Just about a year later I have an update on this post from last January. I had trouble getting used to Progressives. Evenutally, I returned them. They remade my prescription and it still wasn't great for the work I do - I need the computer - either laptop or desktop, plus reading off of paper.
It never worked for me. I finally gave up on them and started relying on readers and fortunately, found my old prescription. I meant to go back and talk to optician - but having several jobs just got in the way of time to do it.
I did go back in December. My optometrist charged me a new exam fee. I told her my issue - and she remarked how strong they were.
Fixed the prescription that her original colleague had written. Had to pay for new lenses - again. This time they are amazing. I can see - without headaches. I suspect that I never got used to those Progressives...because they weren't the right prescription, in the first place.
Didn't opt for Progressives this time, but if I do, will go back to original doc, since her prescriptions have always been correct.
it took me a few days, maybe a week to get used to them...a little longer to get used to the fact that you always have to keep your head straight when looking at anything (if not, one eye sees through one part of the magnification and the other another part...complete blur).
Now, I couldn't go without them. It's been about 5 years.
Good luck...and remember, not everything is worth seeing well --this, of course, applies doubly so to hearing.
SLS - it took me a long to to get used to my progressive lenses. Weeks maybe months. I could read well but certain activities really bothered me - such as watching sporting events in bleachers, like a football or basketball game. Looking down on the field made everything blurry. Still, after 5 years, I have to look at my feet when I walk down an unfamiliar staircase.
I wonder if the differences in how well people adjust to them is partially a result of the contrast in the correction needed. My husband is near sighted, and wears contacts 75% of the time. He still wears reading glasses with his contacts because our optometrist told him he'd probably have to give up a little bit of his far vision to make correction for his up close vision if he corrected his vision by contacts only. I asked him how long it took him to get used to his progressive lenses, and he said it took a full week.
I wonder why some people like them and some people don't.
Both of my parents had progressives. My mom loves hers and was used to it immediately. She works on a computer all day and drives at night all the time and has never had an issue.
My dad hated his. After about 5 days he gave up because he kept getting bad migraines. Now he wears contacts and uses reading glasses.
I'm only 19 and my doc says I'm getting close to needing reading classes. I'm already almost legally blind. I prefer glasses, but I think if I'm forced to, I will use contacts and then reading glasses like my dad. I shouldn't need progressives in my 20s! *Sigh*
I went back to the optometrist's office and ordered prescription reading glasses. I talked to them about how I work on computer and they said when I am ready, I might be better with lined bi-focals.
Thanks for your help. I find it interesting that some got used to them almost immediately and others never did.
It took me about a day to get used to progressive lenses. It really wasn't that big of a deal for me, but I know that there are people who just never get used to them.
-- Edited by DonnaL on Saturday 15th of January 2011 01:18:53 PM
I just kept the lines. The opthamologist didn't want me to go to progressive lenses anyway.
On a related note, for the 1st time ever, I was able to keep the stupid designer frames with the new prescription. Hubby and I will never, ever be suckered into paying outrageous fees for frames again.
I went to progressives when I couldn't see distances clearly with my reading glasses. On the upper half there was no correction. I had been warned there most probably would be a period of adjustment, especially on stairs, but I never had a bit of trouble with them. I now have some distance adjustment at the top, but I think having gotten progressives early on before I needed distance correction helped me adjust easily to them. Two of my nieces are optometrists, and they warned me ahead of time that they've had a handful of patients who never could get used to them. I hope there's something your optometrist can do to make them work for you, but unfortunately, it sounds like you're having quite a lot of trouble with them. Good luck at your appointment.
Now, on the other hand, I would love to wear contacts now that I need my reading glasses full time. I really don't have any trouble seeing with them once I get them inserted, but I have a devil of a time getting them on and off. According to the contact person in my optometrist's office, I have very small eyeballs..lol Never would have known it if not for the darn contacts. I wear them occasionally now, but I finally gave up hopes of wearing them full time. It's just not worth the trouble. One contact corrects for reading and the other for distance. I thought that would be my adjustment problem, but that part was a piece of cake.
I wouldn't wait a month to get used to progressives. It should happen faster than that. You should be able to take the glasses back to the doc's office where you got the prescription and have them check to see if they are lined up correctly and that the prescription was made properly. I work for ophthalmologists and we don't want anybody walking around in glasses that don't work for them; we always tell them to bring the glasses in for a check if they are having trouble adjusting to them.
I tried progressives, but after the 30 day trial period I took them back and just got reading glasses. I had that motion sickness feeling too, and it didn't go away even after a month. I decided that I would rather change glasses than change how I move my head around to look at things.
Wow, that's amazing. I had never heard of the SuperFocus glasses before. What a great idea. A little out of my budget right now, but something to consider.
The optometrist told me to wear my glasses all the time for a month to adjust my eyes. I thought this was weird, as I don't have any significant distance correction in my prescription. She said it will help train my brain to process better and get used to this type of prescription.
I only wear progressives at work and maybe at a restaurant. I never wear them driving. I prefer polarized sunglasses. At home, I change glasses power with tasks, different strengths depending on what I'm doing, computer, newspaper, needlepoint, etc because like you I like as wide a field as I can get. However, I am only presbyopic, I have no distance correction. Check out the new Superfocus glasses--they have a rigid lens and a membrane with a liquid in between. You tighten or loosen the membrane by means of a dial on the bridge above the nose, which changes the focus power so supposedly you can always have perfect focus no matter what you're doing. I am not kidding, I saw an ad for it on TV. They only come in one shape--Harry Potter round.
Anybody have any experience with progressive eyeglasses? A couple of weeks ago I went back to my eye doctor after foolishly destroying my only pair of prescription lenses, and she recommended progressives. She assured me that after the adjustment period, I would love them.
It's been more than a week, and I can barely read anything on the computer with them, driving is near impossible and reading a book is out of the question. I feel like I have motion sickness and if I look at the keyboard from side to side the sensation is like looking at a boat in motion.
Even after cleaning the lenses before wearing, it feels much like I am looking at smudged lenses. Costco opens at 10 and I have a day off and I am going back to talk to them about what I can do. I can't work this way!
I understand that you need to follow your nose as you track for reading with this type of lens, but I realize that this is simply not how I read. I tend to scan my eyes back and forth.
Will it get better or should I resign myself to changing back to a traditional prescription? At this point I feel like I would be better off with my drugstore backup readers. At least I can see, then.
