# Progressive eyeglasses



## WandaJ (Aug 5, 2014)

Has anyone here have problems with using those? Everybody I know is very happy with their progressives, so I have decided to give up too and go for it. So far, it does not work well for me, I had already four re-checks done and even though, it is getting better, I am still having problems with the reading /computer part. 

Anyone had experience like this and had to give up the idea and go for two separate pairs of glasses? I am getting desparate after three months in bad glasses.


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## anonmd (Oct 23, 2014)

Yes, they are ok for brief use to read and things like being able to see the road and then look at the dashboard. Not ok for heavy reading and computer work. Next round I will get progressives + readers.


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## Sun Catcher (Dec 6, 2013)

I've worn progressives for over 10 years and only the first week in the very beginning gave me problems, mostly on navigating stairwells. I have had them made at different places and different countries. They have only ever failed at some crappy places. Of you are still having trouble after 4 rechecks it could be the eye doctor that made the glasses. I see an MD for my prescription and I don't go to those 2 for 1 eyeglass places. Change doctors and find one that suits your eyes. 

Best of luck.


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## thread the needle (May 4, 2015)

I like mine for walking around, sporting events, driving and tv. 

I HATE them for heavy reading because I have to look thru the bottoms too much and it makes my neck sore


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## header (Nov 14, 2015)

Sun Catcher said:


> Of you are still having trouble after 4 rechecks it could be the eye doctor that made the glasses.


Yes it could be the doctor, who may have not given you the correct prescription, or it could be the way the glasses were fabricated, which may or may not have been at the same place you were examined. 



Sun Catcher said:


> I see an MD for my prescription and I don't go to those 2 for 1 eyeglass places.


Cheap eyeglasses are cheap for a reason, no one is giving anything away. Progressives come in many different levels of quality, the cheaper ones have poor optics and limited areas of clear vision both up and down and side to side. MDs are not specialized to do refractions- the test for glasses, they are qualified to do medical eye care and have very little training in eyeglasses and contact lenses and often have technicians do that part of the exam. You're much better off going to a professional optometrist, in a private practice setting rather than an optical store, and don't buy the cheapest pair of frames and lenses.

The op also doesn't say what the problems are.

It could be

- blurred distance vision
- blurred near vision
- limited side to side range
- limited vertical range
- not able to see enough of the computer screen
- must raise chin too much to read
- must drop chin to see clearly at distance
- distortions such as square shapes being trapezoidal
- distortions such as the ground seeming to come up
- distortions like a "fish bowl" effect

etc

The "non adapt" rate for progressives is about 1 in 20. Sometimes a person will adapt almost immediately, others can takes weeks or even months. It can depend on a persons age, their spectacle Rx, their "personality"- some people are more flexible, others are very rigid and don't tolerate change or certain limitations that progressives have compared to the older "flat top" bifocal. If a person has worn "flat top bifocals" or single vision glasses for many years, it can take time to make the switch to progressives.

If after 4 remakes you're still having trouble you need to find out exactly what was changed.. the brand, the height of the bifocal, is the progressive a "digitally surfaced" type or just a regular progressive. 

That's for starters.


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## richardsharpe (Jul 8, 2014)

Good evening
I have progressives. They are OK, I don't mind the distortion much - but I have such a strong prescription that I've always been used to distorted images - there are no straight lines in my world.


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## john117 (May 20, 2013)

I used progressives and more or less hated them. The problem is that as the lenses get thinner (high index) the optical quality begins to svck. Also the reading focus area is very narrow and if you're staring all day at a 27" 4k monitor...

Reading glasses are better or what is called "computer glasses". After cataract surgery I need 2.5 strength reading glasses so we had those progressive and guess what, the area is still too small unless you choose Harry Caray sized glasses...

No good general answers I'm afraid, even with high quality optics. I'm getting computer glasses this year.


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## Cletus (Apr 27, 2012)

Use them every day. Hate them, but there's no real alternative.

I have too much astigmatism to use plain readers. I was born far sighted, and of course it's only gotten worse. Progressives are a huge compromise at all distances. When I want to see well everywhere except less than arm's length, I have a single vision prescription that is just _barely_ strong enough to use on a computer, and wonderful everywhere else. No contest on which is better, and the progressives were 3x the cost. 

Next time I get a new prescription, I'm considering bifocals. The hard lines can't be any worse than having compromised vision everywhere. I can't remember the last time I saw my feet in focus with progressives, and you have to constantly move your head around instead of your eyes see clearly what you're looking at.


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## john117 (May 20, 2013)

The issue with progressive lenses us that the reading area is too small regardless of bifocal or no line. That's where "computer glasses" come in.


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## SecondTime'Round (Jan 15, 2015)

I opted out last month. Just not even ready to try yet!!!

On the other hand, I love my Transitions lenses .


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## WandaJ (Aug 5, 2014)

Thank you everyone, that makes me feel a little better, not a freak anymore I have changed doctor for the last re-check and we spent an hour. It looks like it is all about tweaking my prism for double vision. It was doctor's suggestion, that I may have to have separate for reading /computer. In addition to my near sight, I also have astigmatism and double vision, so there is many ways things can get misdiagnosed. But I never had this kind of problem before.

These are not cheap glasses - or are they $800 for two pairs? never had problems before.

I think I will get separate regular and reading/computer glasses. Truth is I am hardly using the bottom part anyway, I keep reading through the main lens anyway.

I love TAM, you can count on people here on every topic!


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## header (Nov 14, 2015)

WandaJ said:


> Thank you everyone, that makes me feel a little better, not a freak anymore I have changed doctor for the last re-check and we spent an hour. It looks like it is all about tweaking my prism for double vision.


PALs are contraindicated for patients with strabismus. Doesn't mean it can't work, but it means the odds are stacked against you.


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## Vinnydee (Jan 4, 2016)

I have been wearing them for longer than I can remember. I work with computers daily and do a lot of reading. I could not get used to them at first until I went to another Optometrist and learned that different brands of lenses have different patterns. I found my perfect match with Verilux. Yet they are not perfect. You do learn to shirt your head to get into focus after wearing them for a while. I can work on my PC without glasses so I look over them when I use my computer, like right now. I tend to look over my glasses for close up stuff but I cannot read a book or magazine without them. 

My wife used to use them too but now she got two new lenses put into her eyes and has perfect vision without glasses. My eyesight actually got better over the years to the point that I really only need reading glasses but do not want to have to carry glasses around with me all the time and swap back and forth when I want to read. I also live in a tropical climate and need strong sunglasses so carrying around sunglasses and reading glasses when inside and not reading, is a chore. So I stuck with the progressives and just keep my glasses on all the time.

At first the floor seemed to come up at me and I had to avoid looking down when I walked. With time I got used to them and finding the right lens pattern, made a world of difference. Good luck.


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## Yeswecan (Jul 25, 2014)

WandaJ said:


> Has anyone here have problems with using those? Everybody I know is very happy with their progressives, so I have decided to give up too and go for it. So far, it does not work well for me, I had already four re-checks done and even though, it is getting better, I am still having problems with the reading /computer part.
> 
> Anyone had experience like this and had to give up the idea and go for two separate pairs of glasses? I am getting desparate after three months in bad glasses.


Yes, I wear trifocal. It took about a week and now it is seamless transition from reading, computer work and driving. However, small close up work like threading a needle...I take my glasses off. Only way I can see it. :surprise:


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## WandaJ (Aug 5, 2014)

header said:


> PALs are contraindicated for patients with strabismus. Doesn't mean it can't work, but it means the odds are stacked against you.


I don't have cross-eye, I have double vision, it's not the same But I suspect that odds are against me anyway.


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## header (Nov 14, 2015)

WandaJ said:


> I don't have cross-eye, I have double vision, it's not the same But I suspect that odds are against me anyway.


Since you stated that you have double vision, you have a condition where your eyes are misaligned, and at least intermittently are not pointing at the same place, which is why you experience diplopia (double vision). This is known as strabismus. I did not say you have crossed eyes (esotropia), you might have "wall eye" (exotropia) or a vertical muscle imbalance.

The term "strabismus" encompasses all of those conditions.


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## Cletus (Apr 27, 2012)

WandaJ said:


> I don't have cross-eye, I have double vision, it's not the same But I suspect that odds are against me anyway.


Do you have actual double vision or just a severe astigmatism? I went to the eye doctor as a 17 year old dufus complaining of double vision and was told there was nothing wrong, when what I was really seeing was my astigmatism. 

If you cover up one eye, do you still see double?


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## WandaJ (Aug 5, 2014)

header said:


> Since you stated that you have double vision, you have a condition where your eyes are misaligned, and at least intermittently are not pointing at the same place, which is why you experience diplopia (double vision). This is known as strabismus. I did not say you have crossed eyes (esotropia), you might have "wall eye" (exotropia) or a vertical muscle imbalance.
> 
> The term "strabismus" encompasses all of those conditions.


Thanks header for the explanation. I had to actually google the word strabismus, and it came up with cross -eye, sorry for the confusion!


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## WandaJ (Aug 5, 2014)

Cletus said:


> Do you have actual double vision or just a severe astigmatism? I went to the eye doctor as a 17 year old dufus complaining of double vision and was told there was nothing wrong, when what I was really seeing was my astigmatism.
> 
> If you cover up one eye, do you still see double?


I have both, astigmatism and double vision, had my whole life. two years ago some idiot doctor took away prism and that's when my problems started. It is not heavy double vision, I do not see things exactly double, it is more like with the shadow.


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## NobodySpecial (Nov 22, 2013)

WandaJ said:


> Has anyone here have problems with using those? Everybody I know is very happy with their progressives, so I have decided to give up too and go for it. So far, it does not work well for me, I had already four re-checks done and even though, it is getting better, I am still having problems with the reading /computer part.
> 
> Anyone had experience like this and had to give up the idea and go for two separate pairs of glasses? I am getting desparate after three months in bad glasses.


I can't see a thing without them. So it did not occur to me to think badly of them!


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## Haiku (Apr 9, 2014)

I hate glasses and only need corrective lenses when I read, so I got flip up contacts.


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## Aspydad (Oct 17, 2013)

I just got progressive glasses about a month ago and am kind of disappointed. I actually have 20 / 20 vision for long distance with a slight astigmatism. I do need readers though, and have been using them for about five years. Problem is you can't drive with those on and do not like searching for the readers if I have to read something close is the car - or even at a restaurant, I hate having to search for my readers to read a menu. So got the progressives thinking that problem solved. 

However, I have almost tripped going down stairs because I looked though the reader portion and misjudged the step. Also, I have discovered they really suck for doing computer work - so I have given up on them and gone back to my readers for that. Not exactly what I was hoping for. Since I spent about 300 dollars for these things I have no choice but keep them - but, if I had it to do over again I would not have spent the money. Only use them now if I am going out to eat or to drive if I think I may need to read my phone or navigation system.


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## WandaJ (Aug 5, 2014)

Ok. Now for sure I am getting rid of bifocals. And specially, I can still read with normal glasses, I do not rely on the reading part anyway. Long distance and reading/computer glasses it is!


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## Cletus (Apr 27, 2012)

WandaJ said:


> I have both, astigmatism and double vision, had my whole life. two years ago some idiot doctor took away prism and that's when my problems started. It is not heavy double vision, I do not see things exactly double, it is more like with the shadow.


That's why I specifically asked if you see double in either eye with the other one covered up.

I see double too, in both eyes by themselves, but it's just a manifestation of severe astigmatism. 

Astigmatism is your eye creating two independent focal planes for vertical and horizontal images. I see everything with a second shadow of itself too, but I DO NOT have double vision.


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## WandaJ (Aug 5, 2014)

Cletus said:


> That's why I specifically asked if you see double in either eye with the other one covered up.
> 
> I see double too, in both eyes by themselves, but it's just a manifestation of severe astigmatism.
> 
> Astigmatism is your eye creating two independent focal planes for vertical and horizontal images. I see everything with a second shadow of itself too, but I DO NOT have double vision.


I do not know, if I don't have it, than I have been misdiagnosed my whole life But when they took away prism (which is supposed to fix double vision) my problems started. Just fixing astigmatism was not enough.


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## header (Nov 14, 2015)

Cletus said:


> Astigmatism is your eye creating two independent focal planes for vertical and horizontal images.


Close, but not quite. Astigmatism is two independent focal points 90 degrees apart, except with irregular astigmatism, usually caused by some sort of trauma to the eye in which case the two primary meridians may not be 90 degrees apart and there can be more than two in severe cases.

In the case of regular astigmatism, the two focal points can be oblique, such as 135 degrees and 45 degrees.


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## Hope1964 (Sep 26, 2011)

What are 'computer glasses'?

I got progressives a year ago and this past month stopped using them at work, where I am on the computer and doing paperwork all day. They gave me a huge crick in my neck, because of the way I had to hold my head to use them. The part that was in focus was way too small, no matter which part I was trying to use. 

Now I have just distance glasses, and at work I use an old pair that has a weaker prescription for computer work. To read, I take them off completely or peer over or under them - I have one eye that can still read stuff 6 inches away


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## Cletus (Apr 27, 2012)

header said:


> Close, but not quite. Astigmatism is two independent focal points 90 degrees apart, except with irregular astigmatism, usually caused by some sort of trauma to the eye in which case the two primary meridians may not be 90 degrees apart and there can be more than two in severe cases.
> 
> In the case of regular astigmatism, the two focal points can be oblique, such as 135 degrees and 45 degrees.


Yes, the axis of my astigmatism is not aligned with vertical or horizontal either, I simply chose the simplest terms for explanation. 

The point being, it can produce what looks like double vision, which is what I thought I was experiencing when my astigmatism came on hard and fast as a teenager.


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## header (Nov 14, 2015)

Cletus said:


> The point being, it can produce what looks like double vision, which is what I thought I was experiencing when my astigmatism came on hard and fast as a teenager.


Well Cletus, you know the expression about how masturbation can cause blindness?

You should have at least covered one eye.


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## UMP (Dec 23, 2014)

I've had mine for years. It does take much longer to get used to than a standard near or far sighted pair. Stick with it.


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