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My reading prescription increased and the optician also said that I’m starting to struggle with longer vision, although I still have excellent vision way beyond 20/20 for longer range. His view was that I’m starting to have to strain to maintain that so I should wear a very light long-range lens to protect it.

Asda opticians don’t charge extra for varifocals so he said I should consider them.

I got two new pairs this morning, and they’re bloody awful. I overwhelmingly will move my eyes to look at something rather than my head and the persistent vision distortion of anything but straight on at long and down at short is giving me a headache. I can’t even type on this thing and have had to go back to my old reading glasses. Even when looking straight at something perfectly in focus, my brain hates that the peripheral vision is fuzzy.

Am I just being a princess about it and I’ll get used to them, or have others had this issue and had to get rid of them?

I’m very tempted to just tell them to swap them for reading prescription and I’ll suck up the strain for long range.

"When in deadly danger, when beset by doubt; run in little circles, wave your arms and shout"

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8 minutes ago, ckn said:

My reading prescription increased and the optician also said that I’m starting to struggle with longer vision, although I still have excellent vision way beyond 20/20 for longer range. His view was that I’m starting to have to strain to maintain that so I should wear a very light long-range lens to protect it.

Asda opticians don’t charge extra for varifocals so he said I should consider them.

I got two new pairs this morning, and they’re bloody awful. I overwhelmingly will move my eyes to look at something rather than my head and the persistent vision distortion of anything but straight on at long and down at short is giving me a headache. I can’t even type on this thing and have had to go back to my old reading glasses. Even when looking straight at something perfectly in focus, my brain hates that the peripheral vision is fuzzy.

Am I just being a princess about it and I’ll get used to them, or have others had this issue and had to get rid of them?

I’m very tempted to just tell them to swap them for reading prescription and I’ll suck up the strain for long range.

I know two people who've gone to varifocals. 50% success rate. One absolutely swears by them, the other now owns, I think, five different pairs of glasses in preference.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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Used to have separate distance and reading glasses. This time I went to Specsavers and got varifocals.  As Robin says above, took a couple of weeks but now I am used to them.   

However - Specsavers now have a system with their lenses where the 'reading' lens is at the bottom and the 'distance ' lens is in the centre, and they seem to have clear glass to the left and right of the 'distance' part.  When I queeried this I was told that it was to always make people look straight ahead and to turn their heads, and not their eyes when looking to the side.  This is the bit I don't like, so will be going somewhere else when i need to replace these.

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Once you start wearing glasses, you're stuck with them (or contacts) for life, barring laser eye treatment. If you can cope with just reading glasses, then cope with just reading glasses, imo. Opticians, like everyone else, want to sell you something and, preferably, something expensive that you have to change every year. (Cynic, me? Yes!)

 For reference, Carol tried varifocals some years back and could not get used to them at all. She now uses contact lenses for everyday viewing and reading glasses for close up. I just use the cheapest possible, off-the-shelf reading glasses for reading. My distance vision is pretty good so far. (My hearing is not great, though)

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I've had varificals for about twenty years, once you get used to them they'll be fine. You may have to position them on your nose in a position you're not used to. They shouldn't go to far to the top of your nose, so position them in such a way that you don't need to move your head to see different distances. If this is happening then you're wearing them wrongly.

My tip is to stand about three to four feet away from something that you can view at eye level, maybe a particular shelf on bookcase, adjust the position of the specs so the wording on the books is clear. Another idea is to stand in a darkened room and look across at a distance of four to five feet at an LED clock, adjusting the specs until the numbers are clear with no blurring, this is the position that the glasses should be on your nose. Also of course never tilt your head upwards to look at distance because you'll then be looking through the bottom of the lenses, which is for reading only.

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I hated them at first, now I hardly notice them.

"I am the avenging angel; I come with wings unfurled, I come with claws extended from halfway round the world. I am the God Almighty, I am the howling wind. I care not for your family; I care not for your kin. I come in search of terror, though terror is my own; I come in search of vengeance for crimes and crimes unknown. I care not for your children, I care not for your wives, I care not for your country, I care not for your lives." - (c) Jim Boyes - "The Avenging Angel"

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I've had them for a few years now. Initially they took a bit of getting used to, but I suspect this is quite normal and you have to persevere. Don't be afraid to go back to the optician for adjustments or further advice, usually they're happy to help as you'll go elsewhere next time if you're not satisfied.

Don't be tempted to pay hundreds of pounds for them. I've been going to Asda opticians for a few years and they're as good as, and probably cheaper than, anybody else. Stick with it, it should be worth it eventually.

And when they found our shadows

Grouped around the TV sets

They ran down every lead

They repeated every test

They checked out all the data on their lists

And then the alien anthropologists

Admitted they were still perplexed

But on eliminating every other reason

For our sad demise

They logged the only explanation left

This species has amused itself to death

No tears to cry no feelings left

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It may depend on how bad your vision is. I know several people who either took to them straight away, or adjusted after a few weeks.

My eyesight means that, without glasses, anything more than 4-5 inches away is a blur. I tried varifocals (paid a premium for them too, more fool me) and stuck at it for several months before giving up on them. Every small head movement in any direction made things come in and out of focus and even change apparent size.

Luckily, my 2-for-1 deal meant I had an up-to-date pair of regular specs as the second pair, which are what I now wear every day. The varifocals are available for emergency backup, but I hope never to need them.

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15 hours ago, ckn said:

My reading prescription increased and the optician also said that I’m starting to struggle with longer vision, although I still have excellent vision way beyond 20/20 for longer range. His view was that I’m starting to have to strain to maintain that so I should wear a very light long-range lens to protect it.

Asda opticians don’t charge extra for varifocals so he said I should consider them.

I got two new pairs this morning, and they’re bloody awful. I overwhelmingly will move my eyes to look at something rather than my head and the persistent vision distortion of anything but straight on at long and down at short is giving me a headache. I can’t even type on this thing and have had to go back to my old reading glasses. Even when looking straight at something perfectly in focus, my brain hates that the peripheral vision is fuzzy.

Am I just being a princess about it and I’ll get used to them, or have others had this issue and had to get rid of them?

I’m very tempted to just tell them to swap them for reading prescription and I’ll suck up the strain for long range.

I have varifocals, they do take a little bit of time to get used to but once I got used to them I have found they are great.

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9 minutes ago, Padge said:

I have varifocals, they do take a little bit of time to get used to but once I got used to them I have found they are great.

I’ve woken up this morning with a thumping headache and my eyes feel like they’ve been poked all night. I’m thinking the prescription or lenses must be wrong 

"When in deadly danger, when beset by doubt; run in little circles, wave your arms and shout"

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Have had them for about 18 months - and no issues at all, bar for it being a little 'different' walking downstairs initially, but got used that quickly

Couldn't be doing with contacts - it was traumatic. I have very watery eyes, even a small change in temperature makes them run, so contacts not suitable

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10 hours ago, ckn said:

I’ve woken up this morning with a thumping headache and my eyes feel like they’ve been poked all night. I’m thinking the prescription or lenses must be wrong 

How’s that laphraoig going down?

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Had mine for ages, you do need to make sure the different bits are in the correct place.

I have an astigmatism on both eyes (fitting really) which means I am short sighted and also now need readers. The only issue I have had is going down stairs I don't even think about them now.

 

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  • 9 months later...

I gave up with the varifocals, couldn't get them to work and got the hint the optician had enough with trying to fix them. So, I went for a pair of bifocals and a pair of reading glasses with my prescription.

Both the reading bit of the bifocals and the reading glasses seem far too short range. My last readers work perfectly with my computer screen, which is at a good distance. The new ones make the screen unreadable, worse than with no glasses.

I think I may need to get a better optician.

"When in deadly danger, when beset by doubt; run in little circles, wave your arms and shout"

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3 hours ago, ckn said:

I gave up with the varifocals, couldn't get them to work and got the hint the optician had enough with trying to fix them. So, I went for a pair of bifocals and a pair of reading glasses with my prescription.

Both the reading bit of the bifocals and the reading glasses seem far too short range. My last readers work perfectly with my computer screen, which is at a good distance. The new ones make the screen unreadable, worse than with no glasses.

I think I may need to get a better optician.

I got to where you are 3 or 4 years back.  I couldn't make any of their prescriptions work juggling reader/occupational for screen/distance.  I think at one point they had made five different pairs for me and eventually like you they had enough of me. I am now wearing bifocals which are fine for work, driving, shopping but like you the reading part just isn't sharp enough so I manage at work by putting my screen a little bit further away.  As soon as I get home I put my faithful B&M £2 readers on for laptop/reading and I'm happy with that.  I'm also not nearly so fussy these days with the extortionate pricey frames and go for the £25 ones.

In the blink of an eye it could all be taken away.  Be grateful always.

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