Bifocals -- lined vs. progressive? (long, but need feedback)

[TrixieB]

I have had progressive bifocals (same pair) for the last two years.  For the whole time, I have felt like I have had difficulty focusing.  Street signs are difficult to read while driving, for example.  I ask my kids to read them for me.  But the worst part is that my eyes don't work together well while reading.  I can find a spot in the left lens where my left eye focuses on the page, while I can't find a spot where my right eye focuses -- never mind them focusing together.  I asked about these issues initially and was told that the lenses were made correctly to my prescription and that after a while my brain would adjust to how the lenses work.  I will add that I'm very, very nearsighted and I also have astigmatism in both eyes. 

 

When I realized that I can't look straight ahead while driving (need to mostly look out of the left eye) I decided to get my eyes examined.  So, I went in for the exam today and found that my prescription is almost unchanged from my previous exam two years ago.  The astigmatism measurement is very slightly different, but that's all.

 

So -- I need to get new glasses because of the problems with my current pair.  I am thinking about getting lined bifocals.  If I put on my old glasses (from before bifocals) I can see fine for distance.  Up close is a different story.  So I'm assuming that if I get lined bifocals, the upper part would be just like single vision lenses and the bottom part would be for reading.  I am also assuming I wouldn't have the focusing issues because, well, the glasses would be simpler to make properly.  The optometrist did say that if I chose lined bifocals, I would possibly have to adjust the computer monitor to be either distant or reading distance, but that was the only negative she mentioned.  The optician (young guy, in his 20's) said he'd never seen anyone change from progressives to lines.

 

What do y'all think?  Would it be smart or dumb to get lined bifocals?  Or should I get progressives again?  I am rather hesitant to spend 2x the money on something that didn't work well for me the first time...

[Laura Corin]

My optician, because of adaptation problems that some people have with progressives, gives a free trial period for all progressives.  Is there an optician near you that does that?

 

To me it sounds as if your progressives were not set up properly.  Maybe when they measured for the focus your glasses were not sitting on your face where you usually put them.  Or maybe they were made wrong.

 

I have progressive trifocals and don't have the issues that you describe.  Recently I've found myself peering through the wrong sections, but at yesterday's eye test that was explained by needing stronger close-up lenses.

 

I haven't used traditional bi/tri-focals, so I can't comment on that.

 

Good luck

 

L

[happi duck]

I'm sorry you're having this problem!  Your experience makes me glad I stuck to my guns...

 

My story:

I bought progressive lenses and they were weird...one eye could see far and the other eye could see close.  Both eyes could not work together.  I was told to get used to it so I went home wearing my old glasses.  The next day I decided it was crazy and went to return the glasses.  Once I said I was going to outright return them they took a look and sure enough, they were wrong.  New lenses were ordered.

 

The new lenses were "better" but things were still wonky and like you I couldn't read street signs and reading was a chore.  I asked about these things and just kept getting told that it required time.  They insisted that they were perfect and had been triple checked.

 

I started messing around with the glasses and realized that if I moved one lens over a tiny bit my vision in that eye was much better.  The eyeglass shop adjusted the nose piece and though it helped a bit with the sight, the glasses were smashed up against my face.

 

I went to another eyeglass store and told my tale.  They "read" my glasses and put dots where the different strengths were and saw right away that they were not lined up with my eyes properly.  

 

I returned my glasses and got progressives from the other place.  I could see well right away and now I don't even notice that these aren't single vision.

 

My advice:

get another opinion and see if the channels are lined up properly on your current pair.  I think assessing the current issues will help in deciding.  These are my first bifocals so I can't say about the lined kind.  Not seeing the computer well would bug me.

 

Hope this all works out for you.  I found dealing with vision issues very discouraging.

 

:grouphug:

[gardenmom5]

I seriously disliked progressives.  very near sighted with a strong astigmatism in left eye. my right eye has more minor problems.  My eyes have never worked together.  I also have prisms.  I have considered trying progressives again (so I would have mid-distance all the time), but with a larger frame so there would be more room for the rx to work.  I have separate computer glasses that I also use for piano.

[Rosie_0801]

My progressives work just fine as long as they sit straight. Naturally, the day after I bought them home, my small boy kicked me in the head and bent the frames slightly. It takes a lot of fiddling around to get them to sit right again after he does that. *sigh*

[Laura Corin]

I've said this on every post about progressives, so please forgive me if this is repetitious. 

 

I told my optometrist about the concerns I had read about on these boards re: bifocals vs progressives.  She told me that progressives with astigmatic correction are very complex optics and that you get what you pay for.  

 

OP: I should have mentioned this in my post - my optician offers four price-levels of lens, based on how well the sides of the lenses are integrated into the prescription - I have the highest level.  Lenses are a spending priority for us.

 

Good luck

 

L

[Pawz4me]

I'm on my second pair of progressives and have had no problem with them.  Even the initial adjustment was easy.  But my prescription is relatively simple, and I have no astigmatism.  I do know that the optician getting the measurements right is absolutely key, and so a lot depends on the experience of the person doing it.  So if this is the same person who did your previous glasses I'd be concerned that maybe they don't have the measuring skills needed.  I'd recommend going to some place that offers a replacement or refund if you're not completely happy.  I would think most optometrists do that.  I've never needed it, but my mom did once and her optometrist had her lenses remade at no charge.  I'd avoid all of the "get 'em in a few hours" places.

[LisaKinVA]

I think they did your lenses wrong.  I've had progressives for a year -- without any problem.   I will also say, that since I have a *very* high prescription, that I need a larger lens surface for them to work properly (distance hasn't been an issue...but reading can be).  I prefer my contacts, too ;)

[TrixieB]

I'm sorry you're having this problem!  Your experience makes me glad I stuck to my guns...

 

My story:

I bought progressive lenses and they were weird...one eye could see far and the other eye could see close.  Both eyes could not work together.  I was told to get used to it so I went home wearing my old glasses.  The next day I decided it was crazy and went to return the glasses.  Once I said I was going to outright return them they took a look and sure enough, they were wrong.  New lenses were ordered.

 

The new lenses were "better" but things were still wonky and like you I couldn't read street signs and reading was a chore.  I asked about these things and just kept getting told that it required time.  They insisted that they were perfect and had been triple checked.

 

I started messing around with the glasses and realized that if I moved one lens over a tiny bit my vision in that eye was much better.  The eyeglass shop adjusted the nose piece and though it helped a bit with the sight, the glasses were smashed up against my face.

 

I went to another eyeglass store and told my tale.  They "read" my glasses and put dots where the different strengths were and saw right away that they were not lined up with my eyes properly.  

 

I returned my glasses and got progressives from the other place.  I could see well right away and now I don't even notice that these aren't single vision.

 

My advice:

get another opinion and see if the channels are lined up properly on your current pair.  I think assessing the current issues will help in deciding.  These are my first bifocals so I can't say about the lined kind.  Not seeing the computer well would bug me.

 

Hope this all works out for you.  I found dealing with vision issues very discouraging.

 

:grouphug:

 

I think that maybe you, and everyone else who replied, are right -- that my current pair of glasses was not made properly.  I will try to get to a different optical shop today to ask them to put on the dots to find out if they line up with my eyes properly.  Then... I guess I will give another try with progressives, but will be very insistent that they work properly.  This is all just such a pain.  I assume that my current pair isn't one of the bargain-basement options, as it was well over $500 after insurance.

 

Sigh...

 

[KatieJ]

When my DH first ventured into the bifocal world, he had trifocals and progressive lenses. He could not adjust at all. Took them back and they were redone about 3 times. THe store manager got very involved. She said the glasses always fell within the "error" margin they had set for their store, but apparently DH could not tolerate that much error. Seriously.

 

They opted to leave the trifocal off at that time and went with the lined bifocals. That worked, but it was still an adjustment.

We now use Costco optical and he does have the trifocal. They are careful to adjust them correctly, but he is fine with them.

[PrairieSong]

When I first got progressive lenses about 2.5 years ago, I absolutely hated them and could to get used to them. After two weeks, I went back to my eye doctor. He changed my lenses to digital progressives, which were better. With my original pair of progressives, I felt like I had only a narrow tunnel where I could focus. If I only very slightly glanced to the side, things were blurry. It drove me batty. I was told to "move your head, not your eyes". But really? You always swivel your head and don't use your eye muscles to look to the side?

 

The digital lenses were better and gave me a bigger area of vision. I am still not in love with them, and if I am going to read for any length of time, I take off my glasses.

[Matryoshka]

I assume that my current pair isn't one of the bargain-basement options, as it was well over $500 after insurance.

 

I have my first pair of progressives, and dh almost passed out when he saw the bill.  It was around the same price you paid.

 

I've adjusted well, but I think my prescription is fairly simple - no astigmatism.  I only have two prescriptions in the progressives, but I effectively have trifocals, as I use my naked eye under the lens for close work. :)  I needed the mid-range prescription desperately, though...  I went through a few years (yes, I'm stubborn) where I could only see distance (with glasses) or really close (without), and being blind at optimal reading distance... it's a good thing I sit a fair distance from my computer screen, so I could still read it with no problem... ;)

[flyingiguana]

I have progressives -- because I really need that mid range that would be missing in bifocals, and I'm unwilling to do trifocals.

 

They seem to be more of a compromise than anything. I can kind of see far, kind of see close, kind of see middle. So I wear them most of the time.

 

However, I have to have single vision computer/piano glasses or there's no way I can read anything at that distance without craning my head almost constantly. And I'm lucky that I don't have much astigmatism, so I can just take my glasses off for extended reading of books etc.

 

You might be happier if you had special glasses for reading (to deal with the astigmatism). The problem with progressives and bifocals in general is that the reading area just isn't very big and it's difficult to get both eyes into the same area. Your case seems to extreme you might even want a single vision distance pair for driving. Some people's eyes are just hard (maybe impossible) to correct completely. It's not the fault of the prescription or the set up. Least, that's what one eye doctor told me. (I think I respected him)

 

I have heard that bifocals give more area to see through in the two regions. I don't know that I really believe that, but it's what I've heard. So it might be worth a try.

 

I've been getting glasses from zenni optical (online), so I've been able to experiment somewhat without breaking the bank. Single vision glasses are pretty cheap, and less likely to need fancy optical "design" so I've always figured it was safe getting those from there. However, I've also gotten 2 pairs of progressives lens glasses from them. They've been fine -- at least as fine as the ones I got from fancy shops. I think it's just my eyes that are weird, and that a single pair of glasses isn't going to do everything I need.

http://www.zennioptical.com/

looks like 6.95 + shipping for single vision lenses. I think it's "shipping per order", so you can order several at once. Progressive lenses are also fairly cheap. A big part of the price is the different frames. You can search the cheap frames. As far as I can tell, the expensive ones are just more "fashionable". Whatever that means.

 

You really need to make sure the distance between pupils is right (pd). That's about the one big thing that can be screwed up, even with glasses from brick and mortar stores (actually, I kind of wonder if they all get their glasses from the same place -- just that zenni optical doesn't have to charge so much because they don't have the store to maintain). You're supposed to be able to get that number from your dr or optician (whoever did the measuring). Maybe you want them to remeasure that. It's possible your eyes aren't symmetric, and that they missed that. My husband had a pair of glasses once that were asymmetric, but his eyes are symmetric. The dr he'd seen had eyes that weren't lined up properly, so she assumed most other people's weren't either and gave them prescriptions accordingly.

 

The single vision lenses in addition to the progressives have just about saved my life. I'm not kidding. I thought I was just going to be blind forever. Now I can read the computer and music. It changed everything.

[elfgivas]

we have gone the route of ordering really cheap glasses from china, that are specific for one activity. 

eg.  dh has "computer glasses" and i have "piano-playing glasses" that sit on the piano.  my optometrist did a separate measuring for the distance at which i read the music.  it is fabulous.  i can now play for a long time without the constant head turning AND where i can glance down at my hands, which are at about the same distance as the music AND i don't have a crick in my neck from having to read thru the bottom bit of the glasses.

 

i just take off my regular progressive trifocals and pop on the piano glasses when i sit down.

it has made a huge difference.

 

otherwise, i love my expensive progressives and tolerate my cheap ones.

 

fwiw,

ann

[Wildcat]

I have had progressive bifocals (same pair) for the last two years.  For the whole time, I have felt like I have had difficulty focusing.  Street signs are difficult to read while driving, for example.  I ask my kids to read them for me.  But the worst part is that my eyes don't work together well while reading.  I can find a spot in the left lens where my left eye focuses on the page, while I can't find a spot where my right eye focuses -- never mind them focusing together.  I asked about these issues initially and was told that the lenses were made correctly to my prescription and that after a while my brain would adjust to how the lenses work.  I will add that I'm very, very nearsighted and I also have astigmatism in both eyes. 

 

When I realized that I can't look straight ahead while driving (need to mostly look out of the left eye) I decided to get my eyes examined.  So, I went in for the exam today and found that my prescription is almost unchanged from my previous exam two years ago.  The astigmatism measurement is very slightly different, but that's all.

 

So -- I need to get new glasses because of the problems with my current pair.  I am thinking about getting lined bifocals.  If I put on my old glasses (from before bifocals) I can see fine for distance.  Up close is a different story.  So I'm assuming that if I get lined bifocals, the upper part would be just like single vision lenses and the bottom part would be for reading.  I am also assuming I wouldn't have the focusing issues because, well, the glasses would be simpler to make properly.  The optometrist did say that if I chose lined bifocals, I would possibly have to adjust the computer monitor to be either distant or reading distance, but that was the only negative she mentioned.  The optician (young guy, in his 20's) said he'd never seen anyone change from progressives to lines.

 

What do y'all think?  Would it be smart or dumb to get lined bifocals?  Or should I get progressives again?  I am rather hesitant to spend 2x the money on something that didn't work well for me the first time...

 

Please take this with a grain of salt, as I am a total noob when it comes to glasses & eyesight. I'm just relaying info.

 

Do you have the polycarbonate lenses (as opposed to plastic)? If so, read on. If not, maybe my story will help someone else.

 

My mother had very similar problems after she got her progressives. You didn't mention it, but my mother also suffered vertigo when on stairs. After taking the glasses back three or four times, she finally went to a Wal-Mart near her and had glasses made with her prescription. The same thing happened, and the optometrist told her to 'get used to it'. It had been MONTHS by this point. One day, she noticed an older doc working at the Wal-Mart and she went to ask him about it, as she knew it wasn't right. She said her old glasses with the same rx worked just fine, but this was her 5th or 6th try of the new ones. He took one look at her old ones and told her the problem. It was the material in the lenses themselves, and *not* the rx.

 

My mother is part of a percentage of people who cannot adjust to the polycarbonate lanses. According to the doctor, it is unknown what % of people are sensitive, because those who have a hard time adjusting to the polycarb think it's the progressives they can't adjust to, and just go back to lined lenses. She had the doc make her lenses with the plastic and hasn't had a lick of trouble with her glasses. She asked the doctor why all the other docs didn't suggest the problem to her, and he said they are so used to working with the polycarbonate lenses (that's the first suggestion/choice for making the lenses) that they just don't know about it.

 

Again, this is just an anecdote, and I have no idea how an rx/diagnosis of astigmatism affects the lenses, but I wanted to throw this out there just in case. The doc told my mother that there are a lot of people walking around with glasses that don't feel good and who go back to lined when plastic would work just fine.

 

[TrixieB]

Please take this with a grain of salt, as I am a total noob when it comes to glasses & eyesight. I'm just relaying info.

 

Do you have the polycarbonate lenses (as opposed to plastic)? If so, read on. If not, maybe my story will help someone else.

 

My mother had very similar problems after she got her progressives. You didn't mention it, but my mother also suffered vertigo when on stairs. After taking the glasses back three or four times, she finally went to a Wal-Mart near her and had glasses made with her prescription. The same thing happened, and the optometrist told her to 'get used to it'. It had been MONTHS by this point. One day, she noticed an older doc working at the Wal-Mart and she went to ask him about it, as she knew it wasn't right. She said her old glasses with the same rx worked just fine, but this was her 5th or 6th try of the new ones. He took one look at her old ones and told her the problem. It was the material in the lenses themselves, and *not* the rx.

 

My mother is part of a percentage of people who cannot adjust to the polycarbonate lanses. According to the doctor, it is unknown what % of people are sensitive, because those who have a hard time adjusting to the polycarb think it's the progressives they can't adjust to, and just go back to lined lenses. She had the doc make her lenses with the plastic and hasn't had a lick of trouble with her glasses. She asked the doctor why all the other docs didn't suggest the problem to her, and he said they are so used to working with the polycarbonate lenses (that's the first suggestion/choice for making the lenses) that they just don't know about it.

 

Again, this is just an anecdote, and I have no idea how an rx/diagnosis of astigmatism affects the lenses, but I wanted to throw this out there just in case. The doc told my mother that there are a lot of people walking around with glasses that don't feel good and who go back to lined when plastic would work just fine.

 

I don't know if the lenses are polycarbonate.  They are 1.67 ... or is is 1.84 ... some number that means that the lenses will be much thinner than they would be if they were made with the regular lens option.  If I got the plain plastic my lenses would be very thick and heavy.  But my pair of single vision glasses that I had before this pair of progressives was made from the same number as the progressives.

 

 

[TrixieB]

I have progressives -- because I really need that mid range that would be missing in bifocals, and I'm unwilling to do trifocals.

 

They seem to be more of a compromise than anything. I can kind of see far, kind of see close, kind of see middle. So I wear them most of the time.

 

However, I have to have single vision computer/piano glasses or there's no way I can read anything at that distance without craning my head almost constantly. And I'm lucky that I don't have much astigmatism, so I can just take my glasses off for extended reading of books etc.

 

You might be happier if you had special glasses for reading (to deal with the astigmatism). The problem with progressives and bifocals in general is that the reading area just isn't very big and it's difficult to get both eyes into the same area. Your case seems to extreme you might even want a single vision distance pair for driving. Some people's eyes are just hard (maybe impossible) to correct completely. It's not the fault of the prescription or the set up. Least, that's what one eye doctor told me. (I think I respected him)

 

I have heard that bifocals give more area to see through in the two regions. I don't know that I really believe that, but it's what I've heard. So it might be worth a try.

 

I've been getting glasses from zenni optical (online), so I've been able to experiment somewhat without breaking the bank. Single vision glasses are pretty cheap, and less likely to need fancy optical "design" so I've always figured it was safe getting those from there. However, I've also gotten 2 pairs of progressives lens glasses from them. They've been fine -- at least as fine as the ones I got from fancy shops. I think it's just my eyes that are weird, and that a single pair of glasses isn't going to do everything I need.

http://www.zennioptical.com/

looks like 6.95 + shipping for single vision lenses. I think it's "shipping per order", so you can order several at once. Progressive lenses are also fairly cheap. A big part of the price is the different frames. You can search the cheap frames. As far as I can tell, the expensive ones are just more "fashionable". Whatever that means.

 

You really need to make sure the distance between pupils is right (pd). That's about the one big thing that can be screwed up, even with glasses from brick and mortar stores (actually, I kind of wonder if they all get their glasses from the same place -- just that zenni optical doesn't have to charge so much because they don't have the store to maintain). You're supposed to be able to get that number from your dr or optician (whoever did the measuring). Maybe you want them to remeasure that. It's possible your eyes aren't symmetric, and that they missed that. My husband had a pair of glasses once that were asymmetric, but his eyes are symmetric. The dr he'd seen had eyes that weren't lined up properly, so she assumed most other people's weren't either and gave them prescriptions accordingly.

 

The single vision lenses in addition to the progressives have just about saved my life. I'm not kidding. I thought I was just going to be blind forever. Now I can read the computer and music. It changed everything.

 

I am really thinking about getting sunglasses from Zenni.  I need them, but the cheapest option locally is $200+ and that is for single vision lenses. 

 

 

[Tammyla]

I think you should take your old glasses back to your eye doctor and have him or her check them.  I had tons of trouble getting a pair of progressive glasses that actually worked.  Make sure you get a guarantee from the place that fills the prescription of money back or a new pair.  It took me three frames to get my current pair correct.  One was too large and couldn't be adjusted, one was a lens that wasn't correct and the third pair actually worked. 

 

Don't let a crazy tech tell you it's right and can be adjusted if you can't see clearly or to break you neck focusing with your head vs. your eyes...  Something is either wrong with the lenses or your prescription is incorrect.  I had to switch eye doctors, but I'm 80% happy with my progressive lenses.  I can see everything just fine, road signs, up close etc.; I just have difficulty reading a computer screen or book because I have to look down and prefer a cheap pair of reading glasses for any long time screen time or actual reading.

 

 

[LMA]

I have progressives. It sounds like the part of the lens for the upclose portion of your vision is not aligned with your pupils. They may not have set the lens correctly for that.

 

The other thing is your glasses need to be tall enough vertically to accommodate the progressives. Proper frames need to be chosen for the vision changes. The narrow square frames a lot of people like to wear are not  good for progressive lenses. A taller oval frame works better. So don't choose frames based on style but more for the progressive lens to have enough progression. 

[TrixieB]

I have progressives. It sounds like the part of the lens for the upclose portion of your vision is not aligned with your pupils. They may not have set the lens correctly for that.

 

The other thing is your glasses need to be tall enough vertically to accommodate the progressives. Proper frames need to be chosen for the vision changes. The narrow square frames a lot of people like to wear are not  good for progressive lenses. A taller oval frame works better. So don't choose frames based on style but more for the progressive lens to have enough progression. 

 

I chose new frames with this in mind.  They are noticeably taller than my previous frames (which were the narrow rectangular style :rolleyes: ) and the optician told me the new frames will definitely allow the new lenses to have more progression.

 

[Wildcat]

I don't know if the lenses are polycarbonate.  They are 1.67 ... or is is 1.84 ... some number that means that the lenses will be much thinner than they would be if they were made with the regular lens option.  If I got the plain plastic my lenses would be very thick and heavy.  But my pair of single vision glasses that I had before this pair of progressives was made from the same number as the progressives.

 

 

From what I read online back when my mother had her problems, you probably have polycarbonate lenses (they allow a thinner lens to be created). Since I posted, I tried searching (quickly) for info on what the doctor told my mother, but I can't find anything. I did find, however, that polycarbonate is supposedly great for astigmatism, so maybe you just have to keep on keeping on until you get someone who knows what they are doing. Sorry.

 

I sure hope you get it resolved.  :grouphug: