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Help Please - Eyesight / Reading Question - Reading Glasses Thoughts? (1 Viewer)

Joe Bryant

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Staff member
Question for the resident FBG Eye Doctors / Experts / People who work on a computer a lot and need glasses:

I'm 58 and like lots of people my age, need reading glasses to see up close for reading and computer work.

Started about 8 years ago.

Over the years, I've needed progressively stronger magnification. Now my eyesight is pretty terrible for reading / computer work and I need readers that are 2.25 x power.

It doesn't really cause me any trouble other than I always have to have reading glasses around. I have a bunch of pairs.

I also have some progressive readers from Caddis. They're clear on top and reading glasses on the bottom. They work ok for regular getting around but not for extended reading or computer work.

I have an appointment with an eye doctor for next month but was wanting to get some of the collective wisdom here.

I hear people talking about the contact lenses where you use them in just one eye and your brain figures out how to make it work so you can get the magnification that way. Is that a thing?

Other options or insights? Much thanks.
 
Good friend of mine has the one reader contact one normal. Not 100% sure how it works but he swears by it. He too only needs readers
 
So I've been there for quite a while. I had LASIK when I was 30, and they said it would wear off gradually as I hit my 40s. I was blind as a bat, but then had 20/15 vision. Well, when I hit 44 I had the dreaded realization when I picked up a piece of paper and had to move it away from me that it was time for readers. I went to the eye doctor and she said I needed contacts at a very low power, which made my up-close reading worse. She suggested wearing one contact for distance and using the other eye for close reading. I did this for a while and didn't have any headaches (which she said may be a side effect) but I could notice the difference. My brain would think about the fact I wasn't wearing one contact, and then I would look at faraway stuff with the contactless eye. So to answer your question, it does work, but I found it pretty annoying. I probably only gave it about 2 weeks though. I pretty much decided these last 5 years to not wear any contacts, as my vision was good enough to do so.

This last week, I noticed that I couldn't see people's faces as they were approaching me, so I started wearing both contacts again. Completely cleared that up but I have to use the readers for everything. I hate having to carry these readers around. I don't want to wear the glasses that are clear with readers on the bottom either. I've heard (and will talk to my eye doc) about contacts that are bifocals but have no idea how those will work out.
 
I can’t conceive of wearing contacts. I’m in the same boat. I just always have readers on my head.

Me too - cannot fathom putting them in / taking them out. I cannot seem to adjust to progressive lenses either. So I wear readers around my neck when I go out, have a pair in every room, and a pair in the truck. I'm good.
 
Sorry, not a lot of insight but I’m mostly like you Joe. Several pairs of readers laying around - in a pinch I can do without them but on my phone I make all kind of spelling errors and can’t read small text. “Normal” text I can read if I hold my arm out :lmao:

I’m always a wait until I have no other option kind of guy so I imagine in 8-10 years when I’m your age I’ll be having to make a similar call. Good luck.
 
I have multi focus contacts-dailies. Left eye is -3.0 and right eye is -2.0. Both contacts are "high" read at "+2.5". I think more common to have the "high read" in just one eye. I have vision (with contacts) and haven't used readers for over 5 years. Will probably take a few adjustments to get the prescription right.
 
I have multi focus contacts-dailies. Left eye is -3.0 and right eye is -2.0. Both contacts are "high" read at "+2.5". I think more common to have the "high read" in just one eye. I have vision (with contacts) and haven't used readers for over 5 years. Will probably take a few adjustments to get the prescription right.

Thanks. Can you elaborate on this? I'm not sure what you mean on the -3 and -2 and +2.5. Thank you.
 
I have multi focus contacts-dailies. Left eye is -3.0 and right eye is -2.0. Both contacts are "high" read at "+2.5". I think more common to have the "high read" in just one eye. I have vision (with contacts) and haven't used readers for over 5 years. Will probably take a few adjustments to get the prescription right.

Thanks. Can you elaborate on this? I'm not sure what you mean on the -3 and -2 and +2.5. Thank you.
I am generally near-sighted - can't see distance very well. Left eye prescription is a -3.00 and right eye is -2.00. Left eye is generally for far distance and right eye is corrected to be more near vision focused. Although with the "high +2.50" for reading in both eye for reading/near vision. I don't notice any specific left eye vs right eye corrections. Vision is normal, as if I have no corrections/contacts. I can read just fine (iPhone, computer, print,etc) . The multi-focus contacts are almost like bifocals. I automatically focus just fine for near/mid/far. I have been wearing contacts for a long time so it is no issue putting them in/out of eye. Don't feel them, unless once in a while you get a piece of dust/lint etc between contact and eye.
There are different variations of putting one contact for near vision in one eye and leaving the other eye in corrected if you can see distance ok or correcting it to see distance. You are correct the brain accommodates the corrections. It takes a week or two to get use to it, just as if you get new bifocals but then you don't even think about it.
 
I am generally near-sighted - can't see distance very well. Left eye prescription is a -3.00 and right eye is -2.00. Left eye is generally for far distance and right eye is corrected to be more near vision focused. Although with the "high +2.50" for reading in both eye for reading/near vision. I don't notice any specific left eye vs right eye corrections. Vision is normal, as if I have no corrections/contacts. I can read just fine (iPhone, computer, print,etc) . The multi-focus contacts are almost like bifocals. I automatically focus just fine for near/mid/far. I have been wearing contacts for a long time so it is no issue putting them in/out of eye. Don't feel them, unless once in a while you get a piece of dust/lint etc between contact and eye.
There are different variations of putting one contact for near vision in one eye and leaving the other eye in corrected if you can see distance ok or correcting it to see distance. You are correct the brain accommodates the corrections. It takes a week or two to get use to it, just as if you get new bifocals but then you don't even think about it.

Thanks!
 
I have multi focus contacts-dailies. Left eye is -3.0 and right eye is -2.0. Both contacts are "high" read at "+2.5". I think more common to have the "high read" in just one eye. I have vision (with contacts) and haven't used readers for over 5 years. Will probably take a few adjustments to get the prescription right.

Thanks. Can you elaborate on this? I'm not sure what you mean on the -3 and -2 and +2.5. Thank you.
I am generally near-sighted - can't see distance very well. Left eye prescription is a -3.00 and right eye is -2.00. Left eye is generally for far distance and right eye is corrected to be more near vision focused. Although with the "high +2.50" for reading in both eye for reading/near vision. I don't notice any specific left eye vs right eye corrections. Vision is normal, as if I have no corrections/contacts. I can read just fine (iPhone, computer, print,etc) . The multi-focus contacts are almost like bifocals. I automatically focus just fine for near/mid/far. I have been wearing contacts for a long time so it is no issue putting them in/out of eye. Don't feel them, unless once in a while you get a piece of dust/lint etc between contact and eye.
There are different variations of putting one contact for near vision in one eye and leaving the other eye in corrected if you can see distance ok or correcting it to see distance. You are correct the brain accommodates the corrections. It takes a week or two to get use to it, just as if you get new bifocals but then you don't even think about it.
This sounds good. My contacts are -1.5 and the readers I use are +1.5 so I think this is what I'll shoot for.
 
I‘m super nearsighted and had the “monovision” setup for awhile and endEd up switchinto to multi focal contacts. Still need readers (or nothing at all).

just need Dark Mode for everything and I’d be fine.
 
Mr R had the "I need my glasses to find my glasses" problem. He got lens implants with the same prescription. His vision without correction is now 20/25. With glasses, he is Hawkeye. He can actually see. There was much rejoicing. Recommended.

(He was offered the multifocus option. I recommended against it for him based on what I knew about him. I've had monovision my whole life. I can't even fathom multi-focus anything.)
 
I’m in this business now. So many different procedures that can help this. I had Lasik long ago. Couldn’t stomach monovision contacts and just focused on best distance reading. So wear glasses for reading/computer. Eventually I’ll do EVO, a new lens implant that is getting rave reviews. The technology is getting so much better.
 
Have worn contacts for distance for decades but have progressively needed readers over the past few years. My eye doc has said there are "bifocal contacts" but that you lose some distance with those. I guess that is what people are referring to as multi focal here?
 
My wife loves the monovision lenses. I tried them out a few years ago and didn't like them, but that was while I was still practicing and was essentially reading 8-10 hours per day so reading glasses made more sense to me. I may give them another try now that I'm retired.
 
Same situation here. I tried the monovision for a few weeks and couldn't get used to it, but it's worth trying. As the posts here attest, it works great for some people but others don't like it.

I'm using multifocal contacts now and that's definitely a compromise...my distance vision is pretty good but not as great as it was with distance-only lenses, and my near vision is good enough for most reading & computer work, but I still need reading glasses handy for tiny text.

@Mad Cow is probably the best authority on this.
 
I just always have readers on my head.
+1

5 pairs for $15 on Amazon and leave them all over the house.

I pretty much wear pocket T's exclusively now so that I always have a pair of readers within reach. But yeah, I've got a pair at work, one or two in the car, several on my desk at home, and always a pair in my front pocket. I can't even answer a text without putting on glasses anymore.

Costco sells a 3-pack of plastic framed glasses that are comfortable, pretty much indestructible and don't look horrible. Those have been my choice as of late. Currently at 1.5s, but going to transition to 1.75 or 2.0 soon as the 1.5s are not cutting it anymore. Yay.
 
Have worn contacts for distance for decades but have progressively needed readers over the past few years. My eye doc has said there are "bifocal contacts" but that you lose some distance with those. I guess that is what people are referring to as multi focal here?
My eye doc said you had to choose between optimizing distance or reading on multi focals. I think each brand has a slightly different technique of doing the multi-focus/bifocals. I worked with my doc to get excellent distance and reading so totally happy. I do have bifocal glasses I use occasionally when I am not wearing contacts.
 
One tip I’ll add: if you’re caught without readers, make a little pin hole for viewing by scrunching up your index finger and looking through the hole. It works! I keep meaning to pinch a small hole in my drivers license or medical card or something instead of doing the finger thing.
 
For those that buy a bunch of cheapos and then leave them around everywhere, so that they're not stuck searching for glasses they can't find (without glasses on, lol), I agree, solid solution. Can't go wrong, and super cheap.

In light of that, I had a guy swear by these tiny readers that literally slip or fit onto the back of your phone. I haven't looked for them yet but it made sense. He said, airports, dinner, times when you can't "reach for some readers" nearby, you've always got some, in a pinch, right there on your phone case.
 
I've worn contacts most of my life (nearsighted) and the last few years have had the presbyopia kick in. I hated the idea of wearing both contacts and reading glasses. They worked well for me when consistently doing one thing like reading for a period of time, but really bothered me when doing things like watching tv at the same time as looking at my pc or phone, and also driving (needing to see distance but also clearly see my dashboard). I heard good things about multifocal lenses, but they didn't work so well for me for some reason. The mono strategy turned out to be the best for me. My right eye (dominant) is corrected for distance while my left is corrected for near. Got used to it in about a week.
 
I buy 5-10 2x readers whenever I go to dollar store. Each one will last for a couple weeks to a few months, depending how often I drop them, smash in my pocket, etc... Keep some in the car and some at the house and one with me until it breaks.
 
Another option to "readers", if you don't like contacts, are some eye drops (Vuity) that were approved in 2021 to improve near vision. Effective in about 15 minutes And last about 6 hours. Reduces size of pupil. (Same concept as @tri-man 47 mentioned a few posts previous) Could effect night vision so may be an issue with driving at night.
 
Another option to "readers", if you don't like contacts, are some eye drops (Vuity) that were approved in 2021 to improve near vision. Effective in about 15 minutes And last about 6 hours. Reduces size of pupil. (Same concept as @tri-man 47 mentioned a few posts previous) Could effect night vision so may be an issue with driving at night.
I looked into this. They are like $75 a bottle and insurance doesn't cover them
 
Joe- same exact boat with my eyes, but didn't read the thread, so forgive. (no pun)

my insurance sucks, so my options suck. but for a brief glorious moment I had great insurance and got in to see somebody good who found I was right on the edge of needing progressives/bifocals or slightly more prescriptive readers... which is what I ended up with. They worked great- but only for up close stuff obviously. almost to the day that insurance ended, I lost them during a bike ride. been back to EyeBobs and Peepers ever since (x3 readers... the most intense).
 
I use multi-focus, progressive contact lenses as well. Very happy with them and their performance.

FWIW... I had RK 26 years ago which lasted about 20 years. Things gradually got worse after that which prompted the use of readers and ultimately the contacts.
 
So this finally hit me, glad I remembered there is a thread. I have a stigmatism and have worn contacts daily since college. This year I realized I needed readers for phone and pc. As I work on a PC that meant I was wearing +1 readers a lot.

After visiting with my eye doc and getting tested a few weeks ago, I'm now in monovision contacts and I like it a lot. I can only go +.75 in my reading eye but that alone has made a world of difference. I'm not opposed to multifocal contacts or even glasses full time at some point, but for the next year I guess I will be using monovision.

Good luck to all.
 
So this finally hit me, glad I remembered there is a thread. I have a stigmatism and have worn contacts daily since college. This year I realized I needed readers for phone and pc. As I work on a PC that meant I was wearing +1 readers a lot.

After visiting with my eye doc and getting tested a few weeks ago, I'm now in monovision contacts and I like it a lot. I can only go +.75 in my reading eye but that alone has made a world of difference. I'm not opposed to multifocal contacts or even glasses full time at some point, but for the next year I guess I will be using monovision.

Good luck to all.
They do have contacts for astigmatism (toric lenses). But generally I think there are mixed results depending on your type of astigmatism.
 
I buy 5-10 2x readers whenever I go to dollar store. Each one will last for a couple weeks to a few months, depending how often I drop them, smash in my pocket, etc... Keep some in the car and some at the house and one with me until it breaks.
Yep - I have a bunch that fold up real small and solve this issue by overwhelming quantities.

For those that talk about near sightedness + readers LASIK solves the first problem and is, literally, the best money I've ever spent.
 
They do have contacts for astigmatism (toric lenses). But generally I think there are mixed results depending on your type of astigmatism.
I've been wearing toric lenses for close to 20 years. My new mono vision contacts are also toric.
Do you play any sports? I'm curious if those affect depth perception?
Not really. I walk my dog, ride a rower, and do yard work. No idea how it would work for pickleball. (I think my notebook is up to date.)
 
Anyone else dip into the monofocal contact for reading?

I've noticed in the last 6 months or so I'm constantly wearing readers at work... My BiL tried it and loves it (except driving far distances)

Have an appointment in a couple weeks and considering it
 
Just a small update since I visited my eye doc earlier this month.

I have been having some mild eye strain and we think it's time to up my reader contact to the full +1. That is what was called for last year, but I couldn't handle the difference at the time. Eye doc said since I've been in mono-vision for a year now it is common to be able to handle a wider variance in the two eyes. Hoping that is the case for me. Will update after I get to trial the new contacts over the next week plus.
 
Near-sighted, bad. If working on a desktop or laptop, Control+ is my best friend. If reading a book or my Kindle, it's glasses off and I hold my device about 8 inches from my nose.
 
I had Lasik many, many years ago and it was the best thing I ever spent my money on. I am now at a point where I probably need readers but haven't really done anything about it. I can fake it most of the time by either taking pictures with my phone or guessing when necessary. I couldn't imagine going back to contact lenses at this stage for reading purposes. Also, having one lense in and one eye without seems like it would drive me nuts as I can remember back to when I did have contacts and if one shifted or before I put the second one in it was terrible.
 
I had Lasik many, many years ago and it was the best thing I ever spent my money on. I am now at a point where I probably need readers but haven't really done anything about it. I can fake it most of the time by either taking pictures with my phone or guessing when necessary. I couldn't imagine going back to contact lenses at this stage for reading purposes. Also, having one lense in and one eye without seems like it would drive me nuts as I can remember back to when I did have contacts and if one shifted or before I put the second one in it was terrible.
I hear you but if one shifts or i don't get it in - I just need reading glasses. Its not going to screw everything else up. I've luckily have never needed corrective lenses
 
I was in a similar situation as you, Joe. I tried the mono-vision set-up for about a year. I felt like I had about 75% good vision each way. I did get headaches if I had them in too long. I had a pair of glasses made that corrected the near vision eye to the same strength as the distance eye. It worked for driving and such but if I was at work and was talking to someone that was standing too far away and then wanted to read something to them, I had to take the glasses off to read and then put them back on for the distance. Totally the opposite of what you get used to do with readers. Very confusing and I hated it. I finally went back to distance prescriptions in both eyes and just use readers for up close. Works best for me.
 
Hey Joe -

Optometrist here so I will try and answer this as best as I can without any information on your prescription:

Assuming you have no distance issues (or mild ones that you do not notice), You have 3 options in Glasses, 2.5 in contacts, and a few surgical options, and finally I'll cover Vuity (the eye drop) at the end:

Glasses: 1) OTC Readers; 2) Prescription Readers; 3) Bifocals (progressives) of some sort.
OTC readers are inexpensive and work best for people with no distance prescription. (or a mild distance prescritption).
Prescription reading glasses are better if you have a different prescription in each eye, or if you want a better quality lens. The analogy I use with most patients is "buying a medium vs going to a tailor".
Bifocals (have a line) and progressives (no line bifocals) exist primarily for those who have a distance prescription or for those who dont want to be taking their glasses on and off on and off all the time.

Contact lenses: Again, assuming no prescription for far, your choices are Monovision, Multifocal, or what I call "modified Monovision"
Monovision: Exactly as stated above: One eye for far, one eye for close. Works for about 70% of patients. It does affect binocularity a bit, but its been around for 50+ years.

Multifocal contacts: Have been around now for about 20 years. All US brands have a multifocal (most have more than one in bot daily disposable and frequent replacement) and they vary a bit in terms of fit/optics etc. it is a true "fitting" of a lens since there are a good amount of variables I have to contend with when fitting them. The biggest complaint O get from fitting them is "ghost images" bc the lens gives you a far and near image on your brain at the same time and your brain needs to learn to "ignore" the image you aren't concerned with at the moment. I'd say with the right Optometrist, it waorks for about 80% of patients (a little better with me, but I would call myself a multifocal expert fitter).

Modified Monovision: some patients don't like true monovision bc their distance vision is too blurry, and some don't like Multifocal bc of the distance issues as well (less but it does happen). In that case I will sometimes fit one multifocal lens in their non dominant eye, preserving the patients distance vision while giving them enough reading to see a text or read a menu. The patient likely doesnt read a novel in this incarnation, but it will get you through the day.


Surgery: I would not recommend for someone like you with no distance prescription. When you develop cataracts and need surgery for that there are multifocal implant options that I think are great. THERE IS NO MULTIFOCAL LASER SURGICAL PROCEDURE! At best, Lasik can do a monovision surgery. FYI.

Vuity and some other "reading eye drops": Vuity is the current one, but there are 2 or 3 more in the pipeline. Vuity is a re-purposed glaucoma medication (Pilocarpine) at a lower dosage than what was prescribed for Glaucoma. It causes miosis of the pupil (basically your pupil "pinholes" on the med) increasing "depth of focus" and givng you the ability to read. Initially it was once a day dosage, now they have approval for twice a day. Downside to this drop is 1) Price and 2) It's Pilocarpine, a drop notorious in our profession for side effects. Price point is about 75/90 dollars per month (so lets call it 1K a year) vs. 400/year on frequent replacement Multifocals vs 700 per year on daily disposable Multifocals (this is not including the eye exam. You need an exam in all three concepts). As to the side effect of the drop: While the manufacturers of the drop showed no adverse events through the approval process (and it is at 1.25% concentration vs 2 and 4 in the Glaucoma configuration) Pilo is know to cause headaches (most mild side effect) to some retinal detachements occuring in the old days with the 4% drop (its why Pilo is no longer used as a Glaucoma med. Other meds do a better job of lowering pressure with less side effects).


TL;DR summary: Glasses are the easiest, contacts are great to and there are some options (every patient is different so what works for one may not be optimal for you), surgery is not really for you, and I'm not a fan of the Vuity drop (I have 6 patients using it in a practice that sees 10K patients a year)

Hope this helps. LMK if you have any other questions.


Edit to add: None of these systems work great in dim light. Some are worse than others, but if you want to read in bed at night, turn a light on.
 
They do have contacts for astigmatism (toric lenses). But generally I think there are mixed results depending on your type of astigmatism.
Toric lenses (that correct for astigmatism) are pretty close to perfect these days. I have full "round the clock" options in daily and frequent replacement, and they even now have Multifocal Toric lenses (2 companies at the moment). The only reason to get "mixed" results is the doc chose the wrong lens for you and/or didn't follow up on the fit.
 

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