Would need to know you prescription to be truly precise but basically your optician is now saying you need help for both distance and reading.
Varifocal gives you a focal point for both with everything in between as the graduation changes, in time this will become more important as the difference between prescriptions increases, a vari will give you an optimum for computers etc too
another option is a bifocal, but as the name suggests this gives you a near and a far but nothing inbetween (also has that silly looking segment in the lens)
Third option is 2/3 pairs near/intermediate/distance
Varifocal is convenience but it comes with a price……
if you want any more info post here or PM me