Bi-vocals vs Vari-focals ?!
Question: Does anyone wear vari-focal glasses ?
What are the pros and cons versus bi-focals ?
Answers: Does anyone wear vari-focal glasses ?
What are the pros and cons versus bi-focals ?
Bifocals (with the line) have been around since the days of Ben Franklin (he invented them!) and they are becoming obsolete. Lined bifocals only give you a correction for 2 distances; far away (beyond 20 ft. or so) and up close (18 inches and closer) And because they only have two corrections in the lens, they are easier for most people to adjust to. They do still require a period of adjustment but often times it happens much sooner for most patients.
What about objects in between? Lined bifocals offer nothing for a computer screen, or even seeing objects on the shelf at the grocery store. To see a tag on the shelf at the store, people typically have to either take a few steps back to see it through the top portion of the lens, or tilt their head WAY back and get closer to the tag to use the reading portion of the lens.
Also with the lined bifocal, you have a huge jump in the prescription. As your looking down through the lens, its goes from far away, to upclose...very abruptly. Not smooth and gradual.
That line also can catch a lot of glare, because you can feel that line on the surface of the lens. Its ground into the surface and causes a little edge, which when catches the light just right, you get a glare from it.
And not to mention the fact that *most* people think that line is unsightly and they usually aren't ready for the world to know that they are getting older. So from a vanity stand point, lined bifocals are not the best thing for people who are in denial about their age! LOL
Varifocal lenses, also known as progressive lenses or no-line bifocals are a much more versatile lens. They give you the same near and far prescription, but they also give you a prescription for everything in between and for this reason, they are closer to your natural vision. The human eye is meant to see clearly at all distances; not just up close and beyond 20 ft. Progressive (varifocal) lenses acheive this. So now, you have a lens that you can drive in, read in, use your computer, shave, and pretty much anything else. The prescription runs in a channel in the lens (usually its kind og mushroom cloud shaped) and in order to use them properly, all it requires is a slight head-tilt. To see to drive, you may have to tilt your head down slightly (I'm talking a few degrees. You shouldn't have to bury your chin in your chest to see clearly to drive. If you find that you must do this, it means the lenses have been measured too high) Then to see things at other distances, you'll have to tilt your head a few degrees accordingly, depending on how far away it is. Again, it should only be a few degrees. And the clearest part of the lens is always when your looking through that channel I mentioned...which means you must point your nose at what you are looking at in order to see things the clearly. Off to the sides of the lens there is some distortion. There are lenses available that have minimal distortion and those are better than just a standard lens. Less distortion equals easier adaptation to the lenses, which is another story all together.
The reading portion of the lens works similarly to the old lined bifocal; just drop your eyes and your reading area should come in.
Because of all of the prescriptions in the progressive lenses, and because there is a certain way to use the lense in order for a person to be successful, they do take longer for *most* people to get used to. I find that some patients are slow to grasp the concept of having to tilt the head, and point your nose at what you're looking at. There is a knack to it and most patients make the adjustment within a week or two. There is the occasional person that takes an inordinate amount of time and comes back in to our office several times because they are having problems adjusting. The majority of patients who get progressive lenses (varifocals, whatever...) do very well with them and are pleased with their convienance and versatility. You get a person every now and then who cannot wear them successfully. And in my opinion, most of those people who claim that they can't use them are either not using them properly, or aren't wearing them enough. People expect to be able to pick them up and see perfectly right away without any adjustment period necessary. In order to adjust to the lenses, one must pick them up and wear them as much as possible; not just for an hour here and there. You need to build up a tolerance and retrain your eyes and head on how to use them and you cannot do that in an hour here and there. It takes some time and patience...and those are things that a lot of unsuccessful progressive wearers refuse to invest in their glasses.
Progressive lenses are not for everyone and there are certain circumstances where I would tell a person that perhaps they aren't for them.
A patient who is 70+ who has worn lined bifcoals for 20 years already, usually (not always) has a very difficult time with getting used to them.
People who need very large reading areas, like architechs who use blue prints, typically need a larger reading area than a progressive lens offers. Not always, but *usually*.
Also, roofers or construction workers...up on tall buildings and scaffolds...progressive lenses can be tricky for them.
But generally, progressive lenses work out well for probably 90% of patients. They are a little more expensive, but they offer so much more to the patient. Its like having 3 different pairs of glasses all in one; one for distance, one for reading, and one for the computer. So when you think of it that way, they really aren't as expensive. The difference is that you'd have one pair of glasses that does the job of three so there is only one pair to wear and keep track of, which is really nice for most people who are carrying around multiple pairs because they don't have one pair that does it all.
Hope this helps!
I assume you mean bi-focals! I've had both and always go for vari-focals nowadays. They take a bit of getting used to but are well worth the extra money in the long run ! ! !
vari-focals are better to wear,they make life easier.give them a try.
I`ve just changed from bi-focals to varifocals and just could not get on with them so took them back. Fortunately Specsavers where I got them from changed them (30 day offer). I found that unless I directly looked at something it was out of focus. Driving, glancing at my wing mirror, out of focus. Looking at the TV OK, looking at the DVD player underneath , out of focus unlessI lowered my head and so on.