At my last optometrist appointment 2 years ago she mentioned that I may need bifocals soon. Given my recent tendency to hold things at a distance to read I suspect she may be right. I’m going on Tuesday for my regular appointment and will order a new pair of glasses then as well, so before I go, does anyone have any wisdom to offer?

For what it’s worth, the main reason for my prescription is an astigmatism, though I also need them for myopia.

What has your experience been? I know literally nothing except that I may need them.

I have astigmatism and myopia. Go with progressives, not bifocals. And get a separate pair for up close stuff, like the computer, or crafting, they have a bigger area of magnified up close stuff. I use them for reading too.

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I have astigmatism and myopia. Go with progressives, not bifocals. And get a separate pair for up close stuff, like the computer, or crafting, they have a bigger area of magnified up close stuff. I use them for reading too.

This 100 trillion percent!

I have astigmatism and myopia. I use progressives for every day things (teaching, driving, being out and about, tv). Then I have an additional pair with single vision, mid-distance lenses. These are for computer and piano.

Good luck Dol!

I wore contact lenses or glasses for distance correction from the time I was 10.

When I got to my 40s I found I had to take my glasses off in order to read. Eventually it got to be a pain to keep taking my glasses off, so I got progressive lenses, aka multifocal lenses. They allowed me to see mid- and close range with my glasses on. I tried mono vision contacts (one eye corrected for distance and the other with no lens so I could read) but my eyes just couldn’t tolerate contacts anymore. That’s when I went to the progressive. I really didn’t need reading glasses, but changes in my eyes’ ability to focus meant that my distance correction screwed up my near vision. I noticed it when doing needlework.

In the last couple of years I’ve noticed that I’m having trouble with near and midrange vision when I don’t wear my glasses. Reading and computer work still possible in good light but I am finding I struggle a bit in low light.

I’m 66 and I think it’ll a little unusual to not need reading correction till this age. My dad was the same way.

Age 40 and after…vision keeps changing and the type of glasses that work for you may change over time.

Edit: what Jodi and sk said!

These comments are helpful! Thank you! Rob needs them too so I’m passing info along. He has all but stopped painting miniatures because it’s just too hard to see so hopefully this will help! My optometrist is great (I went to elementary and high school with her) so I’ll ask her lots of questions but I always like to hear peoples’ experiences when there are choices!

I tried bifocals; they really were jarring and hard to deal with.

Progressives are very expensive, but worth it. Single vision glasses at Warby Parker are $95; progressives are about $325. There are cheaper places online to get progressives, but they need to be fitted and lined up correctly. I've never been brave enough to try buying progressives online (anyone have any experiences to share?).

I also wear contact lenses for distance vision when I am playing sports or want to not wear glasses for whatever reason. In that case, I have to have readers. I have bought many types of readers over the years, everything from $10 pairs from Costco on up. My preference now is to buy only decent readers, usually in the $20-$25 a pair and station them various places. One for the purse; one for the travel bag; one for the car; one for upstairs; one for downstairs. My favorite place to buy them online is Peepers.com.

Good luck!

Good tips Cindy. Thanks! We are fortunate to have excellent coverage so cost shouldn’t be a problem! I wish I could wear contacts but I tried them for a year and never got past the “I have something in my eye” feeling so I haven’t bothered since!

I've been wearing progressives for a decade or so... Astigmatism too.

Not all progressives are the same. A larger lens gives more room for each "zone", so take that into consideration. It might take a bit of practice to remember to move your head to find the best spot to look through.

I have tried Zenni optical online in the past and found it was fine for backup glasses or ones that I would use for sports, but never quite got the placement right compared to the optical shops or Warby Parker.

One eye's prescription changed abruptly about a year or so ago with a developing cataract, so I had to get new glasses. Since none of my older glasses would work as backups, I ordered a pair from Zenni for around $80 in a similar size lens to the Warby Parker glasses I liked. The Zenni glasses finally arrived and I could see better out of those! I brought the Warby Parkers back to get checked and adjusted and that is when the person said that each company has a proprietary progressive design and some are just a better match for individuals. I ordered another pair from Zenni in a different frame color for variety and to act as a backup with the Warby Parker glasses.

For fine work, there are also clip-on magnifiers available online - they are just like clip-on sunglasses, but there is a range of magnification available.

I have progressives, and I also have a pair of single vision glasses for 22” away from my face, perfect for Zoom and also piano.

My vision has been changing rapidly for the past few years (going downhill) in my left eye. Current ophthalmologist suggested trying bifocals instead of progressives. I’m consulting with the ace optometrist in their office this week.

But I definitely recommend having that second pair of single vision glasses so you have a whole lens of the right prescription for certain activities.

I wore contacts for 35 years, but they’re just not comfortable any more, especially because I was no longer wearing them daily (stopped working in an office).

My progressives were reasonably priced at BJ’S. I keep several pair of reading glasses scattered around the house so I don’t always have to go looking for my glasses.

FWIW, most when I can’t find them they are tucked into the neck of my shirt.

J

I buy all my glasses through Costco. Almost a third of the price of buying them through an optical shop.

How do you like Costco's progressives?

I have myopia and a bit of astigmatism. Without my glasses I can focus on anything that is between five and 12 inches away. I can read without my glasses, but I would hold a book a little closer than normal.

I have worn progressives for many years now. I recommend, them but with a few caveats.

Zeiss makes some really really good lenses and they have three versions that are optimized for close-up, "office", and "normal". The "office" version is optimized for using a computer and having to look down at whatever is on the desk in front of you, or across the room; anything more than 20 feet away will never be in focus, but several times I forgot to change from the office to the normal ones when leaving the office and drove home just fine with the offices ones on. They are expensive, but in my opinion, worth it.

Depending on the brand and how they are made, you only get a narrow and hourglass-shaped area in the middle of the lens where everything is in focus. Your peripheral vision may never be completely in focus and can get some chromatic aberration. Thus, it is important to get the inter-pupil (IP) distance measured correctly and make sure the lenses are made to that IP distance. Your IP distance changes with focal distance, so having a competent technician measure twice or three times is important. (This is true for single-focal glasses, as well, but more so for bifocals.) I have no idea how you correctly measure IP yourself to be able to order glasses, especially bifocals online.

Sit at your computer and have someone else measure the distance from your eyeballs to the screen. You cannot do this yourself accurately. I was gauging it by stretching my arm out, but I was off by about six inches. Also do this sitting at the piano. My piano teacher had different pairs for piano, harp, driving, and just everyday stuff. I think the standard assumed distance for reading something you are holding is about 15 or 16 inches.

When I got my first pair, the optician warned me: don't go hiking and especially don't go running for a couple weeks until you are used to them. There's a high risk of tripping over something you didn't see. I suppose living in a house that also contains LEGOs is dangerous, too.

Bifocals are theoretically great for driving because you see distance out the top part and close-up (where you speedometer is) out of the bottom part. But it takes some getting used to.

You will be very conscious of bobbing your head up and down to find the correct part of the lens for whatever you are doing for a while. It will become second nature after a few weeks. Don't sweat it.

I got my last glasses at Costco. I had a separate specialist eye doctor do the exam due to some other health issues. They made the regular bifocals fine, but I never got computer glasses that worked right ever after three tries. I think they never got the IP distance correct. I have a new prescription that I haven't tried to have made, yet. If they can't get them right on the first try, I will go elsewhere. Costco also has an extremely small selection of frames. Each model they have is only available in one size. My previous HMO had several styles and you'd pick the style you like and they would get it in the color you wanted and the correct size. Not so at Costco. But they frequently have a deal where you pay regular price for the first pair and all subsequent pairs at the same time are $40 (plus upcharges for bifocals, special coatings, etc.). I got regular glasses, computer glasses, and sunglasses at the same time. Their turnaround time was very fast. They also handled everything with Davis Vision which is the horrible insurance provider that my benevolent employer used.

I've had great luck with the Essilor Definity lens that I got through an optical shop, but it's way more expensive than the Costco lens, which is a much more basic progressive. I tried a Costco progressive maybe 15 years ago and it didn't work at all for me, which is why I went to an optical shop. Back then it was the Ovation and after three weeks I still had the "swimming" problem. With the Definity, I put them on and my adjustment was literally instantaneous. They were perfect.

Costco has since switched the lens it uses, which is why I was asking jodi about what she thought about the Costco progressive.

I did find a frame I liked at Costco and am tempted to buy that and take it to an optical shop and just have them put my premium lenses in. Costco's prices on frames are so much cheaper....

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But they frequently have a deal where you pay regular price for the first pair and all subsequent pairs at the same time are $40 (plus upcharges for bifocals, special coatings, etc.).

The optician at my Costco said they always discount $30 for multiple pairs, and then sometimes run the $40 off deal.....