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[busdiver]

Over the last couple of years i have had to wear glasses for reading, and more importantly welding and engine work. got to the point now the optician say i could really do with varifocals as my mid distance sight is iffy to so need to wear pretty much all the time, only a bit vane so not an issue, but specsavers and visionexpress both have different "qualities" of lens from 60 to 160 quid (plus frame cost) the "better" the lens the better the periphial vision and contrast between the two prescriptions (long/short sight). and easier to adapt to.

question.

at 200-300quid for glasses do any fellow speccies have recent experience of this and does the more you spend really make a vast difference don't want to skimp for the health of my eyes but looking for any objective points of view as you can't really try before you buy.

 

[Clem]

I went to varifocals a couple of years ago, and opted for the cheapest lenses. Last summer I replaced them on house insurance so the optician persuaded me to upgrade as it was no cost to me personally, so i did and to be honest I can't tell the difference. Using varifocals initially is a big change and i reckon the differences in the lenses, or the sharpness of fields they talk of is negligible. Its all about the money! :shock: 8)

 

[busdiver]

thanks clem, thought it might be an "upselling" gimmick, they show you pics of the suggesdted fields of view that look like an hour glass the cheaper lenses look almost as if they would be useless, like looking through an upright slot and lose loads on the periphial vision. did you go private optician or the specsaver route

 

[Davydomes]

be honest I can't tell the difference.

I fell for the Sales spin :roll: I got the most expensive with the wider field of view (Hmmm... :?: ) I have never tried the narrower field version on so I can't compare. Either way - they take some getting used to. Mine are prescription on top but plain glass on bottom as near sight is (was :roll: ) fine. I do lots of reading off the VDU screen in my job and got sick of taking my ordinary glasses off and on when looking close/far/close etc. I really like them now - but the biggesst thing for me to get used to was turning my head a lot more to bring things into the narrower field of view vari-focals have. Wouldn't be without them now but would like to get my eyes laser corrected - but it's either that or a paint job on my bus..........and I know which wins

 

[gvee]

I am not a glasses wearer.
However it seems to me that these things have a high initial cost but how often are you going to have to replace them?

 

[gvee]

would like to get my eyes laser corrected - but it's either that or a paint job on my bus..........and I know which wins

Just get a cheap paint job and don't get your eyes fixed... you'll never know the difference and you'll save a few quid :lol:

 

[Trikky2]

I went from the cheaper to the more expensive and noticed a difference. When reading one doesent have to move ones head to keep the image sharp. I guess it also depends on how strong the lenses are, mine are quite mild but correct for astigmatism more than focus.

 

[slow-lane-Matt]

...problem with varifocals, when under a bus, looking up, at close objects, they make matters worse, and its not a good look
wearing the glasses upside down

 

[busdiver]

cheers guys, gvee, can be yearly,

...problem with varifocals, when under a bus, looking up, at close objects, they make matters worse, and its not a good look wearing the glasses upside down

did think i would have a reading prescription pair of safetys for bus work as i have now

 

[Clem]

Mine were from Vision Express, cos I wanted Oakleys :roll:

To be honest my old ones were destroyed so there was a couple of weeks wearing old single visions between the two pairs, so it's possible I could have missed the difference in a side by side comparison. However, I don't think it's life changing ... I think the basic ones they do 'have' to be good enough to do a good job anyway, if that makes sense?

 

[busdiver]

clem. it does mate thanks, getting specs in the 1st place was a big thing for me always had superb eye sight until a couple of years ago (43) really 1st noticed trying to weld under the bus even on ramps still not far enough away to see perfectly and i knew my welding was better than that.

just wanted an objective view from folks, i'm a sales guy and even when trying not to can't help up selling :?

 

[Bundy]

I was told to try varifocals...
Tried them while driving home one night, hated them as I felt like a nodding dog trying to keep things in focus! Felt violently sick by the end of the evening and swore to never wear them again :lol: . Now have a driving pair and a close up pair and have no issues...apart from forgetting them!
I bought the expensive version of varifocals too!
Guess different people cope with them differently though.
Good luck

 

[mike202]

I paid for expensive varifocals this summer as I got fed up changing glasses from reading to distance. I was surprised by the lack of field of view which takes some getting used to. I can drive in them but I now prefer to drive with my normal distance vision glasses and then change to the VF when home etc.

The problem with wearing them when doing any work on the van is that they are meant (as has been mentioned above) to be worn when your head is upright not sideways or upsidedown! I still wear close-up, or reading glasses in the garage. 8)

(Cant find any other spec wearing smileys!)

 

[Graham L]

I wear varifocals and have done for a number of years, in my opinion you get what you pay for with lenses and unless you want vertical objects to start leaning over at the edge of your vision go for the more expensive lenses.

They are quite disconcerting when you first start to wear them and you end up turning your head to look at things at the edge of your vision rather than just moving your eyes as this leads to edge distortion which is not pleasant.

It's a sign of getting old by the way :lol: :lol:

 

[ozziedog]

Not conversant with varifocals but it looks like something that may be on the horizon as mine deteriorates. At the moment I wear readers at about 2 to 2.5 and I really do get frustrated as hell when working on the bus and something is in focus and you look a little further away and you have to move your gogs onto your forehead so you can see it and you roll your head around to the side and the gogs keep dropping back down,, not when you want them to but when they are just getting in the way, AND when it`s warm they get all sweaty and when it`s verrry cold they bloodywell fogs up, so not looking forward to this at all :evil: :evil: :evil: For anyone that welds and has to wear readers gogs,,, and that`s another pain in the wherever,, aand as you say above,, I knew my welding was better than that as well,, someone on here came to my aid with a thing called a cheater lense that slots in your hemet (Miller) and you don`t need your reading gogs on while you are welding,,, and you can see the weld,,, and you ain`t doing it by feel or from memory :roll: :roll: :roll: And that sorted out the welding,, but still sometimes need my readers on when grinding with goggles over the top

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Just 21,,,,,,,,,, times two and a half plus a bit of vat :lol: :mrgreen: :lol:

 

[Davydomes]

Whilst we are the subject of eyesight........and the deteriation with age Has anyone out the gone for laser correction.....did it work perfectly :?:

 

[ozziedog]

I know at least three people that have done it and it`s great, I also have a neighbour who had her lenses cut out (withachainsaw) and replaced with artificial lenses and she says it`s great too and wishes she`d done it years before. I went to the lazer peeps and had the test done to what they could offer me and it wasn`t much but they were right up front about it too. They said they could do it and it would improve my reading ability slightly but not enough that I could get away without useing glasses to read, so a bit pointless. The lady said to me that it`s an age thing :roll: well thanks mrs :lol: As you get older your lenses get tougher and the muscles that stretch the lense in order for you to focus just can`t stretch that tough old lense as well as when it was supple, and no, there isn`t any exercise you can do to get Arnie type muscles in your eye

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,, Great being over 21 innit :lol: :mrgreen: :lol:

 

[busdiver]

righto guys, bought me new specs yesterday, talk about choice took forever to decide, gone for option 3 out of 4 for the quality of lens still 300quid for two pairs mind you had reactives in the main pair and sunglasses in the second.

they give you a month to try them so will have to see, my real long distance is still fine and more than legal for driving it's just stuff upto about 5/6metres away that can be read but is a bit fuzzy.

let you know how i get on go to wait two weeks for though..

 

[slow-lane-Matt]

I have to get a pair, quote for a pair of Oakley frames at Vision Express £265, price "anywhere" on-line around £90 - wtf !

I appreciate shops have higher costs and need to charge more, but VE weren't interested in discounting or getting anywhere near the on-line price.

Never bought prescription lenses on-line before - but VE are taking the piss, even afer factoring in the "cheap" free second pair they offer...

 

[busdiver]

try specsavers, cheaper than vision express, i thought about buying online but all thay will do is fulfill you prescription at it's basic level high street opto's will measure the distance between pupils etc to get you lens cut to match your eyes, when i first had glasses i kept some cheap boots glasses that matched my script, the opto said that was fine but don't use them often as they are not ideal because they are not tailored for my eyes and could make things worse as your eyes try to compensate for the non tailor fit