The varifocals have arrived

[ARW]

Obviously I put them straight on to try them.

Wow.

There is some wobbly stairs effect but it is not that bad. Certainly nothing to worry about.

Using the computer seems odd. Looking down at the keyboard and then straight up at the screen I very clear picture with both. If the monitor is closer than arms length then that does not work.

I am however not going to wear them for the rest of the day. I might wear them to watch the match for a couple of hours tonight but I do not intend to walk or drive in them.

[Andy Burns]

When I first got varifocals I got a splitting headache all weekend, now my brain can switch between VF and a single vision 'backup' pair in about 30 minutes ...

[whisky-dave]

They'll probbaly break walking over them or driving over them ;-)

They are meant to go over your head and the eyes look through them.

yes a gramma cheque ;-)

[Huge]

I wouldn't, to start with. But I got used to mine within 24 hrs. The only proviso is you might find them a PITA for working above your head, because the "close-up" section is at the bottom of the lens, so you need to tip your head back a long way. I keep meaning to get some cheap single-vision glasses for, e.g., wiring up ceiling roses.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

That's the beauty of contact lenses. They correct your distant vision to normal so any old 'ready reads' are fine. Although you may well want more than one power. Or rather may as you get older. ;-)

[S Viemeister]

I know a car mechanic who had a pair made with upside-down lenses, for when he's working under cars. It appears to work well.

[Huge]

See also Dennis Taylor.

[Andy Burns]

I agree in terms of giving excellent width of vision, but having tried rigid gas permeable and daily soft ones several times, they always seem to 'droop' and need frequent blinking to keep them central on my eyeball.

The days of smokey pubs were pretty bad for the RGP ones ...

[Michael Chare]

When I first had varifocals I found it difficult to drive my car through narrow gaps so I did not wear them for driving. I went on a a holiday in the USA and there I had to wear them so that I could read my GPS and see where the car was going. The roads there are generally wider so I was not having to position the car very precisely. However I did get used to driving with varifocals and have used them ever since.

[Andy Burns]

I suppose for once they don't need to sack the manager ...

[Adrian Caspersz]

Be careful running down stairs. You'll find the steps looking a bit blurry.

And at a place of relief, if you have to bend your head sharply to see little Johnie, the beer belly might get in the way with the consequences of ...

But, you'll end up doing all of those, so persevere! If you do back to non-varifocals your brain will have to unlearn all the corrections the new fangled glasses have been programming.

For the first couple of days, I'd move my head side to side looking down and sea sickness would take a hold, especially in an office where there was a long length of brightly lit white desk space.

Thankfully that effect has ceased, when I realise I should look straight ahead. I avoid looking down, unless I'm reading a book or newspaper.

Huge mentions about ceiling work being a problem. IME it is.

As a (daft) alternative there are these things...

My varifocals have a wide undistorted field of view left and right. I understand not all are made like that.

[John Rumm]

I found I adjusted to mine very quickly... even driving I found quite nice because it put the instrument panel into the middle focus zone of the lenses.

The two things they are crap at is watching TV in bed, and wiring light fittings!

[John Rumm]

I have a pair of those - I realised that I could not see what was going on at the end of the table, which made potting the buggers quite hard.

With the glasses however I can now report that not being able to see was only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the list of reasons for my outstanding lack of snooker talent!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If a gas permeable type 'droops' it's down to poor design. Something to do with the curvature on the inside, IIRC.

Never gave me a problem. Been wearing hard lenses since 1970.

[Chris Bartram]

I drove home from the opticians after having them. It was quite a revelation how clear the instrument panel was :-). I'd put off having them for a couple of years because of the wobbly stairs effect, but never has a probelm in the end.

[Andy Burns]

Yes optician tried different 'base curve' and another brand with different curves available, unfortunately they all had the same issue for me.

[newshound]

+1 (or +3, if you like)

Most socket rewiring is a "glasses off" job these days.

[Thomas Prufer]

I'll raise you these:

Made for overhead work.

(AIUI, moving ones head while wearing these can cause seasickness -- considering the difference in visual and "balance" input, possibly understandable...)

Thomas Prufer

[John Rumm]

Alas no use for me (long sighted + astigmatism)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Same here. Which is why rigid contact lenses work so well (better with some types of astigmatism)