Progressive Glasses?

[bpreynolds]

Back in March, after turning over the 43 life odometer in January, I decided it was time for me to stop dropping the glasses to read menus and other up close activities, decided to change from the distance lenses (I'm near sighted) to progressives.  After a couple months with the new glasses, I was convinced they weren't for me, so I went back to standard distance lenses and purchased a pair of readers from an online distributor recommended here on wg.  Well, since dropping the progressives and going back to the standards, I'm now finding myself missing the progressives!!!  I've been considering just ordering a pair of cheap progressives to try out and/or use again but I do worry what all this musical glasses might be doing to my eyes, since they seem a little worse than before getting the progressives.  Any of you here made the transition to progressive lenses?  Like it?  Hate it? 

[jackson]

Around 20 years ago, I tried them for a couple of months and thoroughly disliked them.
Fast forward to around 2 years ago, I decided to give them another try.  Gave them a couple of months and disliked them as much as the first time.
Lesson learned; No mas!

[Triple Jim]

For what it's worth, my Ophthalmologist, who was also an eye surgeon, was adamant that wrong glasses, bad glasses, no glasses, poor lighting, etc., won't cause eye damage.  They may make your eyes tired or cause headaches, but can't cause actual damage.  You're right at the age where it becomes obvious that your ability to focus is decreasing.  This is caused by the lenses in your eyes hardening and not changing shape when squeezed by eye muscles like when they were young and soft.  It's not from glasses or lack thereof.

[bpreynolds]

For what it's worth, my Ophthalmologist, who was also an eye surgeon, was adamant that wrong glasses, bad glasses, no glasses, poor lighting, etc., won't cause eye damage.  They may make your eyes tired or cause headaches, but can't cause actual damage.  You're right at the age where it becomes obvious that your ability to focus is decreasing.  This is caused by the lenses in your eyes hardening and not changing shape when squeezed by eye muscles like when they were young and soft.  It's not from glasses or lack thereof.

Jim, very much appreciate the explanation here and does alleviate a bit of my worrying about changing again.  This now frees me up to buy those giant red, horn rimmed Zenni $20 models I've been eyeballing.  Eyeballing, get it? 

My sister owned an optical lab for years.  Find a real live optician and spend the few extra bucks , like a motorbike , much depends on the setup .

  Dusty

Thanks for the motorcycle analogy, Dusty.     Lately my taste in glasses has been as fluctuating as my love/hate of various bikes.  To cross analogize, what kind of oil would your sister recommend?   

[Lannis]

I never used "lined" bifocals.   I went straight from regular glasses to "progressive" trifocals.

I couldn't figure them out.  Used them for a year and had to give them up, I was always looking the wrong way.

Went to progressive bifocals and have been using them for years with no problem ....

Laser surgery, maybe, one of these days.   I ran into a 74-year-old friend of mine the other day, didn't recognize him because his thick glasses were gone.   He was ecstatic with his lens replacement surgery, was reading signs all the way across the store that I could barely read, just to show off .... !

Lannis

[dl.allen]

I was in the same boat as you.  Wore contacts for 25 years and reading glasses for close up.  Finally got lasik and can say enough good about it.  Life changing.  I still need readers but only for close up detail work.  I can still see my smart phone and computer etc without readers.

Go with the bladeless wavefront laser that cuts the flap.  3 day healing time and is not supposed to lose prescription in 10 years like the blade.

Its so awesome to run, bike, ski, swim, camp out and most importantly go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and be able to see!

[Lannis]

I was in the same boat as you.  Wore contacts for 25 years and reading glasses for close up.  Finally got lasik and can say enough good about it.  Life changing.  I still need readers but only for close up detail work.  I can still see my smart phone and computer etc without readers.

Go with the bladeless wavefront laser that cuts the flap.  3 day healing time and is not supposed to lose prescription in 10 years like the blade.

Its so awesome to run, bike, ski, swim, camp out and most importantly go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and be able to see!

I don't much like the idea of someone sawing on my eyeball with coherent light from a ray gun, BUT ... the main reason I want it is because it's getting impossible to see in the rain on the bike.   No matter what I do or what I smear on the lenses, in a hard rain I get vapor and rainwater all over my glasses even under a helmet and behind a windshield.   It's just dangerous having that many clear surfaces to try to see through ....

So that's what will probably drive me to it ...

Lannis

[centauro]

I am very farsighted (+6.50 LH and + 6.75 RH), and have been wearing glasses for over 49 years.  6 years ago, I was prescribed bi-focals, and decided to give the progressive-type a try. Big mistake! After 4 months of constantly adjusting my line of sight to achieve focus. I found, however, that progressive bifocals work very well for me when using my desk top computer; in this case, only minute head movements are required to focus on different areas of the screen.

I gave up on them  and had the same prescription refilled on a set of conventional lined bifocals.
I walked out of the optical shop with them on, and, in an hour, I found them very comfortable and natural in focusing on objects near and far. Most important, riding my motorcycles required no extra efforts.
My conclusion is that, under normal conditions (outdoors with a large 270+ degree field of vision), a pair of lined bifocals will draw a distinct separation between objects near and far, making the eye nerve work much less in focusing on any particular area.

[mgmark]

Yep, I've been wearing them for years. I'm very nearsighted so mine actually go from no correction up close, to a lot for far away. I like mine, they work for me. They do need to be adjusted correctly for line of sight and I just take them off for reading or computer work. I find when using straight far distance sunglasses I cant focus on the car or bike gauges, just too strong for semi-near work, but the progressives work fine.
My wife has had the lasik surgery, she wishes she never had it done. She needed a couple of "corrections" afterwards, and since she has gotten older needs glasses anyway so it didn't help in the long run. I'd love to be able to see without glasses, but nobody is gonna get near my eyeballs with any tools. They dont work too well but they are all I have. At least I can still see close up for fine work on the bike.
Different things work for different folks.

Mark

[charlie b]

Lasik and all the other eye surgeries are dependent on, the doctor, the equipment and the patient.  All have to be correct to get a good result, and sometimes even that isn't enough.  I would do it but my insurance won't cover it.

I used lined bifocals for many years.  Tried progressive a bit over 10 years ago and it sucked.  Went back to lined bifocals.  A couple years ago I tried progressive contacts.  They took a while to get used to, and they were not good in all situations (like close up work) but it was great not wearing glasses and being able to see.  Then my eyes rejected them  :(  Got an allergic reaction to them that the doc could not fix.  Happens sometimes.

Decided to try progressives again.  MUCH different than the first time.  I really like them.

I wish I could dump the glasses, but, I am probably destined to have them until I die.

FWIW, the good part is my distance vision is back to 20/20 in one eye and only 20/30 in the other.  Sometimes when riding I will take them off.

[acogoff]

     Like all things in life, progressive lenses are not created equal. Been wearing some $500 plus progressives for 10 years and they have worked well for me. Thought I would try the elcheapo (zenni) route this time. Big disappointment. They are ground correctly for a field of view of about 45 degrees and this is being generous. Any looking to the side as in stopping at a stop sign requires a lot of neck turning and my neck does not turn like it used to. If I used these to drive, I am sure that in time I would get in an accident being hit by an unseen vehicle. They work fine for computer work though. Am trying the US  made lined bifocals now for driving and are way safer at intersections with what I would estimate is an 80 degree field of view. There ain't no panacea to be had when it comes to glasses it seems.

[toma nova]

47 y.o, have had progressive glasses for about 5 years. They are a good all-around compromise - if I am reading a book that I will not be looking up from, I take them off, but I did not have any issue adjusting to the progressive nature of the lenses.  My corrected vision is better with glasses than contacts.

I also wear multi-focal contacts.  Another great all-around solution.  Some compromise on distance compared to straight correction contacts, but I can actually see what I'm typing on the laptop right now - not possible with no correction.  I sometimes put on +1.50 cheaters over the multi-focal contacts - kind of a pain but crystal clear up close!

Over the past couple of years, I've been wearing glasses more often - used to be contacts 24/7 since I was 15.  I developed an allergy to the material of my monthly lenses so the doc changed me to daily lenses that are made from a different material.  I wear them 2-3 days then pitch them, works fine.

My eye doc told me my eyes will stabilize (not get any worse) by 50 so I may consider lasik then.  I would love to be contact / glasses free and only put on cheaters for up close work in the garage!

Tom

[Triple Jim]

Thoroughly research the laser surgery and side effects so you can make an educated decision.  Friends who have had it done tell me they see starbursts around bright lights when driving/riding at night, for example.  As I understand it from one guy, it's bad enough to make it harder to see at night.  I'm sure that like everything else, that side effect varies.

[normzone]

That's a common side effect.

I worked with a guy who was the poster boy for "don't do it". His brain was unable to adapt to the standard changes made (one eye set for up close, the other for distance) and after a series of operations to try different settings they put him back to stock and said "sorry, that's just you".

[trippah]

I've used progressive lenses since they came out, and have worn glasses for distance since junior high (now am 69 yrs old).  The progressive lenses  have made great strides and to my eyes are now equal to or better than lined bifocals.  My daughter (the optometrist) suggested I look into cataract surgery and I have had it done, imagine seeing road signs without glasses for the first time since I got a drivers license.  Couldn't stand readers only so I went back to progessives with no correction of distance but help with reading.  Make sure you go to a qualified optometrist and a good optical shop, skimping on glasses is truly counterproductive to quality of life.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  I tried progressives a few years ago.  I found them to be like most compromises, inadequit.  They are neither here nor there but somewhere slightly off of what you need most of the time.  Distance vision out the tops was okay. Everything else was always slightly not what I wanted.  I found myself constantly tilting my head like that stupid detective on TV trying to get a focus on things.
 They are not the solution to the problem.  I'll stay with the bifocals like I have had for the last 25 years.
 At least I don't have to look like that TV defective on the police farce.

[jovato]

I started wearing progressives about 4 years ago.  I didn't like my first pair for much more than reading, but I decided they were too narrow.  The cool hipster looking glasses just don't provide enough surface area.  I got a second pair with a much larger lens, and I love them.  The only place they bug me is for super cold riding or skiing (they fog up).  I just got bifocal contacts, and I love, love, love having peripheral vision again.  I went through a couple of different types before I got ones that fit the bill, but it was worth it.  I also had to troubleshoot a couple of different lens solutions.  I am now thrilled.  I can see fine for distance without them, but I can't read my gauges or focus on close street signs.  This final set of bifocal contacts is like what I remember by eyes being like before I needed glasses at all.

[Mile High Guzzi]

I ride w progressive transition lens....next best thing to having good eyes.  The progressives allow you to see both the distant road, as well as the near tank bag map.  The transitions eliminate the need for sunglasses.

[Rich A]

I have progressives, reading glasses, computer glasses, TV watching glasses, and sunglasses. They're all a pain most of the time, but sometimes they do prevent stuff from getting in your eyes.

Rich A

[JayDee24ca]

Just wait a few years and you can turf your glasses and contact lenses, and say goodbye to laser surgery too.
http://www.thecanadianpress.com/english/online/OnlineFullStory.aspx?filename=DOR-MNN-CP.e2a5357a2d0345bb883f50bd6d1ec5f9.CPKEY2008111303&newsitemid=33138082&languageid=1
JD

[Lannis]

Just wait a few years and you can turf your glasses and contact lenses, and say goodbye to laser surgery too.
http://www.thecanadianpress.com/english/online/OnlineFullStory.aspx?filename=DOR-MNN-CP.e2a5357a2d0345bb883f50bd6d1ec5f9.CPKEY2008111303&newsitemid=33138082&languageid=1
JD

His picture in the article was real fuzzy, I don't want to see like that.   Sounds like a terrible idea .....

[Gliderjohn]

I have almost always bought through my Ophthalmologist and been very satisfied except for cost. Bought my last pair of progressives just a couple of months ago through the same office and they suck. I am finally sort of adjusting but all previous progresses very natural and didn't really require a "break in period". Don't know if their quality has dropped, luck of the draw or what. Mostly wearing my old pair.
GliderJohn

[bpreynolds]

Thanks to everyone for all the helpful replies.  My opthalmologist is the only place where I have purchased glasses the last 4 years or so and have never had to take a pair back for corrections or mistakes whereas before this - when I would purchase through local Dr. Bizer's Vision shop or other big outlets at only a very slight cost benefit - I would often need to take them back once, sometimes twice before they got it right.  Even said, I've been impressed by the quality and relative effectiveness of the reading glasses I got for cheapy at Zenni.

Anyhow, my ophtalmologist said new progressives, courtesy of digital shaping, are much better than old progressives because the gradations are more exact. What's odd, is that I was the opposite of most folks where right out of the box I loved the progressives initially.  I rode the bike home from the shop and I felt I liked them better - I was seeing stuff in distance fine and reading my dash better.  As the days wore on, however, small issues began to creep in that eventually added up to me thinking - at the time - more trouble than benefit:

- On the ipad they were annoying because I would have to keep my head perfectly still or else I'd lose the line of reading sight. 

- I kept thinking my brain would eventually adjust to the new lenses and I'd stop jumping me eyeballs around and start using my neck and head, effectively turning in the direction of whatever it was that I wanted to see clearly.  In about 2 months' time, I never seemed to do this, still having to mentally remind myself to turn my head in a direction if I wanted to see something, often getting annoyed that first glances at things seemed blurry until I corrected my line of sight by moving my neck/head to where the correct gradation of the lens was for that particular object.

- Similar to the above comment, there was a very slight coke bottle effect to this that annoyed me - not greatly but it was there. 

[Dean Rose]

I ride w progressive transition lens....next best thing to having good eyes.  The progressives allow you to see both the distant road, as well as the near tank bag map.  The transitions eliminate the need for sunglasses.

 :1:


Dean

[HDGoose]

I wore progressive lenses in glasses in 2006-2007. Disliked them. Went with contacts and never looked back. I still need readers. but laser sugery is not an option for me because my eyesight is just bad enough to require corrective lenses to drive.

[vstevens]

Wore glasses since about 4th grade and probably needed them before that.  My prescription, -11 in both eyes, is too much for lasik... hence glasses for life.  Tried contacts in the late 80's but they irrate my eyes terribly.  Tried progressive lenses a few years back and they were awful.  Went to Costco and got my favorite pair of glasses yet... round, single vision but they 'transition' to darker lenses in the sun.  Thought about the lens replacement surgery but am so used to glasses it doesn't really matter.

Now to find a new helmet that's comfortable with my glasses 

[dee g]

I have had them for about 15 years.  I have a pair that are work only, single strength so I can see the computer screens.  And my driving glasses.  Bottom part is to see the dash, upper is for long distance.  I'm beyond pleased with them.  Also have a pair of sunglasses with same Rx.

Would love to go to contacts, but i have an 'astigmatism that requires a prism'. No idea how that all works, but apparently, it doesn't work with contacts. 

[Idontwantapickle]

- On the ipad they were annoying because I would have to keep my head perfectly still or else I'd lose the line of reading sight. 

- I kept thinking my brain would eventually adjust to the new lenses and I'd stop jumping me eyeballs around and start using my neck and head, effectively turning in the direction of whatever it was that I wanted to see clearly.  In about 2 months' time, I never seemed to do this, still having to mentally remind myself to turn my head in a direction if I wanted to see something, often getting annoyed that first glances at things seemed blurry until I corrected my line of sight by moving my neck/head to where the correct gradation of the lens was for that particular object.

- Similar to the above comment, there was a very slight coke bottle effect to this that annoyed me - not greatly but it was there.

The progressives were far from progress to me. No peripheral and I need it to see to work. The neck twisting was not acceptable. The thing that I thought odd was that it wasn't just the reading section of the lens that was narrow, it was the whole thing! There was no peripheral anywhere. Can't see out of mirrors while driving without turning and looking right at it, that is bad. Explains why some folks don't see you on the road though.
I got the W-I-D-E bifocal. Luxury.
Hunter

[Rough Edge racing]

 I'm near sighted in one eye and far sighted in the other...So I can get away without wearing glasses.. But I wear lined trifocals for better depth perception.. The progressives made me dizzy..

[EldoMike]

Tried the progressives years ago....after a month just went back to bifocals...I have mine set where I can see a computer screen with out having to tilt my head back to far...for real close work I have to put on a pair of cheaters...