Best eyeglasses for beaders -- Multifocals? Progressives?

[Pearl Dreams]

My days of switching glasses depending on what I'm doing seem to be over as I finally need glasses for distance, too. (My right eye has deteriorated.)

For years now I've made do with two separate over-the-counter glasses:

1. Readers, which I only wear when reading books and magazines.
2. Intermediate (i.e. weaker readers) which normally hang around my neck-- I use these to read at the computer, prepare food, see things on shelves when shopping, and making jewelry (beading, hammering wire etc.)

I use my intermediate strength glasses a lot! I wonder whether trifocals wouldn't have enough of the intermediate segment.

I'm not sure about progressive lenses, either...seems like there would be a lot of space on the periphery of the lenses which isn't in focus. I wonder whether that wouldn't affect their usefulness for all my intermediate activities-- including beading.

Anther option, I suppose, is bifocals that are just distance and intermediate, plus separate glasses for reading....
Hmmm...or bifocal intermediate + readers with separate glasses for driving?

Tell me, oh beaders who need glasses, what sort do you wear, and how good are they for your beading activities?

 

[lisa c]

I tried progressives and found them pretty unsatisfactory, a huge disappointment. I tried them for two successive changes before I gave up and went to bifocals. Even with bifocals that intermediate area, say the distance to a desktop computer monitor or upper grocery store shelves, is the pits. The optometrist gave me a magnifying scrip for a separate pair of glasses but I only had the $$$ for one pair at the time, so I only filled the bifocal scrip.

I have an astigmatism, so maybe that's a factor in progressives not working?

Good luck!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

LOL, I think the censor caught the word p r e s c r i p t i o n-- am I right?

I'm also a bit concerned about blurred vision due to wearing bifocals when walking down stairs. I make multiple trips a day to the basement and don't want to predispose myself to a fall.
The more I think of it, the more I think distance + intermediate for one pair, and readers for another pair, might be best.

The other concern about progressives is, would I lose peripheral vision when driving?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I have astigmatism too, but didn't even know about it until maybe 5 years ago or so-- it was that mild. So I was able to get aways with not wearing glasses for driving, and OTC readers.

 

[BAS]

I HATE my progressives and never wear them. The "sweet spot" is absolutely tiny. It's horrible for reading, not great for distance, and dreadful for mid-distance. And I've tried various pairs. And they're expensive! The only use I get out of them is when I'm traveling, they are good for reading maps without having to switch glasses. Otherwise, I have my ancient and much-loved pair for reading and looking at pearls up close.

 

[lisa c]

LOL, yes by golly, it did asterisk that word of all things!

I didn't have any trouble with peripheral vision driving with progressives. Nope, just a constant crick in my neck trying to focus on the monitor and groc shelves.

The up-and-down steps - you adapt pretty fast. Mostly you come to realize you don't really watch your steps most of the time anyway, because steps are usually very regular in height. Sidewalks can be more problematic, if they're old and have heaved or sunk.

I don't know if astigmatism complicates things, but when I went to bifocals and progressives, squares looked like trapezoids. One imperious doofus insisted my brain would compensate in a short time, and correct, but it never did for me , and when I went back for help he treated me like a crock.

A competent eyeglass-fitter made a note of that and made some changes in the order that fixed the problem with the next pair. Just some things to be aware of, because when my brain wouldn't fix the problem, I felt quite a failure and helpless, which was unnecessary.

 

[lisa c]

PearlDreams, I really like your idea of distance-and-intermediate, and a separate set for reading and beading!

BAS, you made me lol, because you were so honest and didn't pull any punches!

 

[pattye]

Sigh, I have progressives which I wear pretty much of the time now and have only recently needed for driving. But for beading~originally used strong readers, so asked my eye dr to write a +3.5 with my "correction" to be used only for beading, knotting, sewing and such. This is the perfect solution for me, as the visors didn't work at all, and one eye is nearsighted, the other farsighted. I keep this "crafting" pair of glasses on a lanyard and use them at gem faires also.

Doubt there is any easy answer, but great to discuss!

 

[lisa c]

Pattye, do you use your beaders to read also?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Thanks, BAS, Lisa and Pattye for your input!

My husband just came home. He's had progressives for years and swears there is no blurry part at the side. I think his brain must be compensating somehow.

Pattye, I too have one nearsighted eye and one farsighted eye. Despite this the OTC readers worked for years-- I think my brain just used the information from the nearsighted eye more when reading, and from the farsighted eye more when driving.
But now I have a new problem, in that a membrane has formed over my right retina ("macular pucker")-- nothing like macular degeneration, thank goodness, but it does increase the blur factor a bit, making prolonged driving tiring.

The other day we were driving home from visiting a college and I was behind the wheel as hubby snoozed a while. Boy, was I glad to give the wheel back when he woke up.

 

[pattye]

Hi Lisa, Nope, use the progressives for reading, not as strong by a long ways as the craft glasses.

 

[pattye]

Certainly no fun having eye issues, Pearl Dreams, sorry to hear about yours. I have a cataract slowly forming, too, but they say it will be years before surgery is needed.

When I worked on a computer all day at the phone company, I had glasses made just to compensate for that specific distance.

I reuse frames when I can to save a little, as my insurance allowance is meager, to say the least. The corrective lens with magnification which were put in existing frames were about $100, which I thought was fairly reasonable. (I absolutely DO NOT walk around with them on!)

 

[Katbran]

I use two pair of glasses. I get dizzy using the multifocal ones..so it's one pair for close work/reading and one pair for driving. I also switched to an ereader for travelling as I can change the font and not have to use glasses on the plane...I've left a pair or two behind before.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Thanks, ladies...much to consider.

 

[Marianne]

Have the habit of just removing the progressives when going down stairs and when beading use two (2) OttLites...... Ah the challenges of the aging bod.

 

[GemGeek]

Lots of light and several strengths of readers!

 

[pattye]

Yes, lots of ott lights for me too.

 

[Ash]

I have to wear the P word glasses full time. Lots of Light helps immensely!

Cheers!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Oh, yes, I need stronger lights than I used to, also.

Makes you wonder how people coped back in the days of candles....

 

[GemGeek]

LOL, really! Lighting has progressed dramatically in the last few years, let alone a hundred!