a.twiddler
Veteran
I have worn glasses since I was a child with a quite strong prescription for short sightedness. For most of my life, until I was in my late forties, single vision lenses were fine but I noticed close focusing becoming a problem and it was suggested that I needed reading glasses as well. Without glasses I could see well for fine or close up work but it was the slightly further vision that needed help, and the normal prescription for mainly outdoors. I tried varifocals but at that time the technology gave a defined area where I felt I had to look directly at things to see distance and then the edges and particularly the lower part of the lens graduated to the reading strength. This led to annoyances when working in the garage for example as if I dropped a small item on the floor it was hard to find without scanning areas which I had to look directly at to see clearly. Plus the danger of tripping when out walking as the lower field of vision was not sharp. It was almost better to not be wearing glasses at all. It may be these were a dud pair. The worst thing was while driving or motorcycling when at junctions I had to look directly at whatever I wanted to see rather than making use of peripheral vision to be aware of dangers. I went back to single vision and reading glasses for a while.
After discussion with the optician, I tried a slightly weaker prescription for daily use, maybe half or one dioptre less than the full prescription which worked really well for several years. I could still read number plates and distant road signs, and the loss of pin sharp far distance vision was more than compensated for by far better close up vision. I kept a set of full prescription single vision specs for night driving or situations where I might need specific distance sharpness. This might not suit everyone, but it was a good compromise for me. The lack of close up vision is something that happens to just about everyone as they age, as the lens of the eye becomes less elastic. It's known as loss of accommodation.
More recently, I have tried varifiocals again and found that they are much better than they were. The area of clear distance vision is much larger now, maybe because varifocals are cheaper and more common so what was a premium product or "extra" is now standard. The close up area is not so obtrusive, but easy to use. You don't need a neck like an owl to focus on distant objects. My current pair are from ASDA opticians, of all places.
When I was much younger an optician told me that people who wear glasses all the time tend to be much more finicky about their eyesight than the general population who take their sight for granted, and notice and follow up any changes. I've found this tendency in myself. I've not quite been as afflicted as the cartoon character Mr Magoo but like many people who live with a long term affliction, you tend to become your own expert, and find ways of dealing with it that suits you.
After discussion with the optician, I tried a slightly weaker prescription for daily use, maybe half or one dioptre less than the full prescription which worked really well for several years. I could still read number plates and distant road signs, and the loss of pin sharp far distance vision was more than compensated for by far better close up vision. I kept a set of full prescription single vision specs for night driving or situations where I might need specific distance sharpness. This might not suit everyone, but it was a good compromise for me. The lack of close up vision is something that happens to just about everyone as they age, as the lens of the eye becomes less elastic. It's known as loss of accommodation.
More recently, I have tried varifiocals again and found that they are much better than they were. The area of clear distance vision is much larger now, maybe because varifocals are cheaper and more common so what was a premium product or "extra" is now standard. The close up area is not so obtrusive, but easy to use. You don't need a neck like an owl to focus on distant objects. My current pair are from ASDA opticians, of all places.
When I was much younger an optician told me that people who wear glasses all the time tend to be much more finicky about their eyesight than the general population who take their sight for granted, and notice and follow up any changes. I've found this tendency in myself. I've not quite been as afflicted as the cartoon character Mr Magoo but like many people who live with a long term affliction, you tend to become your own expert, and find ways of dealing with it that suits you.
