Eye glasses advise please vairifocals

[NappiedTruckDriver]

I’ve been using glasses for driving and reading for the last 4 years ( 2 separate pairs ) as I have an astigmatism in right eye and the usual old age effects as I’m 48 this year .
In the last few months I’ve noticed my long vision sight is getting worse with out glasses on and stuff even 10ft 3m away is getting like a heat haze affect in certain light levels, also if I try to distance look with nothing in foreground close to me I can only look at it for 10/20 secs tops before I have to look at the ground as my eyes hurt .
Yes I’ve got an eye test booked 8th April with my opticians and will mention said things , also asking about wearing distance FT
My question is this does any one use vairifocals and what’s the pro’s & con’s ?
I drive a Semi (Artic) truck for a living
Contacts are a big no for me due to phobia of them and cost

 

[SparkyDog]

Welcome to getting older
I hate my astigmatism
I also need to switch from single vision to some sort of hybrid
I can't comment on vairifocals as I haven't used them
But I highly recommend seeing an ophthalmologist over an optometrist
They know much more about eyes.
They can also give you glasses prescription just like optometrist but more knowledgeable on eye health and things like astigmatism & strabismus etc

 

[NappiedTruckDriver]

Welcome to getting older
I hate my astigmatism
I also need to switch from single vision to some sort of hybrid
I can't comment on vairifocals as I haven't used them
But I highly recommend seeing an ophthalmologist over an optometrist
They know much more about eyes.
They can also give you glasses prescription just like optometrist but more knowledgeable on eye health and things like astigmatism & strabismus etc

I did find out a couple of weeks ago at least 5 of my family have an astigmatism , Mum , brother , me , nice and nephew who are both my brothers
The Uk is slightly different as they screen for retinal problems in the opticians and will send letters to your DR so they can refer you to the local hospitals eye dept if needed ,

 

[SparkyDog]

ok here you can just walk in and see an ophthalmologist
How's your night driving?

 

[NappiedTruckDriver]

ok here you can just walk in and see an ophthalmologist
How's your night driving?

All I say is LED HEADLIGHTS I hate night driving as the new type headlights hurt my eyes and if it’s rainy as well it’s a struggle

 

[redprtodd]

I had lens replacement surgery in my early 30's - and most artificial lenses are for the 70+ crowd who have already lost their near vision, so the lens essentialy flipped me from being nearsighted to farsighted. I loved that I could see great even without glasses, but hated not being able to read - It took me around 6 to 8 months to adjust. Other factor is I have pretty bad astigmatism so even seeing great long distances (comparativly) I still needed corrective lenses for both near and far - The off shoot there is that I had to start wearing multifocal lenses.
I tried the most inexpensive lenses (Lined trifocals) and found the line to be very jarring, I then tried no line lenses and those were an improvement - but it wasn't until I tried progressive lenses that I was really happy. I'm not sure how those are branded and sold in the UK - Varilux is one brand here, Nikon sells them as Nikor Optical Lenes, and there are numerous other brands like Sony's Zeiss . - the gist is that they measure your pupils natural resting point, distance from the physical lens on your frame, and then use a computer to cut the lenses so that it transitions between the magnification points very gradually where there is no distortion, no bending or streatching, etc. After a few months of wearing you adjust to just looking through the right part of the glasses for the right distance you are trying to see. These are more expensive lenses here and usually not covered by insurance, but I have found the added out of pocket cost to be worth it and have now worn those types of lenses for 17 years or so - the cost has come down considerably, but it is still over and above costs of bare bones lenses.

 

[ORBaby]

I've worn vairifocals full time for many years now. When I wore bifocals I had trouble when driving reading the instruments. Distance and close were fine but midrange was out of focus.
If you get vairifocals it's suggested to wear full time so that you can adjust to the distortion the lenses cause.

 

[NappiedTruckDriver]

I've worn vairifocals full time for many years now. When I wore bifocals I had trouble when driving reading the instruments. Distance and close were fine but midrange was out of focus.
If you get vairifocals it's suggested to wear full time so that you can adjust to the distortion the lenses cause.

Thank you , I will be if I do get them

 

[MummysLittleSissy]

I've been using varifocals for many years now (very poor vision and astigmatism). They take a little bit of getting used to, but after a couple of days any necessary head movements to read text that's high up becomes automatic. I also have a pair of single prescription lenses for VDU work (I'm a software dev). As I can't see the proverbial barn door without glasses, I need a strong prescription which means expensive high refractive glass (otherwise they'd be like jam-jar bottoms!).
As ParcelBoy mentioned, certain headlights can be troublesome. For me, I can see colour fringes, particularly in rear-view mirrors, which look like blue lights! Other than that, I love 'em.

 

[MudPuppy]

My only problem with progressive lenses is the medium focal range is where my monitor sits, and it's a very narrow band - so much so that I have to move my head back and forth to read my full screen (and it's not that much screen).

I mostly wear bifocal contacts and they work great as long as it's not too dim. Nice restaurants are a real problem! I always carry either a cheap, folding pair of reading glasses or a small flashlight. (Or both.)

 

[Nowididit]

I just turn 57 and I'm now wearing glasses full time. For years I struggled with my vision when reading and have acquired quite a collection of reading glasses. I started off with 2.5 but progressed to 3.5. It was time for an eye exam. Turns out I'm 20/15, far sighted.
I drive truck for a living, mostly heavy haul and my vision of seeing road signs was not great, I practically had to be on top of the signs in order to see them clearly. Not good when I'm hauling a 150,000lb+ load. I needed to slow down way ahead of my turn so I would miss it. Depending on the load and the make up of the hauling trailer with jeeps and stingers with turning axles, there's no turning around easily.
I went with progressive lenses and I'll tell you it takes some getting used to. It's like @redprtodd said, these lenses are designed with focal points off your resting pupils.
It's 3 weeks since I'm wearing them and I've already had 2 adjustments to get them to rest properly on my face so I could see and read properly.
If you go with the progressive lenses, when they are marking your pupils make sure your head is in it's natural position and your looking straight ahead. With progressive lenses your need to put your head down and look up to see distance, and your head down and look up to read. I was having most trouble with the reading because the area for reading on progressive lenses is basically a 1/2" spot on the lens.
I bought 2 pair of glasses right away. One regular pair and the other are safety wrap around sunglasses. They are shatter resistant and have a foam barrier on the inside of the frame to keep dust and debris from getting under glasses and in your eyes. The wide temples, aka arms also do a great job of keeping the sunlight out of your peripheral vision.
As a truck driver working in the construction sector with a lot dust and debris flying around I'd highly recommend these.

 

[NappiedTruckDriver]

Well I’ve been wearing my distance glasses FT since Sunday and each day gets more natural wearing them and more comfortable each day

 

[NappiedTruckDriver]

Well todays the day for my eye test and giving my CC a head ache