Old people of stw (presbyopia content)

Poundland for 1.25s.

Poundland for all readers tbh. Three pairs for £5. They're not *that* different to the £200 frames for proper glasses tbh.

Buy ten pairs, minimum.

I have the following numerous options as I am short-sighted too:

Contacts and cheap off-the-shelf reading glasses. Fine for most things, but not sustained work.

Contacts and a wallet sized flat magnifying glass. Emergency use item really. Not that good, but might help avoid the wrong medicine dose happening somewhere.

Contacts and who cares about reading small shit. Wing it ftw!

and

For non sport days, glasses with short-sighted lenses and a special oval 'BOOST' section at the bottom for reading. Not bi or vari-focals, no. They are for old(er) people... I have BOOST* lenses. Awesome. No really, they are very good for everything except sport.

* It is possible that the naming sucked me in. I mean, who wants 'varifocal' when you can have BOOST ?!

Varifocals for me - they stay on my face from when I get up to when I go to bed so no on and off. The exception is bike rides, I use safety glasses with a reading area - £12.99

"https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0031JJMQK"

I don't need reading glasses but I'm a -2.5 shortsighted so sometime if I can't read a price tag as it's in my grey zone I take a pic and zoom in 

i have various pairs of poundland-superdrug type readers stashed everywhere. some on the tourer, some on the mtb. 2 pairs in the house and a pair that fold in half for when i go to the pub.

Search for 'stick on bifocal lenses reading' on eBay.

I use them on my clear and photochromic mtb glasses

I got some pince-nez reading glasses from Amazon. You can stick them to the case of your phone & they take up zero space. Handy in an emergency

Posted by: multibikestu

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ut really struggle if anything needs looking at on my bike while I'm out on a ride.

If your distance vision is OK, you can ride in safety bifocals.  i find the bifocal bit is just right for when I look at my Garmin, also work for reading cafe menus etc.  Don't interfere with normal riding, even mtb-ing down steep twisty and garly stuff it doesn't seem to get in the way.

https://www.voltxsafety.com/bifocal-safety-glasses-p60.htm

I find the "Constructor" ones good, I've got a clear pair and an orange pair.

I had 'Nooz' pince-nez's (plastic) which were handy but they didn't last long as they failed at the pinch point.

Don't know if the Amazon ones are any better

If I'm not wearing varifocals I wear a close-up contact lens in my left eye.  Either a distance lens or, in bright weather, no lens in my right.  It works very well for me but I understand, not everyone.

The days I choose  contacts rather than my glasses are when I'm going to be cycling, windsurfing, doing work when I'll be looking up (like wiring a light fitting, or painting a ceiling) and at the computer screen for a while.

Reading glasses get broken because they're in your pocket most of the time.  Varifocals don't because they're on your nose.

A riding pal carries glasses when on the bike, less for phone use and more in case of a breakdown and needing to do something 'fiddly'.

Seems a sensible approach IMO.

^ Yes, what BigJohn does is good too. It's called monovision iirc. I used to do that, have one eye for distance and one for close work, but then the reading vision got worse and I slipped beyond the limits of monovision. Good for the early stages. 

So far, the monocle idea appeals the most to me,just because I'd have it round my neck on my person all the time,and it's so small Nd u intrusive, without having to carry a set of specs around, but maybe the pince nez idea also has legs. Not sure I have the facial hair to carry off  a monocle.l though.... 

I don't find the presbyopia a problem when biking, and I'm fine when I'm working at my computer because I just keep the reading glasses on, it's just the day to day stuff when I'm out and about using a phone etc where it's a pain to carry glasses round and put them on and off all the time. 

Monovision could be a good idea for a lot of people, but it's a none stater for me as I'm practically blind in one eye, due to a condition called keratoconus, and because of the condition the only way to get the vision in the other eye good is contact lenses (the condition can't be corrected with glasses) , so I'm always wearing lenses day to day. Have tried varifocal lenses, but I don't like the way the varifocal element compromises the distance vision. 

Oh well, a million pairs of reading glasses it is then. 

Posted by: greyspoke

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If your distance vision is OK, you can ride in safety bifocals.  i find the bifocal bit is just right for when I look at my Garmin, also work for reading cafe menus etc.  Don't interfere with normal riding, even mtb-ing down steep twisty and garly stuff it doesn't seem to get in the way.

That aint going to work for me. I struggle to even walk down the stairs with my reading glasses on.

No way could I ride with them on.

I do actually take a pair of a quid from the chemist's glasses with me if we're going on a big out there ride.

Just that an MTB ENDURO Monocle would be so much more ENDURO BRO.

Your specs will need a sports loop to prevent you from accidentally sitting on them.

google ‘Larry Grayson’ for a better illustration.…or ‘Mrs. Slocombe’😂😂😂

double post

I found my previously perfect sight took a long-sighted nose dive in my mid-50s. 

A problem I found with cheap glasses is that they’re not glass and that their lens quality is poor - edge distortion, chromatic aberration, …

however, after losing some decent glasses only a few days after buying them I now suffer some cheap ones from Boots that I have in desk drawers and bedside cabinets and living room. Then I have an OK Moleskin-branded pair that stay in a bag for when I’m out. And then some fancy ones with an end of line demo frame and proper lenses from the optician. These latter ones fit inside one of those old Oakley Kevlar woven ‘tube’ zip cases and go with me everywhere. 

and then, for close up or detail work I got given some JML light-assisted specs. They look ridiculous of course but what a difference!

Otherwise, good sleep, regular screen breaks, bigger phones, accessibility settings: all these help. 

liking the Poundland recommendations. On my list now. 

On monocles, how about a pair of pince-nez? Or a lorgnette? My SO picked up a great pair of folding Edwardian lorgnettes a year ago and now they go everywhere with them. 

I just remembered another reading glasses option. Proposed by a ride friend. A pair of inexpensive folding reading glasses that pack into a small case. Ideal for packing in a toolkit or pocket for trail use to be able to tell the difference between your quick link spares for different chains. Sodial was the brand we chose on Amazon. I am sure there must be others. 

I need +1 for phone and general reading, but also have some +2 ones for small/close up repairs. Sometimes my arms are long enough to manage without ,but often not and it does depend on lighting too.

I have safety reading glasses for on the bike, obviously they don't look like your trendy expensive riding glasses, but they're  great and cheap.

Otherwise I have a a number of cheapo reading glasses about the place and in jackets and pride myself on finding cheap ones out and about. My best find were some snazzy red folding ones in a super slim case for £1.50!

Sorry but it made me laugh when you seem to think the over 40's are old!

From one of the many 60+ people here 🙂

Posted by: multibikestu

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That aint going to work for me. I struggle to even walk down the stairs with my reading glasses on.

No way could I ride with them on.

[/quote?

Quite different situations, what matters is riding down the stairs not walking.  Are your reading glasses simple plain and plus something bifocals, with an obvious junction between the two parts?

 

 

I can heartily recommend the BBB photochromic riding glasses with a +2.0 section at the bottom (which isn't noticeable when riding).  Got them from Merlin a few years ago.

£42 at Winstanleys.  bargain.

I wore 1 contact lens mono lens to adjust my eye(s) for reading. I now wear 2 lenses both different prescription left eye for distance right for reading. sounds weird but it works  

Waterstones sell Skinny Readers, that slip into a tube 150mm long and 20mm in diameter, cost £19, I have a pair with me all the time for reading any text, not just my phone screen, although as I read books on my phone, that’s the majority of the time when I’m out of the house.

I had my cataracts done in both eyes around three, four years ago, and I chose to have both set for distance and use readers for anything close up, which I’ve done for most of my life anyway.

VoltX in a Larry Grayson stylee has been working for me for a number of years. The Gorilla Grip spec cords you can get for a couple of quid on eBay are much better than the cords supplied with the VoltX glasses. Ooh, shut that door! (a reference for the kids, there).