Funny you should say that....I'm looking for a prescription monocle...
Anyone know of a supplier? All I could find when I last Googled was the (admittedly useful) monocles to allow you to read the text on a mobile phone...
I only really need one lens...and it'd be nice and portable...
My local optician recommended that I didn't have torics.. he said they can wobble each time you blink and that I was so sensitive to the angle it would make me ill.
Depending on which side of the cornea the distortion occurs - it could be the front, back or both, a plain spherical hard lens could sort it - if it's mainly on the front. The contact lens becomes an extension of the cornea. That's how mine works - but not with soft lenses. Snag with hard lenses is they take some getting used to. Benefit is they last a long time if looked after so the 'running costs' are less than with specs. My contact lens prescription hasn't changed in 40 years.
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Had to have 'em last year having got fed up with the 8" wide dead band where I couldn't focus with or without my normal single vision specs. When I first put 'em on and moved about I did have a few "funny moments" as the world apparently swayed alarmingly but that didn't last more than a few hours before my brain got used to it.
I wonder if the lenses were fitted into the frame and the frame fitted to your head properly. The alignment is fairly critical so that you are looking through the right part of the lens for the right focus distance. Relaxed straight ahead through the middle of the lens should be "distance", you then just look down (not move the head) to use the lower part of the lens for "close". You can move your head up/down to adjust the focus point for intermediate distances, this does take a bit of getting used to.
I'd hate to have different specs. Hopefully I'll be OK with varifocal from now on but then I'm only +5. +11 is very high and might be why you couldn't get on with them, my world is barrel shaped and changes shape as my head turns but it doesn't bother me. Your world must be even more distorted at the edges.
I suppose that must be what what one optician tried on me. It was fine in principle and saved having to use reading specs. However, it must have been the right eye that was adjusted for reading, and resulted in a greatly decreased peripheral vision necessary to notice traffic coming from the right when stepping off the pavement, and some concerns, when driving, about being fully aware of traffic coming from the right at roundabouts. Went back (rather quickly) to distance contact lenses and reading specs.
Toom
There are a couple of common ways to get long and close vision with contacts..
use a different lens power in each eye.
use lenses with two power zones.
The first sounds like what you had. The second gives you the ability to focus near and far but it does reduce the contrast. Its done by having concentric rings of different power.
The lenses in my varifocals were changed as my eyesight had altered. The new lenses were a different make which the optician suggested. I find them better than the Varilux(?) lenses that I had before.
Only part of my 20" computer screen is in focus at any one time.
I have worn varifocals for many years now. When I first got them, instead of bi-focals, I had trouble for several weeks particularly with curved verticals, but I persisted and it went away. Now they are like plain glass to me and I am not conscious of having to hold my head in any particular position.
My wife on the other hand has to have Rodenstock? or she cannot cope. They are more expensive!
However the centres (of the lenses), both horizontally and vertically must be marked up correctly by the optician/assistant (to the millimetre). My last pair were marked wrongly and I couldn't understand why things were 'not right'. I asked for a re-test and they changed them straight away and they reglazed my previous pair for free so I had them done as prescription sunglasses.
Having had varifocals for many years, I find them absolutely fine for every day use. My most recent pairs have had fairly shallow frames, but the technology can cope these days. Having a reasonably powerful prescription, smaller frames means lighter, and less visually obtrusive, lenses.
However, my deteriorating eyesight and larger monitors mean that I find it far more comfortable to have a single vision pair optimised for about 50 cm. With the deals available, this pair cost very little. When I was working, I could even get such a pair funded for computer use. Also great for seeing to fill cracks in ceilings.
I also have another single vision pair for distance use, which I find better for the cinema or theatre, especially if I may have to tilt my head slightly to see over heads.
Chris
Trouble is, a computer screen isn't positioned where you normally read. Now that we have flat screens rather than giant valves, how about trying to lay one down and read it more like you would a book or piece of paper, rather than standing it up like we did the valve monitors because they had a bulbus rear end?
Moved to smaller lenses becuause of the cost. The *Varilux* glass lenses are priced by the size band that they are in. These lenses are also far thinner and lighter than the 'standard' glass varifocal lenses.
I'm not fussed with plastic lenses at all, as I find them optically less clear and easy to scratch - amongst other moans about them.
Cash
The message from adrian contains these words:
With varifocals there's only so much of a difference that they can make between the distance section of the lens and the close-up section, so if you've got a fairly strong presrcription for distance vision you can only have a weak prescription for near vision.
Firstly if you use a computer at work then you can get free glasses for computer use, unless they have changed the rules since I was a working man. Secondly I use varifocals, I was fed up of sitting on whichever pair of specs I was not using. I found then good from the beginning, though to me there are 2 disadvantages. When reversing a car one tends to look out the side of the glasses, so the focus is not good. Also a lot of DIY is difficult as some jobs require the eyes to look where the correct focus is not.
I'd hope no one uses varifocals for driving. You should have decent all round vision for that.
Well the near vision area of mine doesn't obscure the view outside the car and the transition zone between near and distance lines up with the dashboard which is handy. I did go for the largest lenses I could get though so the near vision part is well below the normal line of sight.
Mine's a giant valve :-(
the bigger the lens the better in my experience. I prefer to use a pair of reading glasses for the PC or reading, varifocals for anything else including driving and TV.
Elaborate on that statement please Dave.
I use my Varilux varifocals every waking minute of the day or night Dave (I bloody well have to), including driving in all conditions - and I have no problem with "all round vision" - and have done so since I got my first pair way back in the last century.
The problems many people have with varifocals is that:
A - they don't give themselves enough time to get used to them (especially after changing from single vision lenses).
B - they don't turn their heads to 'line up' the various 'segments' of the lenses (the only move their eyes).
C - very often the go for the cheapest price possible - which is very often reflected (no pun intended) in the quality of the lenses.
D - they dont follow the instructions for use tha usually come with new lenses.
E - they don't clean them properly or often enough, which can lead to problematical focus and eye-strain because of light reflections.
And lastly - they don't go back to the optician to get things checked out if they are still having problems after about a month at the most.
I really would be interested to read your reasons Dave for making that statement.
Cash
I do, my only pair of specs. Less strain in reading the instruments. The near vision area is less than thumb print lower center of each lens. Sides and top are all distance.
On Wed, 27 May 2009 15:51:15 +0100, Broadback had this to say:
Free, unless you're self-employed...
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