Progressive eyeglasses

[Anonymous]

I am severely near sighted (about -6) and just reached the point where I also need reading glasses. From everything ive heard about progressive lenses (blurred peripheral vision, dizziness, having to move your head rather than eyes, difficulty with stairs, etc) they sound awful, and they are very expensive. I’m concerned that I won’t be able to adjust to them. I can actually read without glasses and for years have been just taking my glasses off to read or look at my phone. Besides that it is kind of annoying, is there any harm in continuing to do that? I’ve also considered lasik but understand that then I would not be able to see up close without reading glasses. Has anyone in a similar situation found a solution that is working well? If I do decide to give the progressive lenses a try, any advice on where to get them. I understand that they have improved in recent years and that it is worthwhile to get the digital ones where theymeasure everything very precisely to personalize the fit, but don’t know where they do that. Thanks for any advice or suggestions!

[Anonymous]

I do the same. I just take off my glasses to read. No harm at all. Hopefully my eyes won’t get worse. My mother’s never did.

[Anonymous]

I got them. I also had lost a teensy bit of vision for small faraway things but the main reason was that I really got tired of the constant up down business with the glasses on my eyes/on my head. I think they were worth it. I now wear the new glasses to do all household activities (especially cooking) and read small things. I continue to use big lens readers for working on the computer at night. Also, I think custom glasses that don't look like readers look better on me than readers.

[Anonymous]

My eyes aren't as bad as your but I have progressive lenses. It took awhile to get use to them but pretty quickly your brain adapts.

[Anonymous]

I got them and found they work best with a larger pair of glasses. You do get used to them. It must have taken me about 6 weeks but now they are the new normal and I have not fallen down the stairs.

[Anonymous]

I have had them for years. It took about a week to get used to them with nausea and tripping over the floor. Once I got used to them, I really liked them.

Now, I only ever have the standard prescription change problems.

[Anonymous]

I am at -6.5 and LOVE my progressive lenses. My adjustment was a matter of hours. I also have contacts with one at -4.25 and one at -6.5 to allow for both reading and normal vision; they work well but I have some astigmatism now as I move into my 50s and the contacts just aren’t that comfortable anymore. My only issue with the glasses is that they don’t stay on for strenuous exercise so my contacts do get a workout, so to speak.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thank you all for sharing your experience with progressives. Not looking forward to the adjustment period, especially the potential nausea, but it sounds like they may be worth trying. I also like the idea of the different strength contacts. I’m going to look into that!

[Anonymous]

I thought progressive glasses were glasses that someone else paid for.

[Anonymous]

My insurance will pay $350 plus 20 percent off any amount over $350, but given the full cost, I will still have to pay about $500 out of pocket - depending on how expensive the frames are. Lenses alone are nearly $800 I was told!

[Anonymous]

Costco! Best deal on progressive Rxs, IMO.

[Anonymous]

I have a low correction and like progressives. My problem is getting halfway-decent lenses. My early pairs were from a no-name optical shop that is now out of business. They were perfect. (I'm sure they outsourced them to a third party but I don't know who.)

Now I try MyEyeDr and they're awful. They offer to regrind the lenses for the same price and they're better but still bad.

Do you have a good optical shop that is good at progressive lenses?

[Anonymous]

My problem wearing single vision lenses as I got older was that
It became difficult to see the speedometer in the car because that was close up

[Anonymous]

Bifocals allow you to maintain peripheral vision but there is a jump looking up and down between distance and close up. Trade offs...

[Anonymous]

You are completely overstating how "awful" progressives are. I don't even notice the head movement or any of the other things you list. You still have to do all that with bifocals - you just get a physical line to help you.

I have a -6 for distance, and a +2.5 on top of that for reading (so I read with a negative 3.5 more or less). I also have an astigmatism.

The cheap stores do a fine job if your measurements are close to standard. If not, the expensive places that grind in house do better. I get used to each new pair within an hour.

I do take them off to read in bed.