Close up stuff with wonky eyesight...a remedy?

[Graham Orm]

In my mid twenties I suffered a sudden deterioration of the vision in one eye. A visit to the optician revealed a small scratch on the surface, the optician said it would heal itself, which it did. I could still read the bottom line of his chart with my 'bad eye', so good was my sight at the time.

To my absolute horror, like most people, my close up vision deteriorated in my mid forties. A decade later and I need glasses for distance as well. I took for granted good eyesight before and genuinely feel for anyone who has had to wear glasses all their lives.

My reading prescription is equivalent to a pair of +2 off the shelf reading glasses, so I buy them 3 pairs at a time for work as they get scratched and damaged quickly. They only work from 8" to about 4 feet, so whilst great for most hand work real close up stuff like cleaning dovetails out, or tying fishing knots is a struggle.

Just for the sake of it I tried my Tesco readers over the top of my prescription glasses and hey presto! I can get really close. This led me to wonder about a pair of plus 4's. Plus 3.5 is the highest I could find, but they do the job magnificently with real close up stuff, out to about 8". I've yet to try them with my plus 2's over the top!

Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

 

[JakeS]

Just for the sake of it I tried my Tesco readers over the top of my prescription glasses and hey presto! I can get really close. This led me to wonder about a pair of plus 4's. Plus 3.5 is the highest I could find, but they do the job magnificently with real close up stuff, out to about 8". I've yet to try them with my plus 2's over the top!

I admittedly have the opposite problem, so maybe I fail to understand something about poor up-close vision... but isn't this something you should discuss with your optician? I was under the impression that frequently wearing glasses which aren't right for your eyes can actually strain your eyes and damage your eyesight further?

Alternatively, if you're just after occasional greater magnification, you can get magnifying visors that you can wear over the top of regular glasses; "optivisor" is the most well-known brand, but there are others.



My dad got a pair of varifocals from his optician for a similar reason - his regular glasses were no good for up-close tasks - and he seems to think they're great. Although he did think he'd gone blind one day when he put them on after cleaning and couldn't see anything in-focus - turned out he'd cleaned them so vigorously he'd rotated the (circular) lenses around inside the frames!

 

[Graham Orm]

Just for the sake of it I tried my Tesco readers over the top of my prescription glasses and hey presto! I can get really close. This led me to wonder about a pair of plus 4's. Plus 3.5 is the highest I could find, but they do the job magnificently with real close up stuff, out to about 8". I've yet to try them with my plus 2's over the top!

I admittedly have the opposite problem, so maybe I fail to understand something about poor up-close vision... but isn't this something you should discuss with your optician? I was under the impression that frequently wearing glasses which aren't right for your eyes can actually strain your eyes and damage your eyesight further?

Alternatively, if you're just after occasional greater magnification, you can get magnifying visors that you can wear over the top of regular glasses; "optivisor" is the most well-known brand, but there are others.



My dad got a pair of varifocals from his optician for a similar reason - his regular glasses were no good for up-close tasks - and he seems to think they're great. Although he did think he'd gone blind one day when he put them on after cleaning and couldn't see anything in-focus - turned out he'd cleaned them so vigorously he'd rotated the (circular) lenses around inside the frames!

It is just better magnification I need and by adding the two lenses or going up that's the effect that it gives. I wear bi-focals, can't get on with varifocals. One of my lenses is loose and falls out occasionally, that leads to some weird effects when not expecting it.

 

[AES]

Hi Graham,

My "vision history" is pretty similar to yours except I think I'm a bit older than you (68) and that after a few days getting used to them I find varifocals excellent (there are a couple of limitations with them for me but nothing to do with this subject).

Just like you I found a 2nd pair of "ordinary reading glasses" sort of balanced over my "proper" glasses (so always tending to slip down my nose - annoying) did work very well for close work such as setting & marking out plus reading (non-digital) measuring instruments.

So to solve the slipping down the nose problem I bought a jeweller's head band magnifier (no light) with a choice of mag 2, 3 & 4 double lenses (one over each eye, in front of my normal glasses). Works very well, especially at mags 3 & 4, and comfortable too. Not cheap (in Swiss Francs the equivalent of about 25 quid) but IMHO well worth it.

And with varifocals anyway, a decent light shing DIRECTLY on the job is not just helpful, at least in my case it's essential!

Hope that helps
AES

 

[Graham Orm]

Hi Graham,

My "vision history" is pretty similar to yours except I think I'm a bit older than you (68) and that after a few days getting used to them I find varifocals excellent (there are a couple of limitations with them for me but nothing to do with this subject).

Just like you I found a 2nd pair of "ordinary reading glasses" sort of balanced over my "proper" glasses (so always tending to slip down my nose - annoying) did work very well for close work such as setting & marking out plus reading (non-digital) measuring instruments.

So to solve the slipping down the nose problem I bought a jeweller's head band magnifier (no light) with a choice of mag 2, 3 & 4 double lenses (one over each eye, in front of my normal glasses). Works very well, especially at mags 3 & 4, and comfortable too. Not cheap (in Swiss Francs the equivalent of about 25 quid) but IMHO well worth it.

And with varifocals anyway, a decent light shing DIRECTLY on the job is not just helpful, at least in my case it's essential!

Hope that helps
AES

Thanks AES. Yes I was aware of the head-worn magnifyers, but this is at present a cheap option for me. With my plus 3.5's I am seeing detail that i was just guessing about for a long time, maybe now my tables won't wobble and my boxes will close!

 

[RogerP]

.... I was under the impression that frequently wearing glasses which aren't right for your eyes can actually strain your eyes and damage your eyesight further?

Just a myth, won't damage your sight but might cause strain and headaches.

See here .... http://eyediologyopticians.co.uk/pages/Eye-care-myths-explained.html

 

[fluffflinger]

I use a pair of these (5x) for checking micro bevels when sharpening and a few other tasks that my eyes aren't up to. They are excellent quality, I know as I used to work for the company.

http://www.orvis.co.uk/store/product.aspx?pf_id=6983

 

[Graham Orm]

I use a pair of these (5x) for checking micro bevels when sharpening and a few other tasks that my eyes aren't up to. They are excellent quality, I know as I used to work for the company.

http://www.orvis.co.uk/store/product.aspx?pf_id=6983

Wow, worth knowing about, but 3.5's are as good with plus 2's over the to total cost £9 from Tesco.

 

[fluffflinger]

But maybe not quite as stylish! :lol:

 

[Baldhead]

I use a pair of these (5x) for checking micro bevels when sharpening and a few other tasks that my eyes aren't up to. They are excellent quality, I know as I used to work for the company.

http://www.orvis.co.uk/store/product.aspx?pf_id=6983

Wow, worth knowing about, but 3.5's are as good with plus 2's over the to total cost £9 from Tesco.

Graham, Graham, Graham

£2 for two pair at Asda!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

BH

May I point out, I don't work for Asda, do not have shares in Asda (Walmart) or have any other association with Asda, also just incase the wife see's this, I hate shopping.

 

[Graham Orm]

I use a pair of these (5x) for checking micro bevels when sharpening and a few other tasks that my eyes aren't up to. They are excellent quality, I know as I used to work for the company.

http://www.orvis.co.uk/store/product.aspx?pf_id=6983

Wow, worth knowing about, but 3.5's are as good with plus 2's over the to total cost £9 from Tesco.

Graham, Graham, Graham

£2 for two pair at Asda!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

BH

May I point out, I don't work for Asda, do not have shares in Asda (Walmart) or have any other association with Asda, also just incase the wife see's this, I hate shopping.

BH
I've got some of the Asda ones, the glass is small and they are flimsy. I used to buy them from Lloyds Chemist at £6 a pair, but now Tesco at £3.30. Good quality. Thanks for the tip though :wink:

 

[Reggie]

A pair of readers over your glasses is no different to a normal sighted person using a magnifying glass to see small things or an astronomer with a telescope looking at stuff that is very far away.

I use readers, I've only just started doing woodwork though, so I have a question for you glasses wearers, how do you stop the darn things slipping constantly when you're looking at stuff at an odd angle, I don't think blooootak will do the job.

 

[AES]

@Reggie:

You're right, "Blootak" will NOT do it.

I find the only way, especially in Summer, when you're sweating a bit (except this Summer, so far!) is to go back to the opticians and get them to adjust the fitting of the frame - again! This is for me particularly true with varifocals, where the whole lens must be positioned in front of each eyeball EXACTLY as the optician originally intended. I don't know how it is in UK these days but here in Switzerland, although one pays a hefty sum for for the glasses, at least the adjustments are free - I think theoretically one could go back every week. In reality though I find roughly 3 or 4 times a year is fine (I did try tweaking the frame a bit myself but as said, the adjustment seems to be quite critical and I never got it as good myself as the lady in the opticians does).

I've also tried various loops and bands round the neck but have found nothing as satisfactory good as going back for a quick tweak.

Hope that helps

AES

 

[Graham Orm]

@Reggie:

You're right, "Blootak" will NOT do it.

I find the only way, especially in Summer, when you're sweating a bit (except this Summer, so far!) is to go back to the opticians and get them to adjust the fitting of the frame - again! This is for me particularly true with varifocals, where the whole lens must be positioned in front of each eyeball EXACTLY as the optician originally intended. I don't know how it is in UK these days but here in Switzerland, although one pays a hefty sum for for the glasses, at least the adjustments are free - I think theoretically one could go back every week. In reality though I find roughly 3 or 4 times a year is fine (I did try tweaking the frame a bit myself but as said, the adjustment seems to be quite critical and I never got it as good myself as the lady in the opticians does).

I've also tried various loops and bands round the neck but have found nothing as satisfactory good as going back for a quick tweak.

Hope that helps

AES

Hot optician? :wink: Dust is the worst thing for me. I constantly have to keep cleaning them.

 

[DonJohnson]

Grayorm - as you say you are 'getting on a bit' so you might be interested in some background information, and get your optician to check if you are starting to suffer from cataracts.

I kept trying different prescriptions before I found that this was my problem - my lenses were becoming 'milky' and they themselves scattered light so different lenses could not improve the situation. Most people think that cataracts are caused by some film or something covering the lenses in your eye, but it is in fact the lenses themselves that become cloudy. An operation to simply replace a milky lens with a new plastic version takes about 10 minutes actual 'in the chair' time, and is painless.

Unfortunately, the plastic lenses are fixed focus, so if you choose them for normal reading etc, you will probably need a pair of glasses for distance (or vice-versa).

When I enquired about variable-focus lens replacements, I was told that they were available, and were silicone-filled sacs (like tiny breast implants ??) which had little 'hooks' which were attached to the muscles that usually flex the existing lens to alter its focus, so they act in pretty much the same way.

It was expensive, but I had these fitted, and they are great. I have to say that friends who had the plastic lenses also felt that they experienced a vast improvement in their vision.

The reason the silicone versions are expensive is that normal plastic lens cataract replacements are free on the NHS if your optician confirms you need them (they seem reluctant to confirm this sometimes - perhaps because you won't keep buying their glasses ?). If you go for the silicone versions, you have to pay for the whole operation !!!! However, you won't need to keep buying expensive glasses, and you won't get steamed-up when you wear breathing protection masks!.

I know you were initially asking about close-up work, but I thought that I would pass on the above info' just in case it might interest you - or others reading this topic.

 

[Graham Orm]

Grayorm - as you say you are 'getting on a bit' so you might be interested in some background information, and get your optician to check if you are starting to suffer from cataracts.

I kept trying different prescriptions before I found that this was my problem - my lenses were becoming 'milky' and they themselves scattered light so different lenses could not improve the situation. Most people think that cataracts are caused by some film or something covering the lenses in your eye, but it is in fact the lenses themselves that become cloudy. An operation to simply replace a milky lens with a new plastic version takes about 10 minutes actual 'in the chair' time, and is painless.

Unfortunately, the plastic lenses are fixed focus, so if you choose them for normal reading etc, you will probably need a pair of glasses for distance (or vice-versa).

When I enquired about variable-focus lens replacements, I was told that they were available, and were silicone-filled sacs (like tiny breast implants ??) which had little 'hooks' which were attached to the muscles that usually flex the existing lens to alter its focus, so they act in pretty much the same way.

It was expensive, but I had these fitted, and they are great. I have to say that friends who had the plastic lenses also felt that they experienced a vast improvement in their vision.

The reason the silicone versions are expensive is that normal plastic lens cataract replacements are free on the NHS if your optician confirms you need them (they seem reluctant to confirm this sometimes - perhaps because you won't keep buying their glasses ?). If you go for the silicone versions, you have to pay for the whole operation !!!! However, you won't need to keep buying expensive glasses, and you won't get steamed-up when you wear breathing protection masks!.

I know you were initially asking about close-up work, but I thought that I would pass on the above info' just in case it might interest you - or others reading this topic.

That's fascinating info Don. Thanks. I had an eye test a month ago and always ask them to check for anything untoward as my dad had macular degeneration and it's genetic.
I'll remember what you said if i do get cataracts.

 

[AES]

@Doc Johnson:

That is VERY interesting info, thanks a lot. I'm due to see the eye Dr fairly soon (regular check up) and will ask - exactly as you say, the biggest pain I find is any sort of breathing mask foggs my specs up very quickly. Thanks for the info.

@Reggie:

About getting the frames adjusted regularly (to stop the glasses slipping down your nose), as per my last post, one thing I forgot to add is that you should get your optician to change those two little rubbery plastic "nose pads" regularly - about once a year in my case. That also helps to keep everything properly "lined up" between the glasses lenses and your eyes . Again I don't know about UK these days but it's FOC (along with the frame adjustments) here in Switzerland.

My Dad had lots of plans about workshops and steam engines etc when he retired but within 3 or 4 years of retiring was beginning to loose his sight badly - there are such things as Braille (metalworking) lathes apparently but the prices were out of the question, even if he could have mastered such a huge diversion from "standard" practice. Now that I'm of a similar age to him all those years back I'm watching my eyesight very carefully. "So far, so good" (as the man said who jumped off the Empire State building) but I'm taking no chances at all and am grateful for all the info on sites like this, and regular visits to the eye Dr.

Best of luck to all glasses wearers,

(and BTW, also thanks to the previous poster who gave us the link about "straining your eyes" (a "myth" I had always believed until I followed your link Sir).

Cheers
AES

 

[Sheptonphil]

Don

I have been looking at having the multifocal lens replacements, and may I ask how effective they are for close, medium and distance work. I work with computer circuit board repairs using glasses, but magnifier to check after, play pool and of course drive. I believe I should be able to do all three with these lens replacements.

The cost is £5400 which I don't mind spending if they will mean I don't ever need glasses again. I understand there is no degeneration over time as the lenses have three focal point which the brain learns to use, so it is not like the lens will harden like a natural one, and no focusing muscles are used.

Thanks for any info.

Phil

 

[DonJohnson]

Don

I have been looking at having the multifocal lens replacements, and may I ask how effective they are for close, medium and distance work. I work with computer circuit board repairs using glasses, but magnifier to check after, play pool and of course drive. I believe I should be able to do all three with these lens replacements.

The cost is £5400 which I don't mind spending if they will mean I don't ever need glasses again. I understand there is no degeneration over time as the lenses have three focal point which the brain learns to use, so it is not like the lens will harden like a natural one, and no focusing muscles are used.

Thanks for any info.

Phil

Phil,

I asked that my multifocal lens implants be optimised for reading, working at my computer and woodworking and they do work perfectly for all these. Extreme close-up work might require a magnifying glass, but that would probably have been true in earlier years before age-related changes occurred. I can see perfectly well to drive, but I do have a pair of minus 1/2 dioptre glasses in the car which just sharpen up distant objects - which the surgeon said I would find helpful.

We have a medium sized TV across the room, and I sometimes wear the 'driving' glasses to watch it - again it just sharpens the images, but I don't always bother.

Contrary to your last point, my understanding was that the 'hooks' on the lenses DO mean that the eye muscles ARE used - I can turn from my computer screen and look out of the window at houses across the gardens and focus on both just as I would before the replacement lenses were fitted.

As you are considering the change, I would say that I feel I spent my money wisely - new vari-focal glasses every 6 months were costing me a bomb anyway.

I said that each eye op takes about 10 minutes, but the lead-up takes about 45 minutes as drops are regularly dripped into one's eye to anesthetise it. During the op, one sees weird light displays, but the only sensation is the feel of the sterilised water being mopped from one's cheek as the nurse keeps the eye moistened. Obviously I couldn't see, but I guessed I must have looked like Alex in that scene from A Clockwork Orange where he is forced to watch violent films - but I felt no discomfort.

 

[AES]

@Don Johnson:

(Sorry for using "Doc" in my last post, typo/old age!).

Thanks for the info, I'm definitely going to ask my eye Dr next visit (August if I remember rightly) 'cos although I don't have to change my varifocals as often as you do (in my case about every 18 to 24 months) it doesn't take too long for the cost of a couple of new specs/lenses to add up to the cost of that op. Are you sure that "that's it" (i.e. no more changes for ever more)?

Again, thanks for the info, completely new to me.

Krgds
AES