I got my first pair last weekend and they are absolutely brilliant.

Hitherto, when wearing my distance glasses, I was forever peering over the frames to read my watch, operate the TV remote and read etc.. Now I can just look through the lenses at stuff at any distance and it’s perfectly in focus. What a revelation!

I think I’d considered them but always thought of them as something for Saga Holidays types but oh no, they are definitely for me. If you’ve thought about it – do it. They are excellent and not as expensive as I’d thought. I got “elite” quality lenses in a really nice Lagerfeld frame for less than £250. Well chuffed.

Welcome to my world, though I’ve been here for 3 years now 😆

I steadfastly refused for a couple of years, then found some sexy glasses and they could carry a vari without the horrid split line you used to get, the glasses have been my go to for work and reading.

8)

Only 43… Will be getting some in the next couple of weeks…. 8)

Ts! Ts! 🙄 What made are yours?

I have been wearing Carl Zeiss varifocals (almost top specs £210) since the beginning of the year.

I only started wearing varifocals because I could not see anything on my mobile. Damn! Getting old.

I am going to another pair done when I visit the far east at my home town next time.

😆

edit: for £250 you get top specs Carl Zeiss varifocals at the thinness possible plus everything else.

Hated the things – just took mine back today and going for bi-focals.

I got some cheap Specsavers ones several years ago when I started to use my phone for satnav, which was difficult to do with single vision specs. They worked well enough to encourage me to fork out for some Shamir multi-point varifocals, with DriveWear photoreactive tint, and multilayer AR coating. Not cheap, the lenses cost around £260, but I had them fitted into a pair of RayBan Lennon frames from ebay for $50.
I love them to bits, although I still wear contacts at weekends when it’s sunny, so I can wear some of my extensive collection of sunglasses.

Taylorplayer – Member

Hated the things – just took mine back today and going for bi-focals.

Why?

Mine was instantly comfortable with not a problem except they bent my frame by saying they adjusted it to suit my ears. Bloody annoying as I like my frame balance and I don’t care if my ears are not evenly level. 😡 I hate people bending my glass frame.

hopefully picking up my third set on xmas eve ( im 51) although for everyday stuff they are a boon, readers suit on some occasions eg really close up work and when looking at stuff that is above my eyeline. i also have a distance pair that i use when riding my trials bikes. the constant eye/head movements whilst riding off road made me physically ill and meant my scores increased dramatically to the point where riding with no glasses at all was an improvement..

less than £250.

Yeah mine were too. About £160 less actually!
Rip Curl frames but who cares? I can see out of them.
I’ve tried Zeiss lenses, Panasonic lenses, anti glare lenses, clearer than crystal lenses, anti scratch lenses & I’m currently on http://www.lentoid.com/ own brand lenses which are as good as any others I’ve tried in 15 years of using varifocals.
Unless my eyes are so crap I can’t see the difference!

Not keen on mine, still tend to take them off rather than looking through the bottom portion of the lens. Not keen on the frame either.

Right now i’m wearing contact lenses for distance and +1.0 readers for my phone / ipad.
Much easier for me. I’m 49, 50 in February

Why? Mine was instantly comfortable with not a problem except they bent my frame by saying they adjusted it to suit my ears. Bloody annoying as I like my frame balance and I don’t care if my ears are not evenly level.

Things started off well (though certainly not “instantly comfortable”) as when driving, I could both read a numberplate/roadsigns AND the dash more clearly (I’m longsighted). However, when at a junction, I had no sense of speed/distance with cars coming and would have to lift them up, had no sense of sideays spacial perception with them, found it difficult to park (i.e. would have to take them off)… couldn’t get comfortable with a monitor e.g. when trying to read long words, the first few letters would be in focus but the ending blurred. Couldn’t read music with them. When trying them outdoors… I could go on!

It felt as though the lateral field of vision was too narrow, though they weren’t cheap lenses (Nikon), and apparantly didn’t have a particularly narrow field of vision. I had the option of up-grading the lenses, but I wasn’t particularly keen to shell out more cash after my initial experience. We talked through what I felt I needed, and decided a pair for the p.c./reading music, and a pair of bifocals for driving.

esselgruntfuttock – Member

less than £250.

Yeah mine were too. About £160 less actually!

OOoo! I like!

How thin are the lens?

Mine are:

High index 1.6. i.e. second thinnest available.
Harden
Scratch proof
Anti-glare

😀

edit:

Taylorplayer – Member

We talked through what I felt I needed, and decided a pair for the p.c./reading music, and a pair of bifocals for driving.

I see. I understand you.

I have difficult driving at night with glare previously but now I am fine but I am shortsighted.

edit: for £250 you get top specs Carl Zeiss varifocals at the thinness possible plus everything else.

Ahem. depends on the prescription and frames. My Polaris Rimless with Zeiss varifocals were 800 quid several years ago. Replacement lenses only a mere 600.

slowoldman – Member
Ahem. depends on the prescription and frames. My Polaris Rimless with Zeiss varifocals were 800 quid several years ago. Replacement lenses only a mere 600.

Crikey! 😯 That is a new mtb there … or a Rohloff if you are lucky.

I think my short sightedness is around around 4.5 + 2.5 astigmatism. Mine is not rimless but a Porsche Design P8158 all Ti frame ( I love this frame so much I bought two – think they were retailed at £200 each but I intend to wear them for at least 40 years).

This one …

Do I look cool or what ! 😆

Ahem. depends on the prescription and frames. My Polaris Rimless with Zeiss varifocals were 800 quid several years ago. Replacement lenses only a mere 600.

Ha ha and hodie effing ho. Cock waving about varifocals.

A new STW low?

derek_starship – Member

Ha ha and hodie effing ho. Cock waving about varifocals.

A new STW low?

It’s not a new STW low rather a new toy for certain age.

Welcome to the club young man.

Keep spanking the monkey and you will go blind. 😆

That’s what we did. Hence the need for such expensive specs. Believe me, I would rather not have to spend this sort of money on being able to see.

Relentless monkey spanking caught me up last year.

Now wearing unbranded ti rimless frame varis from local optician. Light, comfy and can see garmin / dashboard as clearly as distant stuff. Wonderful things indeed.

How thin are the lens?

Wait there till I get the micrometer out…..

I don’t **** know! I know I don’t look like Poindexter that’s for sure.

As I said, I’ve had all the anti glarey anti scratchey ones & they don’t make a midgies dick of a difference as far as I can tell. (apart from being stacks more expensive that is)

47 and no varifocals yet. Mind you, I have worn glasses for 43 years and my “good” eye has made it to +3.5. The other is a sterling +lots. Very thin lenses but I get a huge discount.

esselgruntfuttock – Member
As I said, I’ve had all the anti glarey anti scratchey ones & they don’t make a midgies dick of a difference as far as I can tell. (apart from being stacks more expensive that is)

Ya, I was told mine was the super doper best of the best lens so I agreed … ahem … the lady was wearing a very low cut dress while adjusting my sights. Ahem!

Ok, I guess I will ask them (http://www.lentoid.com/) for a quote to see if I get one for my spare at lower price.

😀

TiRed – Member

47 and no varifocals yet. Mind you, I have worn glasses for 43 years and my “good” eye has made it to +3.5. The other is a sterling +lots. Very thin lenses but I get a huge discount.

That is a long time wearing glasses. 😯

I gone mine because it was too painful to read and to drive as I got headaches just to concentrate on seeing … damn.

I mean, £250 for some glegs?? Jesus you can get some decent binoculars for that money!

I’ve got varifocals after resisting for so long. Initially my line of sight would be through the transition so I found myself looking at things askew but I don’t notice it now. Can’t really manage without them.

On a slight hijack, what sports glasses is anyone using with indexes as high as +3/+5? Oakley won’t go that high as it spoils their ‘look’. I’m after some clear polarising ones (to cut glare from wet roads).

Took me a good 3 months to get used to them, -6.5 in each eye and astigmatism. They feel ‘normal’ and very comfy. Oakley Wingback frames which are very light.

I wish I could have my eyes zapped to account for my short/long vision.

Things started off well (though certainly not “instantly comfortable”) as when driving, I could both read a numberplate/roadsigns AND the dash more clearly (I’m longsighted). However, when at a junction, I had no sense of speed/distance with cars coming and would have to lift them up, had no sense of sideays spacial perception with them, found it difficult to park (i.e. would have to take them off)… couldn’t get comfortable with a monitor e.g. when trying to read long words, the first few letters would be in focus but the ending blurred. Couldn’t read music with them. When trying them outdoors… I could go on!

It felt as though the lateral field of vision was too narrow, though they weren’t cheap lenses (Nikon), and apparantly didn’t have a particularly narrow field of vision. I had the option of up-grading the lenses, but I wasn’t particularly keen to shell out more cash after my initial experience. We talked through what I felt I needed, and decided a pair for the p.c./reading music, and a pair of bifocals for driving.
Hmmm, I’m not an expert here, but it rather sounds like what you need are lenses like mine, multipoint varifoca.
You sit at a machine that analyses your vision as you look at various points on a screen, which then is used to create lenses that have a whole range of focal planes across each lens, with smooth transitions, so that there are no disorientating ‘jumps’ as you look through them. If you hold them away from your face and look through them it gets wierd, like a hall of mirrors sort of thing.

esselgruntfuttock – Member

I mean, £250 for some glegs?? Jesus you can get some decent binoculars for that money!

Ya, I know but imagine this way. Would you rather have one senses less?

Oh ya … no binoculars for me as I prefer a monocular but then I would end up like a cyclops.

johndoh – Member

I wish I could have my eyes zapped to account for my short/long vision.

I aint zapping my eyes unless they can reverse a failed zap. 😯

This is about the best image i could find for showing how varifocals ‘good’area of vision can vary by lens, the multi poing focal mentioned above……..all vari’s have it hence the vari, the trick is one having them set up properly and 2 using them correctly.

I’m fortunate I dont need a vari as yet but have access to pretty much any lens I want, for me it would be an Essilor Physio

Re the thickness for a shortsighted person there is a british standard for the mimimum thickness of a lens center, the motr important is the edge thickness

Wot e sez ^^
I had a premium lens pair which were awesome, then got suckered into a smaller more fashionable lens pair that had a crap useable area, so much so that I had to squint to read, and I found I couldn’t shoot in them, so much so that. I thought I needed lessons. In the end I took them back and they changed them without fuss to a better pair. It’s worth paying the premium, but I’m not sure I’d start shouting about the lens maker o a forum of willy-wavers and haterz.

i’m 36, i need vari-focals, and have done for about 20 years. I’ve got pairs of driving/reading glasses all over the place.

Had mine a month, they’re brilliant , I’m 42.
Don’t know what all the fuss is about, easy to get used to.
It’s not uncommon to spend over £600 on them from an independent optician ISYN.

the hustler know his stuff…

I initially had the top spec Essilor lenses, which were good, then I bought a second pair of specs to make current ones spares, so went for Oakleys with the ‘just out top spec’ Essilor lenses and they are markedly better comfort and transition wise. With a complicated presription they are not cheap, but I’m rather pay the money and get good, comfortable specs as I wear them all teh time.

I’ll happily say Essilor against any lens, for price against quality i dont think they can be beat and we deal with shamir nikon american optical zeiss and a few others including some manufacturers own, we have certain patients who wear a certain lens as they like it and a few others in either tailor made or specific use lenses. Some patients are more budget oriented so these will chose an inferior lens for that reason. For those that follow our advice where budget isn’t an issue (Wife has been qualified over 25 years)then generally the physio is what we’d go for.

the hustler – Member

I’ll happily say Essilor against any lens, for price against quality i dont think they can be beat …

How much cheaper are they compare to Zeiss?

🙂

I tried varifocals a few years ago and couldn’t get used to them but I suspect that was down to me and not the glasses.

Don’t need to try them again however …..

Recent cataract surgery has got rid of the issue …. gone from a -9 with 2.75 astigmatism to just needing a pair of +1 reading glasses for close up stuff …

Must be getting old( 56 )

My parents (~50s) both had refractive lens exchange surgery last year. They describe it as the difference between night and day, and AFAIK there’s not a single pair of glasses in the house now.

How much cheaper are they compare to Zeiss?

This is an impossible question to answer, to many variables

1 All opticians set their own price on the lens
2 What level of thinning is wanted on the lens
3 What prescription is the lens
4 What coating is on the lens
5 Is it a transition if so what type?

All of the above an affect the lens cost so price is not really ‘fixed’.

As a further endorsement essilors crizal coating is widely regarded to be the best in the business too.

Recent cataract surgery has got rid of the issue

I’m not at the point yet where cataract surgery is considered appropriate, but “bring it on” I say.

Right now i’m wearing contact lenses for distance and +1.0 readers for my phone / ipad.
Much easier for me. I’m 49, 50 in February

Over the last year or so I’d got to the point where varifocals were needed.

For my glasses I’ve got some fancy Zeiss lenses that are very good.

I was planning something similar for my contact lenses. But the optician suggest getting one lens for close up and one for distance. As long as you don’t think about it your brain just copes. I assumed this would be awful but it’s brilliant. Sight restored and no need to buy expensive lenses.

@matt have you tried long distance in both eyes when riding? It made a massive improvement to my riding as the trail became 3D. But you won’t be able to read a map or do close up repairs.

Anyone have a recommendation for a website that does good +1 glasses?