Glasses

[John T Barker]

At 59 I'm getting a new pair of glasses, or two, or three. I need glasses to see distance, a different prescription for the distance of a computer screen but I can see with no glasses for whatever is held in my hands. I find that a lot of what I do in my shop is without glasses though on occasion I could use the second prescription.I don't think I want progressive lenses (three thicknesses)but never having worn them I don't know for sure.

What are you folks wearing? Does it work for you?

[Andy Giddings]

Progressives with no problems at all. Doesn't take more than a day or two to adapt. If you don't like glasses try contacts as they also work as long as your optometrist is clued in

[Bill Conerly]

I can wear contacts plus readers, or progressives. For the workshop, I also use the glasses. Too easy to get an eye injury. My eye surgeon wife has seen plenty of them.

[Jim Barstow]

progressives with polycarbonate lenses (the material used in safety glasses). I'm the opposite of you; I need glasses for close up but nothing for distance. My progressives are set up so that there is no correction for far vision. I used to spend a fortune to get the fancy lenses with the "crystal clear" treatment. Vision insurance brought the price down from $500 to $100. After I retired, and lost the vision insurance, I tried costco glasses since they were only about $100 list price. Turns out, they were clearer and more scratch resistant that the expensive ones. Sometimes, you don't get what you pay for.

[Wayne Lomman]

Worn glasses since I was 7 years old. Always been short sighted but now I have progressives. I wore contacts for a few years but the dust got the better of me and I ended up with ulcerated eyes. I went from no discomfort to needing a rush trip to emergency within 2 hours. So I don't recommend contacts for the workshop.
It I have the same experience as Jim - the fancy coatings are no use. Just make sure the optometrist is good. I had one pair of progressives that they got the alignment wrong. They tried to fob me off saying it was my first pair so get used to it. Unfortunately for them it was my second pair... I never went back to them. Cheers

[Keith Weber]

I use progressives and like them a lot -- IF you can get them to work for you. I went through a bit of a learning curve in figuring them out. I started out thinking that the progressives were three prescriptions in one (distance, intermediate and close-up/reading). They're not. You have a distance correction at the top, and a reading correction at the bottom. The intermediate zone in the middle isn't a separate prescription that they measure and grind into the middle of the lens. It's actually just a transition zone between the distance and reading prescriptions and will be something between the other two. You don't get to pick a distinct intermediate zone, unless you go to trifocals.

If you're lucky, the intermediate zone will work out for you. If not, then you might have to play around with the other prescriptions to tweak the intermediate zone. In my situation, my distance correction is about -1.00. As a professional pilot, the instrument panel, which lies in my intermediate zone, absolutely must be in focus. For me, that distance is about arms length plus 4 inches, and the correction needed is +0.00 at that distance (ie. I can see the instrument panel perfectly without glasses). On my last eye check, I believe that they measured my reading at +1.50. This put my intermediate zone at roughly an average between -1.00 and +1.50, or about +0.25. I'm told that this is not an exacting calculation because of the way they grind the lens, but it's a decent ballpark. The result were glasses that were sharp, looking outside, and were sharp at reading, buy my instrument panel was blurry. When I said that they wouldn't work, they tried to get me to go try them for 30 days. I told them that I didn't need to try them, because a blurry instrument panel was unacceptable, period.

That's when I finally got the info about the intermediate zone not being a measured prescription. At that point, I took the prescription into my own hands and had them make me some glasses, with the -1.00 on the top, but only +1.00 on the bottom, which I'd expected to leave me with zero correction in the intermediate zone. It seemed to work. Perfect out the window, and perfect on my instrument panel. My reading vision is a little weak, but it's good enough for me to get by. In the workshop, I keep a pair of cheapo +2.00's around for wear under my welding helmet, or when I need to pull a sliver out of my hand.

Just thought I'd throw that out to you in case they try to leave you with the impression that progressives grind 3 different, measured prescriptions into the lenses. That's not exactly true. If your vision works with the progressives, then they're awesome to use because everything is in focus, with no "jump-lines" that you get with bi-/tri-focals.

[Kevin Jenness]

I wear trifocals- tried progressive lenses but could not get comfortable with them. The trifocals also take some getting used to, but seem natural now. My frames are conventional in appearance but are technically safety frames with high strength scratch resistant lenses and accept side shields which I wear in the shop. I have worn glasses practically forever and they have saved me more than once. The most dramatic was when I dropped a power drill with a 1/4" bit on the floor and the bit snapped, bounced and spiderwebbed a lens.

Since I always wear specs, I don't have to remember to put them on in the shop. I have worked with many people who wear safety glasses only when working with machinery (and when they remember). The worst incident I recall was transporting a guy to the hospital who had been visiting the town garage when he was hit by a bolt that a worker was trying to bend with a hammer in a vise. He had no protection and lost the eye. Be safe.

[George Bokros]

The wife and I both wear progressives. The wife had a little trouble at first with stairs but I had no problems whatsoever. They are all I will wear.

[Jim Becker]

While I no longer wear glasses (except off-the-shelf-readers), prior to my LASIK surgery in 2003, I wore progressive lenses for some time. They were quite effective and versatile. There is a learning curve for them, however, because you have to learn to "adjust your head" ever so slightly to get the correct correction, as it were, for the actual distance you're working with. It becomes automatic. There were some situations where it was better to use single focus lenses, such as reading in bed, to avoid neck strain.

[Stan Calow]

Progressives for everything except reading. Just get frames with large enough lenses to accommodate the gradient, so you have enough long-distance space to drive comfortably. I usually get a pair of single vision sunglasses for daytime driving. I've used bifocals before, and they take more getting used to, and are harder to find a sweet spot in the shop, where the distances you need are so variable.

As far as reading fine without glasses, are both your eyes good for reading? I read better without too, but only one eye is good at that distance and doing the work, the other not. So its still good to compensate for the bad eye.

[John Lankers]

Like Jim, I got my last progressives from Costco and I am glad I did, cheaper, clearer and best return policy if they don't pan out.
And yes, they take time getting used to.
You should consider safety glasses for shop use, I had metal objects removed from my eyes twice - first time I wasn't wearing safety glasses and second time I did wear them when a piece of metal somehow went past and left a permanent scare on my left (dominant) eye.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I think I wear progressives...

I know I wear transitions !

(you can see what's important to me!)(LOL!)

+1 to some type of safety lenses. Might as well go whole hog since your eyes are something you can't replace & it's easier to have protection on all the time.

I also pick up a few pairs of reading glasses from the dollar store for computer work and for reading.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

While I no longer wear glasses (except off-the-shelf-readers), prior to my LASIK surgery in 2003.

I would agree, if you could afford (getting cheaper now) LASIK, that is the way to go. Use just reading safety glasses. If you think about it, getting a couple pairs of glasses every other year or 3 adds up over time. Step or sit on your glasses, you're out a couple hundred bucks.

[Jim Dwight]

I need distance correction but read fine with nothing. I got into the habit of removing my glasses to read. There was a guy my age now that refused to get bifocals or progressives at work. So he was always taking his glasses off. When I started doing the same thing I decided it was time. I remember having a day or so of adjustment to the progressives. Sometimes I have to tilt my head a little odd to get in focus but overall I think they are the best alternative.

[John T Barker]

While I no longer wear glasses (except off-the-shelf-readers), prior to my LASIK surgery in 2003, I wore progressive lenses for some time. They were quite effective and versatile. There is a learning curve for them, however, because you have to learn to "adjust your head" ever so slightly to get the correct correction, as it were, for the actual distance you're working with. It becomes automatic. There were some situations where it was better to use single focus lenses, such as reading in bed, to avoid neck strain.

That's part of my concern and it was suggested by the doc that wrote my prescription. I told him I might be getting a job sitting at a computer all day and he said I might not like the moving of the head all the time.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

That's part of my concern and it was suggested by the doc that wrote my prescription. I told him I might be getting a job sitting at a computer all day and he said I might not like the moving of the head all the time.

John,

I worked with computers all of my professional career. I began wearing glass some 14 years ago and was into progressives about 12 years ago. The amount of "adjusting your head" is ever so slight that I never had any problems with it.

[Bob Hoffmann]

I have progressive lenses ... and would not be without them for normal wear. they work great for driving -- to see not only the road, but also the dashboard. I also use them at work ... and it is on a computer all day long.

I have the monitors low ... definitely not eye height --- that would not be at the right position for the progressive lenses to put the focal length to see thru if the screens were eye level.

My eyes are bad for seeing far -- I can barely see the big E on an eye chart. The progressive are needed so that I can see close with the glasses on -- they have gotten so strong that they affect the near seeing with the glasses on. When I need to look at something fine -- I usually take the glasses off -- easier that way ... but that is only for looking at something very detailed -- not normal in the shop. I do find that when trying to mount things high up, that I can never get the head positioned to that I can see the screw ... in those cases I take the glasses off.

I can see close with out a problem without glasses ... but normal use is with the glasses on ... and once you get used to progressive, they work fine for most cases --- and if they don't, it is easy to set them on the side.

[Lee Schierer]

I have progressives that are exactly what you say you need. I had no trouble adapting to them. The lenses are not 3 thicknesses and there is no line. I use mine for woodworking on my TS, working at the computer and reading. The only real adapting you have to do is to tilt your head slightly to bring what you are working on into focus in the correct part of the lens. I only wish I could get a pair that have the progression to the top of the lens instead of the bottom so that when I am working over my head I can see clearly.

[Steve Peterson]

At 59 I'm getting a new pair of glasses, or two, or three. I need glasses to see distance, a different prescription for the distance of a computer screen but I can see with no glasses for whatever is held in my hands. I find that a lot of what I do in my shop is without glasses though on occasion I could use the second prescription.I don't think I want progressive lenses (three thicknesses)but never having worn them I don't know for sure.

What are you folks wearing? Does it work for you?

I have a similar prescription that you have, needing glasses for distance and nothing for reading. I have progressive lenses and don't mind them at all. I got used to them fairly quick. Sometimes you have to tilt your head slightly to bring something into focus. The only thing I don't like them for is reading. They still distort the image slightly even though the bottom third is supposed to be normal vision. I would have to move my head back and forth to read each line, so I usually just take them off to read.

My last 2 pairs were from Costco at about half the price I paid elsewhere. I also got a pair of cheap single vision glasses with the distance prescription so I can use them to watch TV when I am laying in bed.

Steve

[Ellen Benkin]

I have worn glasses since I was 10. For daily life I wear progressives but while the close up section is OK for reading it is not OK for computer work or woodworking. I have separate single lenses for each of those activities. My woodworking glasses also have side shields that are supposed to prevent dust from getting to my eyes (they don't work very well). I find that having the correct prescription for each activity makes each easier to do.

[John T Barker]

Thanks all, I'm feeling better about the progressives.