Possibly a daft question.
I’d managed to get to the ripe old age of 54 without needing glasses but the last couple of months have been struggling a bit with reading small text.
so off I went to Specsavers for an eye test.
They gave me a prescription and as I wasn’t keen on glasses they had in stock I ordered some Oakleys from RXsport.
The Oakleys have just arrived and they really do make reading easier.
All good so far.
However anything further away than what I’m reading is very blurred.
Is that normal?
I kind of suspect it is but when I had the eye test I can’t remember everything looking that blurred at a distance.

When I ordered with RX I just sent them a photo of my prescription and they filled in the details.
Could there have been a mistake there or am I miss remembering what happened in the examination/test?

However anything further away than what I’m reading is very blurred.
Is that normal?

Yes. Welcome to the world of headaches and “where did I put those down”.

I kind of suspect it is but when I had the eye test I can’t remember everything looking that blurred at a distance.

I don’t understand how they do it… but when they’re getting you to read the chart on the wall with different lenses, they are actually simulating the effect at a different distance (in your/my case book/screen distance), not the distance from your seat to the chart on the wall. Is it magic?

Sounds like you’ve got some reading glasses, when you’ve finished reading with them, just take them off…

Reading glasses are just for reading/close up stuff.  You remove them when finished, stick them on top of your head then wonder where they are 🙂

The Oakleys have just arrived and they really do make reading easier.
All good so far.
However anything further away than what I’m reading is very blurred.
Is that normal?

I’ve no idea whether it’s “normal” but I had similar. I needed glasses for distance, primarily driving. No-one told me that it’d make close-up worse. I’d have got varifocals if I’d known.

If you want glasses for both reading and distance you need either bifocals or varifocals.

Sounds like you’ve got some very expensive reading glasses, when you’ve finished reading with them, just take them off…

I think the best bit is that you’ve ordered Oakley readers that’s going to be an expensive Alice band…

Most people I know who develop long sight as they get on just end up with pound shop specials in whichever +/-0.5 value is closest to their prescription, at least after they break their first upsold posh pair from vision express…

Mmmm.
Just chatting to RX who’ve had another look at my prescription and say it’s for varifocals.

age of 54 without needing glasses but the last couple of months have been struggling a bit with reading small text

you only need to wear them whilst reading small text. If possible return the oakleys, and spend £10 on ten pairs of pound shop specials, leave a pair in each jacket, one next to the bed, one pair in the kitchen drawer, one wherever you keep pills and medicine, etc.
Next week buy another ten pairs because you’ve lost or broken the first ten.

I have reading glasses, computer screen distance glasses and cycling glasses ( I don’t drive). I also have close up glasses for soldering and detail work on guitars and model planes.
With glasses the distance I focus on easily is about 10 inches with a depth of field of about 2 inches.

😂 at some of the replys.

varifocals

Aren’t they the ones where you have to look through the upper part of the lense for distance and lower part for close up? I’d imagine it takes a bit of getting used to.

Me, I’ve just caved in and bought reading glasses. Cheapies that I can stick on the back of my phone and some still pretty cheap magnetic things I can wear when working. Any time I need to see anything close up I am stuffed without the readers 🙁

53. How did I get so old?

If possible return the oakleys, and spend £10 on ten pairs of pound shop specials, leave a pair in each jacket, one next to the bed, one pair in the kitchen drawer, one wherever you keep pills and medicine, etc.
Next week buy another ten pairs because you’ve lost or broken the first ten.

Sam Vimes is on the phone, he’s saying something about boots?

Aren’t they the ones where you have to look through the upper part of the lense for distance and lower part for close up? I’d imagine it takes a bit of getting used to.

Aye. My missus got varifocals. Hated them, was going to take them back and then we went into Covid lockdown so she couldn’t. Today she loves them and wouldn’t wear anything else, but it took a while.

Just chatting to RX who’ve had another look at my prescription and say it’s for varifocals.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Aren’t they the ones where you have to look through the upper part of the lens for distance and lower part for close up? I’d imagine it takes a bit of getting used to.

Not quite…those are bifocals – or the ones with a line across the lenses. Varifocals do the same thing but you don’t tend to move your head around to look as the varifocal bit takes care of that…or at least it does on mine.

Edit, having just re-read your question again – yeah, they do but the lenses tend to have differing ticknesses to allow the lower section for closer up stuff but it is blended rather than 2 different prescriptions (so no line across of the lens).

@singlespeedstu

😂 at some of the replys

Just amazed you can read them 😉

OK the upshot after chatting to RX is that they are saying that my prescription could be used for single vision or varifocal.
So if I want to swap the lenses to varifocal I can send them back and just pay the difference between the single and vari price.
That seems fair enough to me.
My prescription for distance is very mild hence when I had the eye test they said I only really needed reading glasses.
I’d just never considered how bad single vision would make everything else look.
Now how much is constantly taking them on and off worth…

I managed to bumble along quite happily for 20yrs with one contact lens for my left eye. Driving, fishing, biking and reading no problem. Then virtually overnight I ended up with thyroid eye disease. Dyplopia (double vision) and into a world of grief. Prescription glasses, reading glasses, prescription shades and an eye patch. Never the right combination at the right time.
+1 for multiple cheap readers scattered about the house and car. Wish I could wear a soft daily lens again but the surface of my eye has swollen so it doesn’t fit.

I’ve got a “posh” eye test book for tomorrow… ie at a proper independent opticians as opposed to Specsave etc.

Previously have gone to Specsave and Vision Express but not sure how good their prescription has been.

Will report back on how it went and to ask where to get my new Bins from…. I’ll doubt I’ll be be buying from the indy.

HOPE THIS HAS HELPED THE OP

Sam Vimes is on the phone, he’s saying something about boots?

The thing with specs frames though, is that there really isn’t much (if any) difference in quality between the posh brands and proper cheapos. Because they tend to mostly be made in the same factories; one brand, Luxotica, own many ‘luxury’ brands including Oakley. You can buy frames that are pretty much identical to the posh brands, but don’t have the logos, for a fraction of the cost. Paying loads extra for Oakley reading glasses is daft.

Just chatting to RX who’ve had another look at my prescription and say it’s for varifocals.

Wait; so RX have no doubt charged you quite a bit, yet actually got them wrong? Oh my.

Someone needs to read all the posts. 😉

OK the upshot after chatting to RX is that they are saying that my prescription could be used for single vision or varifocal.

They’ve also offered to swap the lenses and pay the difference on lens price if I want varis.
I think that’s pretty fair of them.

On a positive note.
It’s so easy to line my brake calipers and rotors up now that I don’t have to try and use a torch to shine through to check the gap.😁

It’s so easy to line my brake calipers and rotors up now that I don’t have to try and use a torch to shine through to check the gap

Ditto. Also reading sizes on hex bits and values on torque wrench scales

HOPE THIS HAS HELPED THE OP

I said,

HOPE THIS HAS HELPED THE OP

Sorry you’ll have to speak up a bit I can’t hear you.

The thing with specs frames though, is that there really isn’t much (if any) difference in quality between the posh brands and proper cheapos.

I’m glad you said this, I thought it was me being cynical. I can totally understand lenses being expensive, they’re a bespoke, precision item. Frames though, it’s just a bit of off-the-shelf plastic / metal. No?

I had ‘two pairs for a fiver’ +1 reading glasses as a jokey 50th birthday present. Actually great! My arms were struggling to not be long enough and adjusting bike gears is so much easier 😁

My arms were struggling to not be long enough

That’s what was the final straw for me.
There were also certain jobs on the bike I could only do when the sun was out and I was outside. 😂

On a positive note.
It’s so easy to line my brake calipers and rotors up now that I don’t have to try and use a torch to shine through to check the gap.

I have the opposite issue being shortsighted – I have to take my contacts out or glasses off to do any mechanical stuff. Incredibly annoying when MrsMC asks me to help her put a necklace on after I’ve put my lenses in and I can’t see the fiddly little catch – and break it.

Re frames – as I said, I’m shortsighted, so need to do the Alice band thing to read. Every pair of lookalike frames I’ve had have got broken or damaged because of this, except Oakleys.

If anyone can point me to a less expensive Alice band solution that will last 4-5 years, let me know. (My prescription doesn’t change)

You might be throwing good money after bad getting varifocals. Does anyone wear varifocals who just needs reading glasses? They’re useful for people (like me) who need glasses all the time because they’re short-sighted but then need reading glasses too. If you don’t need distance glasses it’s not a great problem to put on reading glasses when you need them. If you do need distance glasses it’s a bit of a pain to swap between the two pairs – so varifocals are worthwhile. Personally I tried varifocals but didn’t get on with them so I do swap between the two.

As others have said you want the cheap off-the-shelf reading glasses. You should be able to get most of your money back from RX. You might need to pay for the glazing but that shouldn’t be more than £50 I’d think? The online optician I buy from refunds 100% including lenses.

I’m glad you said this, I thought it was me being cynical. I can totally understand lenses being expensive, they’re a bespoke, precision item. Frames though, it’s just a bit of off-the-shelf plastic / metal. No?

Totally. The flexible Titanium type frames are expensive, but imo worth it because they last. Some metal frames have a bit of work in their manufacture, but plastic ones are churned out of moulds by the thousand. The only reason to get Oakleys if you need prescription specs, is because the lenses are better quality than most others. Literally bullet proof, so good for active use. For reading; utter waste of money. Find a quirky frame in a charity shop, and have them glazed however you want. Save ££££s. Don’t look like someone who wasted loads of money on Oakley reading glasses…

As others have said you want the cheap off-the-shelf reading glasses.

I don’t.
I’m happy with the Oakley frames thanks.
I also went with the Oakley impact resistant lens as I spend a lot of time in the garage and If I go back to work it’ll be in a workshop.
The main use for them won’t be reading, more close up hands on work.

RX have actually offered a full refund if I wanted to go that way.

configuration.
Thanks for trying to tell me what to spend my cash on though, that’s really helpful of you. 👌

I’m happy with the Oakley frames thanks.
I also went with the Oakley impact resistant lens as I spend a lot of time in the garage and If I go back to work it’ll be in a workshop.

In that case, I’d stick with what you’ve got and take them off when not doing close up work. If you do decide to get varifocals you’re meant to get measured up in person so they can work out where to put the transition – which is a personal thing depending on the angle you look through the glasses. Though RX sound pretty helpful so I wonder if they could do a video consultation?

configuration.
Thanks for trying to tell me what to spend my cash on though, that’s really helpful of you

Only too happy to help. 😎

I’m happy with the Oakley frames thanks.

…you’ll still need half a dozen pairs!

Slippery slope this reading glasses lark. I’ve got the buggers everywhere! 🤣🤣🤣

Though RX sound pretty helpful so I wonder if they could do a video consultation?

I sent them a photo as requested with a ruler above my eyebrows so they could work out my pupil distance.
They have been good to deal with through out TBF.

muffin man.
It’s my vision that’s going not my mind. 😁

Think I’m going to stick with them as they are.
Wasn’t really that inconvenient in the garage this avo.
Just me not really thinking about how a single lens would work. 🙄

Reading glasses get broken all the time. Varifocals don’t. That’s because varifocals are always on your head, readers are usually in your pocket and get squashed.