Glasses for DIY

[jack]

Easy enough to delete them after you have read them that way.

[polygonum]

Just because it is easy doesn't mean you actually do it. At least, not at the time. DAMHIKT

[Terry Casey]

If you can get them, ask for the full width bifocal lenses where the reading part extends right across the lens so that you don't have to keep moving your head from side to side if you need to take in a fairly large area.

Also choose frames with large lenses then check that you can go from distance vision to reading range with a simple move of the eyes and that you can't see the division in either view. If you can take them back!

I once had a pair where the lenses had been cut so that only about a quarter of the depth were for distance vision! The lenses were replaced and I had no further trouble, despite these frames having somewhat smaller lenses than previous pairs.

I now wear varifocals which include a central area which is ideal for the computer. The changes are smooth so there are no visible lines but do pay a little extra for the superior lenses to ensure there is no obvious distortion visible to the right or left.

[Mr Macaw]

So when he wants to walk (or drive) and see in the distance, he has to tilt his head back?

[Bill Wright]

I do. By habit.

I also use the phone to see inside ducts and voids.

Bill

[jack]

I do.

[polygonum]

I have two decent phones. Tend to use the work one for quick grabs of this sort and they do get deleted. But my personal one had some going back years - new phone means current one is clear!

[Davey]

But my 'phone doesn't have a camera.

[RJH]

I'm prescribed a 'full power' contact lens for my dominant eye, and a weaker lens for the other (short sight). It's not a bad compromise, and I can see close up pretty well. But nothing like as well as without.

Most of the time I'll wear specs out of laziness/meanness, and I suppose they do offer a small degree of eye protection.

[Clive Page]

I also used varifocals until recently, and found them pretty good. You could tilt the head slightly, with the eyes moving automatically the other way, to get the focus right on any distance, in my experience. The problem is that, with my very short sight, varifocals were so darned expensive. I found after my most recent test I could get a pair of plain distance *and* a pair of reading glasses for less than half the cost of a single pair of varifocals, so I went for the cheap option. Already somewhat regretting it, as I spend so much time swapping from one pair of glasses to the other. And I keep trying to tilt my head and it doesn't work the same.

An acquaintance of mine got varifocal contact lenses not long back and claimed they worked very well, but I've some doubts about how well then can possibly work since, as I understand it, they refract in two different ways at the same time so you always have one sharp and one blurred image overlaying each other on your retina. Has anyone reading this tried them, as I'd welcome other opinions?

[Huge]

I have astigmatism, and the focus area of Varifocals is T-shaped, so they won't work upside down. (I've tried it when playing snooker on a full-size table.)

[Huge]

[18 lines snipped]

Spot on. The Seiko lenses are very good, although v.expensive.

[dennis]

I bought a cheap £50 one with wifi so I could see what was in ducts and stuff on my phone screen while having the camera on a stick.

[dennis]

Varifocals only cost £99 (or two for £180) at asda and they will fit high refraction lenses if you need a high power for that price.

They reduce the contrast rather than having a second fuzzy image.

[Terry Casey]

I can't remember how much I paid for my last pair from Specsavers - I dare say I'll find out when I go back next month for my routine test!

A figure of around £150 rings a bell including the frames, scratch resistant coating, etc.

All but my first pair have had the superior lenses - the upgrade wasn't a lot of money and has proved well worth it.

I think there is an even higher spec - pardon the pun! - option but I'm happy as I am.

[Graham.]

Chap in front of me in the Been & Queue had a large item, and the barcode scanner wouldn't stretch far enough.

The check-out operator took his personal smart phone from his pocket, snapped the barcode then read the barcode from the screen with the scanner, As it happened it wouldn't scan, but I got the impression his technique usually worked for him. I wonder if his manager rewards him for his lateral thinking, or gives him a final warning about using his phone on the shop floor?

[Huge]

[14 lines snipped]

I've been using scanned (i.e. photos) copies of a number of membership cards on my phone for some time. Some of them work, some of them don't.

[Vir Campestris]

That ought to be fine. The "prismatic" figure is where you'd have problems, not the "cylindrical".

Andy

[The Natural Philosopher]

Typically if you have astigmatism its neither the same nor in the same direction one eye to the other..

[dennis]

Typically there is no prism correction needed so its not going to have an effect. Having the wrong power on the wrong axis is bad as I found out when the silly buggers put my lenses in 90 degrees out.