It’s only been a week, but I kind of hate them. Considering old-man bifocals now.
Hiya! Former optician here!
Have you taken your progressives in figure them adjusted or aligned?
Progressive lenses must be fitted in the perfect spot in front of your eyes to give you the best possible vision.
Once fitted correctly, they mimic the way your focus changes naturally by applying +power as you progress further down the lens, basically shifting towards spherical shape to “magnify” a bit, the same way the muscles in your eyes bend your inner lens to do the same!
In order to use them efficiently:
Folks tend to point their nose slightly downward as they view distance, keep this in mind as your distance section is at the top!
When looking near people tend to slightly cross their eyes and look down towards their nose! This is why the bottom of the lens feels stronger, its where you’re expected to read through.
Midrange is the tough one to nail. I recommend holding a piece of paper with text at arms length in front of you, find the spot where its perfect and slowly drag it from that spot to where you’d prefer to read. This will help to train your eyes to follow that track to vary the focus.
Dont give up! I usually recommend giving your lenses a few weeks to adjust to a new style of lens.
Remember though, while they may be difficult to use at first, your vision should be perfect when they do work, getting them to work 100% of the time is the part that takes effort.
SadSadSatellite@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 weeks ago
There’s a few points to note
-there are 1500 different progressive lenses, and a lot of stire are still selling 35 yeae old lenses. You get what you pay for, and avoid chains.
-the eyeglass industry is full of reps who think they’re professionals, but don’t actually know fuck all about how they work. What the other person said about measurements is way more obvious with a progressive. Because of this, online progressives are dogshit.
-if you’re a hyperope, it takes more time to get used to the lenses. Plus prescriptions add more distortion, so it takes longer to adapt.
-the age you got the first progressive makes a huge difference. If you get one at 42, you’ll have a much easier time than if you wait until 60, because the reading addition keeps getting stronger and causes more distortion. Side note, if you’re over 42, you should be wearing a progressive. Stop lying to me and yourself.
-it takes about two weeks to feel natural, but you have to wear the glasses, and not switch back to an older pair. If you don’t put in the effort, you’ll be the old person with lines. If you wear them for two weeks and don’t get used to them, theres something wrong with the lens.
-don’t take advice from anyone you know, youtube, or especially reddit. Nobody knows any of the actual science behind optics, they just keep parroting things that sound legit. Even supposed professionals in my industry are goddamn idiots, including most licensed opticians i know. The only sources of info that can be trusted are lifelong lab managers, and the people designing the products and systems of manufacture. Everyone else spouts buzzwords like they know what they’re saying, or they saw a video once.
I’m an advanced optician running three offices and a lab, working towards my masters designation, and i’m infuriated to be one of the last professionals in this industry.
Technoworcester@feddit.uk 5 weeks ago
As an ex lab tech and dispenser…
This.
Thanks for writing, saved me a job.
If you’re over 42, you should be wearing a progressive. Stop lying to me and yourself.
MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
I just laugh and call my friends “donkey” every time one of them uses “cheaters”.
We’re all mid/late 50s. Zero reason these self conscious puds shouldn’t wear glasses. I’ve had progressive for about 15 years.
LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
So as someone who’s mid 30s and was proscribed contacts at 18 and had one blow back into my eye while on a motorcycle, then another crack (probably from my misuse) and irritate my eye real bad, and just give up on wearing anything. At what age would you say I should draw a hard line of making sure I get something so my eyes will adapt properly. I still passed the eye test at the DMV, but it’s gotta be close. Somehow I don’t think my distance has gotten worse from 18-35 because I can still read text on street signs and captions on TVs.
Just figured I’d ask because your talk about 42 vs 60 adapting to lenses, or if I could just keep ignoring it and adapt when I do get glasses eventually.
SadSadSatellite@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 weeks ago
The DMV only tests your distance vision. Reading starts going at 38, is noticable by 40, and becomes a problem at 42. Your ability to focus at different lengths dissipates as your lens hardens from years of growth. If you can read just fine at 44, your distance isn’t as good as you think. If you’re distance vision is fine, you’re the guy holding his menu at arms length in a restaurant.
You’ll notice when something is up when:
-your phone is hard to see unless you hold it out further.
-you ever find yourself complaining about fine print.
-driving at dusk or in the rain is uncomfortable.
-you get tension headaches at the base of your skull from squinting out your astigmatism.
wjrii@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
I don’t remember exactly what I ordered, but it was from an independent shop and I think I picked the middle out of five options. I’m going to give it the full three weeks, but the narrow intermediate distance band, the swimmy effect on the near band when I move my head, and the dead zone in the lower corners are all very irritating.
The prescription itself seems spot on; it’s just how the progressive is laid out. It’s on me for not realizing that aren’t just sort of linear, but it is — well — mildly infuriating.
zwerg@feddit.org 5 weeks ago
I’ve worn progressive lenses for nearly 10 years now. I did get one pair on the cheap, and they were truly awful, unusable. That’s when I figured out that going cheap with progressive lenses isn’t worth it. That may be what has happened to you. Even with good lenses, it takes me a few days, maybe a week to get used to them when I get a new pair. Stairs are… difficult though, especially going down. I live in a busy European city, so I use public transport a lot, and that means lots of stairs. I can no longer run up and down them like I used to.
SadSadSatellite@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 weeks ago
If you have access to an itemized receipt, I can troubleshoot for you if you DM me. Worth noting, an add jump from 75 to 175 will make you swerve for a week, but it can be lessened by good measurments and high end lenses.
There’s not really any true low and medium level products. They’re just older products. The mid grade was the top of the line 15 years ago. The basic progressive at most places is probably a Shoreview, ovation, or adaptar. They were great lenses, in 1993. But every few years there’s a new breakthrough, and the high end lenses at most places are the newest tech. Don’t want to have trouble with computers? You need a lens designed after everyone started working on one. Feel like your phone gets distorted? You need a lens designed after smartphones became commonplace.