Bifocals, Not FF

[Jack Hise]

Jason;
I have the "No Line" Bi-focals but have a hard time with depth perception when wading so I don't wear them on the stream.
I did get new pair this spring and they were, to say the least awful!! I went back to the optometrist and he re-did the tests using the old method of changing lenses in the test glasses you actually wear, much better this time. According to him they are finding out that in some cases the new testing equipment checks too far away from the eye. (Rick Z may be able to add to this.) On a sunny day I can tie on fly's without glasses and I carry a set of reading glasses for cloudy days.
P.S. Welcome to the club!!

[oldfrat]

I now have progressive glasses and polarized sunglasses. I had no problem adjusting to them but, as others have said, they need to be measured properly. I used Fitover sunglasses for a long time before going to the prescription progressive sunglasses, and flip down magnifiers for changing flies.

I much preferred the mono-vision contacts, one eye set up for near vision and one set up for far vision, before I moved to Colorado - where I found them too painful in the low humidity and winds we get here. I've heard that some people have a hard time adjusting to this contact lens set up, but my brain adjusted to them instantly.

Since you are posting this on the Net, another factor to consider is how much time you spend in front of a monitor. My consulting work occasionally requires that I spend a lot of time on the Net over consecutive days. My progressives require that I tip my head back to read the monitor correctly and this gives me neck pain. So I now have a third pair of prescription glasses that are set up purely for reading a computer monitor. I suspect bi-focal and tri-focal users would have the same need.

[bgreer]

I just got bi-focals this year, too. For years, I've been wearing safety glasses at work that have bifocal readers in them.
I got the kind with lines. It's just a cosmetic thing. I don't think that one kind would be harder to get used to than the other.

I usually wear contact lenses....about 90% of the time. As someone else mentioned, I don't think that I would like wading with the bifocals on.
When on the stream, I wear contacts with sunglasses. The sunglasses have a loop to keep them from taking a dunking. I also wear a pair of readers around my neck with a loop, too.
I just switch back and forth between the sunglasses and the readers as the need arises.

Brian

[melk]

I was in the same situation. Eye Doc kept saying when will you give in. I got the no lines and LOVE them. Maybe I'm vain - ooops if you knew me that would not be an issue! Friend of me got no lines and HATED them. I thought about contacts but I've been wearing glasses since 7th grade - just after Lincoln's second administration.
Mike

[anglerdave]

I would ask your eye doctor. Not everyone's eyes are the same. I wear lined tri-focals and my wife wears no line bi. The lines don't bother me. I threw out my vanity a long time ago.

[Paddy80701]

I'll add my 2c worth. I am a family physician now long retired. When I reached the magic age and needed bifocals, I tried the progressive (no line ). When walking down the halls in my office, my excellent peripheral vision caused the walls to "waiver" so much it made me sea sick and after 6 months I went to lined and am now on lined trifocals. I believe that whether you can use/like progressive lenses or not depends on the acuity of your peripheral vision. I also wear fitover polarized sun glasses and have flip up magnifiers that I carry in my fishing vest. If you are vain or adventurous, try the lineless, if ultraconservative go with lined. Either kind may be mastered with a little perserverance, so you pays your money and you takes your choice !

[billhouk]

I have worn lined since my early fifties. One suggestion, be sure to get arms that hold them up properly on your face. The people who have vertigo when wearing th do so when they slide down your nose. I wear a sunglass strap on mine. When I wear my sunglasses I just let the regular glasses hang down. Quick change for tying on flies at dusk.

[jimp]

I've been wearing tri-focals for several years, (have worn corrective lenses since 7th grade), and have the progressive version now but when I first got the progressives, they did not work for me. Not even progressive bi-focals worked for me when I went to bi-focals. Some make it fine, others do not, I think its a trial and error thing unfortnately. GL

[WarrenP]

There was a post about problems with no-line with peripheral vision. My last lenses did create some problems for me and I discovered that I did use my peripheral vision more than I thought. They changed the lenses so that the vision correction gave a wider correction. It seems that my first lenses had more correction in the center of the lenses and changing to another lense gave correction all the way accross the lense so that my peripheral vision was also corrected for my eyes. Deal with someone who knows lenses and make sure to explain to them what you want and describe all problems that you are having and they should be able to provide the lenses that will allow you to use them with no problems.

[BigA]

I have been wearing progressive bifocals for quite a few years, and they work fine. The first thing that I noticed when I got them was that the mid range in the glasses made it much easier to see a computer monitor. I work in IT and I use a computer monitor all day. After a few months, however, I found that using the mid range part of the progressive glasses all day was causing neck pain because I had to look up to get the mid range to work. I then purchased a pair of lined computer bifocals that had the reading part of my prescription on the bottom and the mid range part of the prescription on top. With that type of prescription, both the reading and mid range sections are much larger and it took the strain off of my neck and made it easier to read. I use the computer glasses for tying flies, too.

When it comes down to it, you need to ask optometrist the right questions before you pick out a pair of glasses and you need to be prepared to experiment a bit if your first choice does not work out. If you buy your glasses from the optometrist that gave you your exam, chances are good that they will replace glasses if they do not work out. Ask the optometrist about that before you order the glasses.