Trouble tying with new bifocals

[BlueDun]

this doesnt apply to bifocals but just had laser surgery and am having the correct reading glasses for tying flies 2.5 to tie , 2.0 to work on computer and back to 2.5 to read i have so many glasses now i cant keep up with them going back to dr. next week and hope he can make adjustiment or i may go broke buying glasses or crazy trying to keep up with them.

robin

If you "just" had the surgery, your eyes will need a few months to stabilize so your doctor might not want to prescribe any reading glasses yet, but even when he/she does, you may still want different strength readers for different tasks. The reading glass strength you are most likely to use for tying flies will probably be too strong for reading. I had the surgery last winter. I have pairs of readers in one strength on my tying desk and in my fishing vest. I also have a number of pairs in a second strength around the house, car, office, etc.. for reading. I'll take this problem any day over the terrible vision I had before lasik surgery (really poor distance vision and really bad astigmatism). I am just thankful that readers from the drugstore are cheap and work just fine.

[Betty Hiner]

The no line bifocals made me so sea sick I couldn't even walk. Took 'em back to the Dr, and he changed the Rx to TRI focals. I've never looked back!! They're dandy!

[Rick Z]

Go back and have them check the adjustment. Tolderance on the lenses is 0.5 mm
A 1 mm difference can make alot of difference.
I use mine to tie flies all the time.

Rick

[10ae1203]

I also had trouble getting used to bifocals, but I had the line. The optician told me I could come back and exchange the lenses up to 30 days later at no additional cost. I ended up taking him up on the offer, because I never could get comfortable with the new lenses.

How are you doing with other tasks such as walking and etc? I was falling and hitting my head on things.

Now I have separate glasses for looking and reading. I tie with the reading glasses. I'm no rocket surgeon, but I think you won't be able to use drugstore readers if you have an astigmatism prescription.

Good luck.

[waynep]

I can't tie with mine. I like mine and can read with them and wear them all the time. I bought a off the shelf pair of reading glasses from wal-mart to tie with. They are a bit stronger than my prescription, but it works for me. They stay on the tying desk so they are always there.

[dmdmd]

Visors with the varilux have been hard for me as well--i got a magnifying lamp that needleworkers use--the "newer models" in plastic do not have the same power so I would look at a craft shop to see if they have one--other than that get an adjustable chair and play with moving ONE PIECE AT A TIME--chair, then vise, then lamp.

No Quick fix just some thoughts from times past

PS when you find the sweet spot--lock it in!!!

[DManley]

Thanks for all ofthe help. I knew that there had to be some other tyers going through the same thing. (Since, as a group, we are not exactly the newest cars on the lot any more!) I am getting an adjustment on the glasses, and that should help. The visors won't work with the varilux, as there is no way to adjust on the fly for both the sweet spot in the glasses, and the sweet spot in the visor. I have tried getting them to align, but as soon as I move, I have to start over again. (Not good for actual tying situations) I will have to use the varilux without the visor.

I finally got a batch of swap flies tied. I went up to a 12 due to the vision, but I think they turned out okay. Tied 25, sent the best 15. I sure won't be tying any midges or 20s until I get this sorted out. The best thing I can do is to keep tying, and keep adjusting my setup until it works better.

As for other tasks, I am falling and hitting my head on things... Just like I have for the last forty something years! No change there. It did take a couple of days to get used to the different distortion, just like it does with any change in prescription. It was a little funny driving the first day or two, but now that is fine. I even drove a race last weekend with them, and didn't hit anything. (Somebody did hit me though!) Now, I am fine with them for everything except tying, modelmaking and reading fine print.

Thanks again everybody,

Dave

[saltydancindave]

After some 30 years of various bifocals, initially found that a separate pair of reading glasses that were stronger than the bifocal of the prescription were alot easier to tie flies to start. After getting used to the bifocal glasses with the usual tying leaders & tippet knots along with reading magazines, newspapers & books the prescription was updated. That's when a Giraffe Magnifing & Lighting system was my personal fly tying prescription for the next newest pair of bifocals as the reading glasses became not quite good enough for the little hooks in the #20's, but the eyes had finally gotten accustomed to the daily split-level viewing ........& with the magnifier tying was less of a problem

[ducksterman]

I can't believe no one has mentioned these....

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38896

You can get them at other places and usually pay more but they would be worth it even if you pay more.

I have had all the problems you folks have related above...and as far as tying goes....and other projects....these solve the problem.

[DruLeeParsec]

Dave, I also have an astigmatism and no-line bifocals. I use a set of these magnifiers when tying:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...lter=magnifier

I also find that I am lost without a set of these clipped to my hat while I'm fishing.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...set=ISO-8859-1

There's nothing more frustrating that being waist deep in the water just after sunset while mayflies are hatching all around you and you can't see the eye of your hook to thread your dang tippet.

Don't ask me how I know this. But I now have a magnifier on my hat at all times.


I hope that helps.

Greg