I changed glasses a few days ago. I got the Varilux (sp?) bifocals that don’t have the lines, and have the infinite correction. Unfortunately, Cathie donated my old glasses to a collection drive about an hour after I got home from the Dr.'s office. I was told that I would get used to them after a week or so. Are these things going to actually work for fly tying, or do I need to get another pair of single focus glasses to tie my flies with? (I doubt Cathie would want me spending money on replacing my old glasses right after I bought new ones)
The problem is that I can’t find the “Sweet spot” while I am tying. I have astigmatism, so if I look over the tops of the glasses, I just tie an ugly fly. I seem to be looking through the bottom of the glasses to tie. (Probably right, as that is the strong spot, and I am naturally myopic.) I can kind of focus on the fly, but the distortion makes it hard to get a smooth, level body and even wraps. (I can’t tie what I can’t see?) I don’t have any visors or lenses that will work with these things. I have tried my old optivisor, but it makes things a lot worse.
Is this just a phase while I am getting used to the lenses? Will I finally adjust to tying with them? I am 44, and this is my first ever attempt at bifocals. I was looking forward to getting them, because it was getting hard to tie with the old lenses. Now, it is impossible. I tied 28 flies for a swap, just to get a usable dozen. I have the funny feeling that the only reason I have a good dozen is that I am inspecting them through the same glasses I tied them with!
I started with the bifocals about 2 yrs ago. You will get more used to them. For tying I found the bifocal range too narrow. An inexpensive set of off the shelf reading glasses works better for me. I had a special mid range bifocal made up for the office/computer that is ideal.
A good light makes a big difference, make sure your light is very bright to get a larger focal range.
I got a pair of glasses just for fly tying.
I found my bifocals were a problem, I had to peer through the bottom half of the lens. Got a crick in my neck.
As I had spent a small fortune on material and tools,
it was worth the trouble, I told the optician what I wanted the glasses for.
Not knowing for sure what eye focal problems you may have, I can only offer this:
I wear progressive bifocals and have no problem with tying. What you might try doing is changing the height of your vise. You may be trying to focus with your new glasses at the same height that you used with your old glasses. Experiment with the height of your vise and see if that helps before spending more money.
The above may not make any difference, but, it will not cost you anything to find out…
Dave, First let me say welcome to FAOL. I don’t remember seeing you post before so I assume you are new here.
I got new bifocals a few months ago and everything seemed out of whack. I told the doc up front I ty flies and had a few size 18 and 20 midges with me to show him what I had to look at. Now I’ve been wearing bifocal glasses for close to 20 years so I figured something went wrong with the eye test. I too have astigmatism and have a hard time focusing at times. Well, I figured out about the distance I hold a book, look at my lap top and ty flies, came to a happy medium with all three and made another appointment with the eye doctor. He corrected the lenses to the distance I prescribed and I got new glasses.
I can see pretty well at my bench now and don’t have much trouble reading a book but I work on my computer without glasses. I just can’t get focused and can see the screen better without them.
Another thing I keep on my tying table is a pair of wally world 300+ reading glasses for some of the smaller flys I ty. I’ve tried using a tabletop magnifier and just can’t get used to reaching around it. Jim
Thanks guys. I will keep trying to adapt. I will crank up the lighting level. I will also try setting the vise a bit lower. That might help me look through the right part of the glasses. I am sure it will end up working out well. I’m not ready to give up tying flies yet. I am just mad because I am usually a perfectionist, and right now, my output is anything but perfect.
I probably can’t get another pair of glasses right now, as Cathie doesn’t think I should buy something I already have. (She was waiting at the door when I got back from the office to take my old ones to help people who need them more than I do) I might be able to get a different lens for my old optivisor if she doesn’t find out about it. Hopefully I will get used to the variable things soon. Getting older is a pain, but it sure beats not getting older!
Dave
(Too young for Medicare and too old for women to care.)
I also had trouble finding that sweet spot for small flies when I wore progressive lenses and had a major astigmatism. The visors/optivision might be too close to your eyes. If a table top magnifier gets in the way, try a smaller magnifier that fits on your vise. Although the latter type of magnifier can still get in the way, it is easier to work around and I got used to it. I found that being able to adjust the distance between the magnifier and the fly helped quite a bit. (The only reason I dont’ have the progressive lenses or astigmatism anymore is b/c of lasik surgery, not b/c I found some other option with glasses.)
“Is this just a phase while I am getting used to the lenses? Will I finally adjust to tying with them? I am 44, and this is my first ever attempt at bifocals.”
Dave,
It was just a phase for me. I love my Transition/Tint Lenses! I vowed to get used to them, because there was no way I was looking at a “line”.
Doug
i never could get used to the no line bifocals and returned to the eye glass place and they replaced the lenses with the line. now i think i’m gonna need a new prescription to see even closer
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:cool:
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. :rolleyes: