Abit of a trivial ask this but I went for new glasses today and have been advised to try Varifocal lenses. I have never really fancied them but she has talked me into giving them a try. I have asked but nobody around me has them just wondering what people's opinion is of them that have them or indeed tried them?

I have varifocals, best thing i have ever done, i had glasses for distance and for reading, which is a pain if your shopping cos youhave to whip your readers out to read tins etc, and read menus etc now i have varifocls, none of that, i can read and see distance, one thing i would reccomend is that you buy the best varifocal lense you can afford, as the more you pay on some the wider the angle of sight is, i got mine from asda in bromborough and they do one standerd and its a good one, i would not reccomend tesco though,

I had bifocals for quite a while and was very pleased with them as it meant I only needed one pair of specs for both reading and distance. When varifocals became more widely used I was recommended to try them by the optician (Specsavers) I have used varifocals for several years now and have had no problems whatsoever. They are lighter than bifocals and are ideal for reading, using the computer, everyday tasks and also for driving. I would endorse Madge's comment about buying the best you can afford but even if you have to settle for the lowest price you will not be disappointed in the performance of the spectacles.You can't beat putting on a good pair of specs and being able to see almost as good as you could when you were young.

Use them meself, takes alittle getting used to but if they suit are very good indeed.

Yes I was a bit wary myself, but have been wearing them myself for years with no problems, would recommend, need to be a bit careful on stairs when you first get them, the advice given was to look down and not look through the bottom of your specs. but I never had any issues, they certainly make things a lot easier and more comfortable.

I was 'advised' not to have these type of glasses because of 'Arthritis' in my neck , i wish i could because as you say ,it,s a pain ,swapping glasses all the time ..Good luck cools .

Thanks everyone, seems quite positive. Some good advice there. I can always go back if don't like them so I,ll give them a go. X

They're a bit strange at first in some circumstances, e.g. going up or down stairs, but stick with them, you won't regret it.

Im not using varifocals yet !
But i'm like yourself in that place where i would benefit from them. (I'm told).

The only down side that i could see was the cost, as they come in 3 strengths or quality if you like, and its was coming to about £250 a pair at Spec Savers, O yeah 1 pair fee.

They told me you can even get varifocal contact lenses too !!

So its food for thought.

I'm looking into laser eye treatment, not done any ground work, but glasses for me are a pain in the arse, reading and day to day with computers.

As you say, if they don't work out you can go back to two pairs for reading and distance.

Would be good if you post your feedback when done too

Yes Mark I have not picked my frames yet but I was quoted something in that region as well. It seems really expensive, may discuss further and see if I can get the price down . Will leave feedback when I get them. My son had laser treatment, never regretted it. I looked into it but my prescription being so high( Mrs Magoo me) it was approx £3000. It was awhile ago maybe prices have come down.worth thinking about....

No way would I have laser, the surgeons aren't well enough regulated in UK. Damage can be permanent.

Not a lot of statistics available (because its not regulated in UK) but from the states ....



And they are the less serious complications!

Another option you may consider is there are online glasses. .

Ive just gone through a pretend order

https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk

+ £70 for the Premium lens type (Extra Thin) Varifocal lens.
+ £70 Because there Varifocal

Ha found a Discount code YESPLEASE so from £270 to about £200
The original frame was £125
So

Frame £125
Varifocal Type + £70
Lens Thinnest + 70

Total £270

Discount Code Applied -£62.50

Basket Price £207.50

So i'm paying about £100 for the Best of Varifocal.


Laser Treatment.
At the moment its an idea, i need to have a consultation and see what the prices are.
I may not even be Suitable. How ever its funny how they say from £350 per eye then when you read into it, its more like £1,500 per eye. Early days and a lot of digging to to.

I know a couple of family that have had it done and they all pretty much say I wish i had had it done years ago. But i have to be confident its safe blar blar . . . .

Been down that road Mark. Sounded great , they send you up to 3 frames at a time to try on and pick . You go through and pick all the options you want then they need a recent eye test prescription once they get that they send you your glasses at a fraction of the price in shops. As I say my prescription is pretty high and on speaking to someone at glasses Direct I was advised to stick with seeing and letting my optician see me in person. Apparently Glasses Direct would have needed a lot more measurements for me. I was quite disappointed because I had picked out a really good deal. Thanks for taking time to help me x

If laser goes wrong you're goosed. Only a small percentage do go wrong apparently but if you happen to luck out you're in the mire because it can't be reversed. Why take the chance when a pair of specs covers it?

Cost comes into the equation too,,if glasses with all the options cost circa £270, which is likely to increase over time, and you need to renew every two years the cost of successful lasik or similar doesnt look too bad. Cant have it meself as corneal layer too thin/irregular got offered option of the replacement lens being sewn into each eye but couldnt face that one.

Frames for glasses rarely cost more than £10, its the price they are sold at that is ridiculous and I don't encourage it, I normally pay less than £20 for frames with toughened lenses albeit varifocals would be about £60 more.

The only pair of designer frames I wore lasted less than 6 months, I have had many low price frames last 4 years or more.

asda now do varifocals free and its not the basic one, mine are great and much better thsn the basic tesco ones. £99 for varifocal designer with thinned lenses, anti glare, anti scratch, the only thing you pay extra for is transitions ( when they go dark and light) i had my eye test done at an opticians as i was abit wary of asda to start with but took my presciptin in and im made up, wont go anywhere else now, i wouldnt get mine online as there are measurements to be made when you get glasses and people are trained to do that in the shop.

That sounds great Madge, i will definitely be checking out Asda,never even entered my head when I think of specs. Thank you......

your very welcome, i read up on them first and one or two had bad experiences but your never going to get somewhere perfect, but the vast majority of people were more than happy, and i am made up, you have to go to bromborough asda thats where the opticians is, look forward to hearing about your experience,

Thanks for the info about ASDA, I will be looking into their offers.

The measurement required for online orders is the distance between the centre of your eyes, it hardly justifies the ridiculous mark-up they charge. For varifocals the online companies send a person round to make the more complicated measurements required.

i didnt know that

Tell you what I wouldn't mind, a pair of those rose tinted spectacles that seem to be available to a lot of people.

Well took your advice Madge, just come back from Asda opticians. Absolutley thrilled with the service and price, picked a designer pair for £70 everything included.Excellent! Can't, thank you enough for putting me on to that. I will let everybody know how I get on......

My ex-wife used varifocals for a while, then she switched to contact lenses; she had one for distance in one eye and for reading in the other. She said she soon adjusted to the set-up, she said the brain adjusted to look through the appropriate eye.

Don't, know whether you noticed my post Madge about getting my specs from Asda yesterday. £70 everything included, thinned lenses, varificals, designer. Made up, I would advise anyone to give them a try , great service took the time to help me pick and understand everything. Can,t wait to try them now , let you all know how I get on. Thanks again Madge for putting me on to Asda x

Chris, didn't Long John Silver used to do that as well?

Really pleased you got some, happy to help

Don't know about that; unlike you, I've never associated with pirates.

I find varifocals pretty good generally , and I woudnt be without them, but although ok for narrow newspaper column articles , I far prefer to have a pair of ordinary glasses if Im reading a proper book . I dont like having to move my head from side to side even a bit , to see the full width of a line . My 'own' eyes are scanning a whole line at a time , and I cant do that with varifocals.

Got my Varifocal specs today. Very pleased and getting used to them is not as bad as I thought. Not a lot of difference from ordinary except don't have to perch them on end of my nose when reading. As I say would not hesitate to recommend Asda for specs , brilliant service and brilliant prices. So glad i found out about them from Marge....