small and easier to deal with. It's really not that bad - and inevitable. I think it's easier to deal with bifocals than reading glasses - at least you can just put them on your face and leave them there.

The ony thing I'll add is that once I chose a very small size frame. They looked cool. Problem was I got incredibly nauseous within 20 steps. I also couldn't read a full line of print - only a few words at a time were clear. I was back in the shop within hours saying "no way".

I had not understood that the "progressive" aspect is *concentric* and had assumed it was linear, you know, like old fashioned bifocals only with the line faded or blended. It isn't like that. The reading part is a circle area bottom center. With small frames that circle can end up being quite small.

I need to read alot, and quickly, for work. I just laughed when they explained I would need to move my head just *to read a line of print*!!! Yeah, right. I'd look like I was having seizures doing that all day! Forget it. Larger lenses, no problem.

Lesson: Those cute small frames may not work out for you.

Good luck.

celtic: **putting hands over ears and humming, thinking of the c-u-t-e little Modo frames I just picked out** I don't heeaarrr you!

Well, they're not *as* small as the tiniest Modos, but they're not Edna Mode, either...we'll see. The assistant drew the lens breakdown on it for me and she didn't seem too worried...but still...

I've noticed different optical shops have differing opinions on how small you can go for progressive lenses. Mine are pretty small but I can read without my glasses at all - and at times I am reading out from under the bottom of the lenses. It would be fine to read through the bottom too but that of course requires more moving of the head or the reading material.

Oooo, Fly, sorry for the cautionary tale. Yours likely will be fine, especially if you don't need much reading correction. Unlike Gibby, I can't read squat without reading glasses any more. Computer screens, menus, nada. I'm at a 2.0 plus correction with the OTC Walgreens readers.

BTW, the staff at my shop also were "not too worried". Even when I sat there repeating "BUT - They make me sick when I walk. And I can't read or work without shaking my head." Not worried at all, in fact, very reassuring that these weren't serious problems. LOL.

Just be sure you can get your money back. Then stand firm if they don't work out. (But they will. And you will look hot in them too.)

That's o.k., celtic :) I see on my prescription copy that I have an add of 1.50...
They have a 30-day changeout and even a give-up clause, if I just can't make bifocals work...they sound like they're really willing to work with me. I like them a lot more than the last people I worked with. This doctor mentioned offhand, "I'm surprised no one ever mentioned the cupping in your eye"...geez. Make me feel bad. I don't think they did any sort of checking for glaucoma the last appt. And now I'm at .66.

gibby, I think I'm going to fight my instinct to read out of the bottom--I practiced reading with the glasses on and I looked like a choir member if I read with them inside the lens area LOL! I'm evidently an eye-mover more than a head-mover--they have a machine to test for that, too.

Now that I know that help is on the way, I want my glasses yesterday! Of course I had to order a different color. picky picky picky. But if I weren't, I wouldn't be a G'webber :)

Flyleft,

I started off with progressives but they didn't work for me very well. I was taking interior design classes at the time and they made all my hand drafted straight lines look curved and I couldn't work accurately.

Plus, I was not able to teach myself to find the tiny little sweet spot for reading.

I gave up, too them back to Lenscrafters or wherever I got them, and they happily gave me regular old bifocals. I almost never use them because for some reason my eyes have gotten better reading-wise. I think it's because I don't get as many migraines anymore. I don't pull them out of the case for months at a time, and I'm almost 52 years old.

Since a big discount chain or two has been mentioned by several posters...I will add that my very best luck with properly fitting glasses and lenses that worked for me was when I went to an independent optometrist. I have horrible eyesight with really bad astigmatism in one eye, so it is unrealistic to think I can get glasses in an hour or a day. YMMV, but for me, it is a matter of getting what I pay (dearly) for.

Demicent, I'm so glad to hear that someone else sees curves with progressives. With my newest progressives, I think they are varilux, I don't seem to be having this problem. But, I do use a straight edge to confirm my lines are straight if they are looking curved to me.
Sue

I had the bifocals without the line. Are those progressives?

Anyway--I liked them just fine.

Then I had lasic surgery and now I have 20/15 vision (from 20/400) and only need the "cheaters", (as someone above referred to) for reading. I get them at Wally World for about 10 bucks.

My sis told me that the key to good bifocals is picking out a frame that allows a large enough lens to get good coverage.

demicent, that's a consummation devoutly to be wish'd, for sure! Tied to the "change", maybe? (thinking of the cessation of migraines) I'm glad these optometrists have the "failure to adapt" or whatever it's called policy...

sue, I'll check on those lines too. I looked up Varilux...when I go back for the frame choice I'll know more about what to ask for.

blsdgal, my brother had lasik and he doesn't use glasses anymore either. WOW, from 20/400? My mother's life could have been completely different...evidently there are a couple of different kinds of bifocals without line, i.e. "blended" and "progressives". I think that's what I'm going with, esp. because at least as they were explaining it to me, there would be a middle ground that's appropriate for computer work. I'm on the computer a lot, and not just here :)

Flyleft,

Although I am happy with my Varilux (Cristals), I do have a narrower width for reading. I can only see about 1 1/2 inches across a line of print at a time, completely in focus. This is less than a normal column of newspaper type. That means I have to move my head slightly for each line. This was hard for me to learn as I was a speed reader, relying on width of vision to cruise down pages of print. Waaaaah!

I really struggled with this aspect. I was fitted at an independent optometrist, who worked with me and encouraged me to keep trying (though she would have refunded my money, if it came to that). I think your eyes do get better and strengthen, a bit, at focusing farther out along that narrow width. At first I could barely see an inch at a time. That's why I said it took me a month or so to get used to them. I really had some bad times at first and got in a snit about them more than once.

And that's also why I said I keep a pair of single vision reading glasses for when I must do a lot of reading, particualrly lying down in bed. However, I wear the Variluxes all day, and typically read for several hours over the course of a day with them, though not all at once. If I'm going to read for an hour or moreat a point, I will switch out to my readers, but for reading a newspaper, even a biggie like the Sunday Times, the progressives are fine.

In order to speed up the adjustment my optometrist reccommends toughing it out with the progressives continuosly for a couple of weeks, at first. I had trouble driving (the narrowed field of vision thing) at first, especially at night. Now (after three years of using them), I have no problems.

It does take a while to adjust to the outer edge curviness, and "loss" of peripheral vision. I know at first I was dismayed about that; if I had lost that much actual peripheral range by accident or illness, I would have been quite bereft. It's not really lost of course, as much as not corrected, and somewhat distorted by the merging of the lens curvatures; enough so you stop looking using it as much. I find my self looking out around the edge of my glasses for some things.

There is one instance where I find them completely unsafe and have had another single vision pair of glasses made. We heat entirely with wood and I process about five full cords of wood through my woodsplitter every fall. When I'm running it I really need my peripheral vison to be very clear to keep track of the wood, the moving hydraulic ram, the wedge and all my pinkies. So I had a special set of glasses made especially for the focal length of that particular job. I had them done cheaply, but in safety glass strength since a whole lot of chips and dirt are popped around in the process. For everything, else, though I use my progressives.

When they were new, and I was still quite fussed, I did a lot of reading on the net about them and discovered that certain brands do better with certain types of corrections. Plus super careful measuring is critical for them to work properly.

BTW, mine are in quite small frames (1 7/8 by 1 1/4 inch): 2.5g Eyephorics. They are small enough that they only really cover my eye socket. I think size of frame is actually less critical with Variluxes than with bifocals.

To me they are worth the trouble to not have bifocals (or as in my case, I needed trifocals).

I hope you have less problem adjusting than I did, and become as satisfied as I am (finally)!

Molly~

Flyleft,

Ugh...if ONLY I was menopausal. I've been enjoying the fine effects of the peri stage for a few years now.

I went to a hands-on D.O. about the migraines, and he did some very gentle fingertip-type adjustments (no hard poking or bone cracking.) Within about three weeks my migraines decreased from about 20 a month to about 2 a month, which are tied into my monthly "celebration".

I noticed at that time that I didn't need the glasses anymore, but I've also tried a couple of techniques that my other Dr. taught me for better vision, like eye cupping.

I am a terribly lazy person, because my eyes aren't that bad right now, I haven't pursued the techniques that some people like my Dr. claim can free you from reading glasses. Maybe in a few years when I can't read the paper without pulling out the glasses.

housekeeping/Molly, WOW, thanks so much for your detailed story and what-to-expect points. May I ask, how did you find out which brands do better with certain types of corrections? I wouldn't even know where to start looking for that...

I'm a speed reader too...it would be hard to give up that aspect of myself, as I imagine it was for you.

I have to drive a lot every day, with my daughter in the car, in sometimes heavy traffic. I'm concerned about the adjustment period with these.

The frames I'm getting are about the size of yours. I think I'll call them today and ask about "Varilux", although this is an independent optometrist, not affiliated with a chain...thanks again for all that great information.

demi, oh well, thought maybe that was what you meant, but guess not. Pretty amazing about the cessation of migraines, though. Who was the dr. who taught you the exercises? I haven't read that much good about them--did you get anything out of them when you were doing them? but I'm always willing to try (while pursuing other avenues too).

Now I am starting to wonder if I am doing the right thing. You all have me thinking whether I should reconsider another shot at progressives. Or something.

For most of my life I excellent vision, 20/10 or better. Biker buddies nicknamed me "Eagle" and would assign me signage reading on long road trips. Good old days. Then in my 40's my reading acuity started to go. An optician recommended progesssives, explaining my far vision was also declining, down to 20/15, resulting in some eye strain. (I said can't you tell my eyes and brain to settle for 20/15?). I am compliant. So I wore those continuously for maybe 5 years.

Reading of course worsened over time. So I figured I needed higher power. This is where it got weird.

Both the opthomologist (I'd seen her to work up some peculiar passing symptom that freaked out my primary care doc - MRI etc. No brain tumor, just a 'migraine variant') and the optometrist pronounced I really didn't need to be wearing glasses for distance correction. All up to me.

Huh? For years I sport these 4 eyes every day for no reason??

But the optition argued strongly for progressives. I say why wouldn't I just use readers? He says, because you would have to put them on and off all the time, and that would be ridiculous. Hmmm. But these cute little ones make me nauseous and I can't read a line of print? *And* I get to pay hundreds of dollars? No thanks. That was that. So I go with the Walgreens readers.

Now it's been a few more years. My reading acuity has become really horrible. I'm wearing readers almost all the time - can't read a thing or do computer work without them (= livelihoood). And I think the readers have probably screwed up my far vision even more, as that seems less acute as well....crap.

I know the obvious answer is another round of consultations, measure where I am at, look at options, etc. Maybe Elton John size progressive glasses for work, and littler peepers for social. Yet......This may be crazy, but I want to believe there may be something else to try that might stabilize or improve vision. I've known people to swear off readers and claim to will themselves to not need them. And doctors who respond that is physically impossible. But what about that Demicnet's vision recovery posted above?

My question is whether anyone has had experience improving (or worsening) their vision with exercises, or other less traditional means. What is "eye cupping", Demicent? Anyone ever try one of those vision acuity training contraptions? (I hesitate to admit there is one in this very room. DH brought one home from a Sharper Image clearance last year, hoping it could help his pool game. Never used it, still in the box...Shall I crack into it? Sigh, the things I do for this Forum..)

Ideas?? Experiences?? Opinions??

This will be a quick one, I'm on the way to the hospital to visit my Mom who had a triple bypass a few days ago.

I'm not exactly sure why my eyes got better. Probably because the migraines were reduced. But I do eye cupping to soothe them too. You just cover your eyes and eye sockets with the palm of your hand, left then right, and leave it on there for a few minutes.

I guess if you search the internet you could probably find links to a bunch of techniques to improve reading type eye ability. Just as I'm sure there are some doctors who declare them useless, others, like my medical doctor, claim to have completely tossed the glasses after following some protocols which at this point I am too lazy to pursue for myself.

I hesitate to publicly post information about my specific doctors or treatments, because it never fails that I start getting unkind e-mails from people who seem to have nothing better to do all day then scour the internet for opposing information and try to make me feel bad about myself and my choices :)

Flyleft, some D.O.'s practice medicine pretty much like M.D.'s but others still do the thing where they put their hands on you and then stuff happens. I am a person who studies the heck out of things before I go forward with them, but in the case of the D.O. I went to him because my dentist said he could help with my scary symptoms. I decided for once in my life to just go with the flow and not analyze it to death. Mostly I just laid on a table fully clothed while he placed his fingertips on various parts of my head and face and a couple other spots on my body. End result was my blood pressure went down, my jaw unlocked (hadn't been able to open my mouth fully for years) the migraines mostly went away and my vision improved.

My husband is needing readers now, and he absolutely hates them. I used them for a while and I almost quit reading books because it was so much trouble to hold the book at the right focus point, and if I shifted, I woud have a dizzying out of focus view.

Have you thought about the bifocal contacts? Everyone that I know that wears them, just loves them. A trial pair of contacts is free. Unfortunately, I have a stigmatism and they don't make bifocal contacts for me YET but they are in the works, or so says my Dr.

I have bifocals but could not wear the progressives or blended as the reading area was not large enough for me to comfortably work on my hand embroidery. So I have the old style, lined bifocals, and then I have distance contacts that I LOVE! Actually, with my distance contacts I can read some things, like price tags and restaurants menus, so I wear my contacts quite a bit.

bwahahaha flyleft! Welcome to maturity. (we go back a long time, and she knows I tease...)

fwiw, most people who do not spend endless hours on the internet do not have the weird eye issues that the rest of us do. I have a dh and co-woker that insist upon reading the computer screen with reading glasses. I have trained my eyes (62yr old ones) to read the computer with the upper part of my 1" semi-frameless progressive lens glasses.

But this is my experience gained over almost 15yrs of making adjustments to my ability to see. It IS a pita, I'll admit, and the 40s and 50s are just the years for all these adjustments.

I had cataract surgery in my left eye about 3 years ago, and that resolved my serious nearsigtedness in addition to the cataract since I chose to have the implant lens. Should I have a cataract develop in my right eye, I would not do that since when I am not at work or on the computer, I go without glasses. I am blind as a bat in my right eye, which can 'read' but can see distance in my left eye, which cannot 'read'. At this point, my insurance did not cover the bifocal lens implant and a lot of people do not adjust to the method of having the two eyes work as a team to avoid wearing any glasses. It happens to work for me, except for computer time and driving.

Maureen

msafirstein, I hadn't seen your post, and msazadi, how nice to "see" you! I was wondering when I'd finally reach maturity LOL...I think my eyes beat the rest of me :)

msafirstein, I don't want contacts, don't know why, just don't, and I have astigmatism too, so maybe I couldn't get them even if I wanted...

msazadi, wow, you've had a go of it wrt eyes. It's so amazing to hear about eye surgery completely helping people's vision. Was recovery relatively fast? (I'm guessing not as fast as Lasik-type surgery, since there was an implant...?)

I've been continuing to live in denial since I posted this--I just can't bring myself to buy the bifocals. I've even gotten some readers from Costco in the interim. The thing that's bugging me is the "pre-glaucoma" reading, actually. That seems more insidious in the long run...

Well, the glaucoma and the wrinkles I'm getting from squinting so much. Those REALLY bother me LOL :)

I just started using progressives and the learning curve is definately there but I think worth the time. I also was fitted with monovision (one eye for reading, one eye for distance) which I am absolutely LOVING! This is my first time being fitted with contacts and I'm amazed with them. The bifocal contacts lenses are also very good and much easier to fit then ever before. Come to Michigan, my DH is the best contact lens fitter on the planet! I swear, it's true!

My DH is an OD and we send all our family to Costco to purchase their glasses and contacts. Great price, great service! He has a private practice that he has owned for 25 years and recently has leased one office at Costco but he can't beat the Costco prices no matter what he does!

I'm an optician and fit progressives and bifocals. Some people call progressives no-line bifocals but they are actually completely different. Progressives have a gradual change down the middle of the lenses while bifocals have just two areas with a decided line in between. Blended bifocals are not used much but are a round bifocal where the edges are blended away.

Varilux progressives are just one brand of progressives and there are several Varilux progressives. Comfort is their older design, but it is still widely used. The Varilux Ellipse is their newer disign for narrower frames. The Varilux Phyiso is also new and has a great distance area.

There are lots of great non Varilux progressives so don't worry if you aren't fitted with Varilux. The most important thing with progressives is to have them fitted correctly. If they are off just a little they don't work well. Much of the time when people think they can't wear progressives cause they had problems with them it is because of poor fitting.

Some designs have better distance areas, some better near areas. Some are made to fit into narrower frames, but the intermediate area is smaller in these and that can cause problems if your add power is over a + 2.00.

What about bifocal contacts. I tried some on a few years ago but couldn't see very well. I am slowly losing my distance as well as reading.
Donna

hedygs, thanks for your suggestions (and enthusiastic recommendation :)). So Costco's prices are better than if you have vision coverage somewhere else? I'll check them out to compare.

happyladi, thanks also to you. I love this forum--specific information on *anything*! I know now to ask about the Physio I would love a middle-ground area for computer work but now I start hearing msazadi and folks saying things like "I learned to look out the upper part of my 1" lens"...I should give them a try, I suppose, before writing them off as more bother than benefit. My add power is less than 2.

And I guess I'll look into bifocal contacts too, o.d., thanks. I've never had contacts and they just seemed a bother but I'll give them a try too.

Here is a link that might be useful: physio sounds good for my situation...