Varifocal spectacles: are they worth it?!
Question: My optician has informed me that I would benefit from a prescription lens for reading as well as distance now. I have misgivings about varifocal lenses, wondering if they provide a more restrictive amount of vision, compared with single vision glasses. Are they worth switching to, or would it be better to simply use separate single vision spectacles for both distance and reading?
Answers: My optician has informed me that I would benefit from a prescription lens for reading as well as distance now. I have misgivings about varifocal lenses, wondering if they provide a more restrictive amount of vision, compared with single vision glasses. Are they worth switching to, or would it be better to simply use separate single vision spectacles for both distance and reading?
That is a little difficult to answer. It depends if you are wearing distance glasses to begin with and have to take your glasses off to see anything up close, such as a phonebook.
If you have to do that and don't mind it, then keep on that way until it becomes too much of a bother.
The idea of the Progressive lens is only to eliminate the hassles of having to keep switching glasses.
The field of vision in the Progressive lens for near is definately a lot smaller than full reading glasses will give you.
If you like to read a lot, or do hobbies that require near vision, you may want to have a pair of reading glasses also.
If you don't mind switching glasses , then stay the way you are , with separate pairs.
I have many patients who prefer to stick with 2 pairs...and many who have varifocal lenses, and love them, but still get a pair of readers for when they just want to sit and read .
If you are talking about bi-focals, they are great. I have the ones without lines and never from day one did I have a problem with adjusting to them. It sounds like a lot of trouble to switch back and forth with 2 pair of glasses.