Progressive lenses. Does anyone else have issues? (insurance, eye, more expensive)
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My husband has Meniere’s disease and serious balance problems. He tried progressive lenses and only the most basic ones worked. The “fancy” ones - Crizal and such, made his balance even worse to the point he could not wear them unless he was sitting down.
This last go-round even the basic ones were bad. He’s using regular lined bifocals now.
I love my progressives. When I first got them, I put them on and immediately could see better than I had in years.
I will say I pay an absolute fortune for my lenses. I have a complex prescription and my ophthalmologist is pretty picky about where I get my lenses, because he feels the less expensive, higher production labs are less likely to get the Rx right. Fortunately, I have a family friend who is an optician with an amazing selection of frames and she gives me a nice discount (but even with that, they're still $$$)
I've worn them for years and am very happy with them. But they do take adjusting to. I'd suggest giving them at least three weeks before giving up.
The two things I had the most difficulty with were going down stairs and threading a sewing machine needle. At first I had to kneel on the floor and look up at the needle to thread it. Now I no longer need to do that.
But I had to give up playing billiards. Forget it.
I found that the prescription for progressives given by the optometrists were terrible. I read up on how to do the adjustment for the reading portions and ordered a couple of progressives for $40-$60 each from Zenni to test a couple of different valued. When I found the value that worked for me it was just like having my own younger eyes back. I don't really understand why the professionals can't figure out how to do what I did on my own but they don't seem to be able to or they don't care.
I also find I have to do the same with my prescriptions. I get a prescription and then order it in single vision from Zenni for $10. I then take it back to the optometrists and tell them what I'm seeing through them and get the prescription fixed. Then order that from Zenni for $10 until I get a distance prescription I love. After I do I then order a progressive pair with either the previous versions reading adjustment or one with a small adjustment to fix a problem if I'm starting to have trouble with the reading.
For some reason my eyes do not get a good prescription from the machines used in the office. I found this out over 10 years ago when I bought a new pair from a local lab. When I picked them up I didn't see well at all through them. The head lab guy got out a hand lens kit, held various ones in front of the new glasses, adjusted the prescription by what worked and voila, I could see well again. Several optometrists had told me that I was getting older and that was just the way it was, I wouldn't have crystal clear vision again. But it wasn't true. The new hand done prescription gave me perfect vision.
Tell me more! Are they soft lenses or gas permeable? How bad is your distance vision? I've been wearing glasses since I was 9 years old and then got contact lenses but as I got older I also need readers for close-up which is a PITA when I'm shopping.
Before I got cataracts I wore Coopervision Biofinity multi-focal contacts. They were AMAZING. They were a really good fit for me. I could see almost as well as I could when I was child before I developed vision problems. On top of that, I was no longer being corrected with monovision so my 3-D perception was so amazing I felt almost like I had some sort of vision superpower. I could see clearly at all distances and could read tiny fonts closeup without any difficulty. They changed my life. You can go online and get a coupon for a free pair. I can't remember I think they get changed monthly. But honestly you don't need the coupon your eye doctor will give you a free trial pair without them.
It lasted about a year then I started quickly losing vision quickly because of aggressive cataracts. Although I had multi-focal IOLs put in my eyes during cataract surgery, they aren't quite as good as those multifocal contacts were, except for very near vision where they are better. I told a friend about the biofinity lenses and he switched to them as well. His experience wasn't as awesome as mine as he had to give up a little bit of distance clarity but still thinks its better than the contacts he was wearing plus carrying around a pair of reading glasses.
I would recommend anybody try them. They aren't for everybody, but there are other brands and other types of multi-focal contact lenses. They have come a long way just in the last 2-3 years so even if one has tried them before they might be worth another look.
Tell me more! Are they soft lenses or gas permeable? How bad is your distance vision? I've been wearing glasses since I was 9 years old and then got contact lenses but as I got older I also need readers for close-up which is a PITA when I'm shopping.
They are soft contacts - I'm afraid they are expensive because not only are they multi-focal but I need somewhat strong correction as well as some astigmatism so I'm spending about $600 year (for monthlies).
A cheaper option would be to have one eye fitted for your "distance" prescription and then the other for whatever you need for "readers" - so you learn to subconsciously switch between eyes for whatever task you need. Maybe they can make one eye "bifocals" with a middle distance option + for close-distance reading? It's pretty amazing what they can do so you might check into that too! I had to start wearing glasses in 1st grade so I know that feeling of always needing some correction with either glasses or contacts.
A few points from an optician of many years: Don't go cheap on progressives. These are your eyes you're talking about and you use them every minute of every day. (I wear them myself, so I know.) Buy cheap toilet paper or mac and cheese, not progressives. You get what you pay for generally. If you want to save a lot of money on them, buy them from Costco. They are excellent quality and an amazing price. And what exactly does "never get used to them?" mean to you? You need to give them a chance. Wearing them for 3 minutes and tossing them away is not "giving them a chance." We're not 25 years old anymore and we won't see like we are either.
Progressives are not designed to be used when leaning back in a recliner. They are designed to be worn while sitting up straight. Use your nose as a pointer to see clearly. Most of us do that anyway. Be sure and get digital progressives with the wide corridor. If you get a narrow corridor, you're looking through a soda straw. Those are typically what you get from Zenni. If you bought progressives in 1980 and think you will still not like them, I encourage you to try them again.
Technology has evolved and so have progressives. We don't use VCRs and CD players anymore. That said, some people are not progressive people. Lined bifocals or two pairs of glasses work best for them. Progressives just offer convenience those other glasses don't. Multifocal contacts tend to induce blur you don't get with glasses, so you won't get the best vision using contacts, though many people like those as well. Approximately 75% of my presbyopic patients use progressives. The other 15% use bifocals, and the remainder use two pairs or just pretend they don't need readers at all
They are soft contacts - I'm afraid they are expensive because not only are they multi-focal but I need somewhat strong correction as well as some astigmatism so I'm spending about $600 year (for monthlies).
A cheaper option would be to have one eye fitted for your "distance" prescription and then the other for whatever you need for "readers" - so you learn to subconsciously switch between eyes for whatever task you need. Maybe they can make one eye "bifocals" with a middle distance option + for close-distance reading? It's pretty amazing what they can do so you might check into that too! I had to start wearing glasses in 1st grade so I know that feeling of always needing some correction with either glasses or contacts.
Thanks for responding. I tried the monovision and they were okay for reading but the distance wasn't working well for me especially for night driving. I was going to have to wear glasses on top of the contacts for driving and that defeated the purpose of not needing glasses for me. My distance is very bad. Without glasses or contacts I can't see the big letter E in the optometrist's office. I need an appointment now to have my eyes checked and I will ask the doctor about the multi-focal contacts.
A few points from an optician of many years: Don't go cheap on progressives. These are your eyes you're talking about and you use them every minute of every day. (I wear them myself, so I know.) Buy cheap toilet paper or mac and cheese, not progressives. You get what you pay for generally. If you want to save a lot of money on them, buy them from Costco. They are excellent quality and an amazing price. And what exactly does "never get used to them?" mean to you? You need to give them a chance. Wearing them for 3 minutes and tossing them away is not "giving them a chance." We're not 25 years old anymore and we won't see like we are either.
Progressives are not designed to be used when leaning back in a recliner. They are designed to be worn while sitting up straight. Use your nose as a pointer to see clearly. Most of us do that anyway. Be sure and get digital progressives with the wide corridor. If you get a narrow corridor, you're looking through a soda straw. Those are typically what you get from Zenni. If you bought progressives in 1980 and think you will still not like them, I encourage you to try them again.
Technology has evolved and so have progressives. We don't use VCRs and CD players anymore. That said, some people are not progressive people. Lined bifocals or two pairs of glasses work best for them. Progressives just offer convenience those other glasses don't. Multifocal contacts tend to induce blur you don't get with glasses, so you won't get the best vision using contacts, though many people like those as well. Approximately 75% of my presbyopic patients use progressives. The other 15% use bifocals, and the remainder use two pairs or just pretend they don't need readers at all
very interesting but if you are suppose to follow your nose as a pointer, they cant work if you are moving your eyes and not your head like many artists do, right?
very interesting but if you are suppose to follow your nose as a pointer, they cant work if you are moving your eyes and not your head like many artists do, right?
Correct. That's why I said most of us use our nose as a pointer, not all of us, and that progressives don't work for everyone. My artist patients prefer lined bifocals.
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