# For those that wear glasses



## Thethirdeyeblind (Mar 27, 2018)

I've always was confused when I try to take a photo do I take my glasses off or not? I usually do but would that effect the picture being taken by the camera? 

Thanks  

BTW I use a canon 5d mk2


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## adamhiram (Mar 27, 2018)

You’ll want to be able to see the frame clearly, as well as read the information displayed in the viewfinder.  Some people who require vision correction just press their glasses up to the viewfinder, while others will wear contacts to avoid the annoyance.  I went a different route and added a corrective diopter so I have close to 20/20 vision when I look through the viewfinder without my glasses.


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## Light Guru (Mar 28, 2018)

adamhiram said:


> I went a different route and added a corrective diopter so I have close to 20/20 vision when I look through the viewfinder without my glasses.



But then you won’t be able to see when you take your eye away. 

I find no reason to take my glasses off for photography. 



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## rosh4u (Mar 28, 2018)

I don't think taking off glasses is a good idea in any way.


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## Destin (Mar 28, 2018)

For me the current solution is contact lenses. So much better than glasses all around if you can tolerate them. 

Eventually I plan to get laser surgery but that’s an entirely different can of worms.


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## Dean_Gretsch (Mar 28, 2018)

I keep mine on. As said above, once you take your eye away, you cannot see the subject/scene. If you are photographing a live subject or moving one, that would make it almost impossible.


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## Braineack (Mar 28, 2018)

I make sure to bring a lens wipe with me when I'm out shooting


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## ronlane (Mar 28, 2018)

I either leave my glasses on or wear my contacts. I prefer to shoot with my contacts but I don't mind shooting with my glasses on. Like @Braineack said, carry a lens cloth/wipe with you to help clean glasses off.


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## Braineack (Mar 28, 2018)

I cant do contacts.  I discussed getting lasic or prk recently -- I hate glasses so much.


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## Gary A. (Mar 28, 2018)

I keep my glasses on, that way I can clearly see what I'm shooting through the camera lens and clearly see what I want to shoot next, with no down time or fuss.


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## Light Guru (Mar 28, 2018)

Braineack said:


> I make sure to bring a lens wipe with me when I'm out shooting



The coatings on lens glass are vary similar to the coatings on eye glasses so those lens wipes come in handy for both lenses and eye glasses.


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## TCampbell (Mar 28, 2018)

I used to wear contacts... but now I need bifocals and contacts don't work for that (not unless there's something new I don't know about).   Putting glasses on & off all the time was clearly not going to work... so I just leave them on.

A few years ago, I saw an interesting pair of glasses where the lenses were hinged and you could swing it out of the way without removing the glasses.  That sounded interesting, but I've never seen seen them again.  I have no idea if they were any good (I saw an ad... not the actual product.)


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## bratkinson (Mar 28, 2018)

I'm a 'leave 'em on' person.  When I first needed glasses more than 50 years ago while in college, I quickly decided that leaving them on was a lot easier than having them fall out of my shirt pocket whenever I bent over to pick up my other books in class, etc.  I've kept them on ever since.  I considered contacts as well as Lasik surgery several times, but a childhood eye injury made contacts not an option and Lasik would have to be redone every few years as my eyes got older.

The only downside I see shooting with my glasses on is that I end up shooting everything a bit 'wide'.  Fortunately, that's easily corrected in post as is a sometimes slight tilt...


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## ac12 (Mar 28, 2018)

I leave my glasses on.

Many years ago I bought and used the viewfinder diopter lens.  It worked for looking thru the camera.  But as soon as I lowered the camera . . . everything was a fog, and that was NOT good.  So from a practical perspective, it was useless and an expensive experiment.


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## Jamesaz (Mar 28, 2018)

For me, the question is not glasses on or off but rather which glasses are on. For smaller format it's bi-focals. For LF it's readers and focusing loupe. I once tried those seamless bi-focals, the ones with no line, but found the part I needed most was the fuzzy part in the middle. That was with using a prism finder on a 'blad. Yes, the cameras always scratched my glasses, or I scratched them in the way I used cameras but I figure it the cost of doing business and replaced them yearly.


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## Dave442 (Mar 28, 2018)

I keep my glasses on, but I look over the top into the viewfinder. I actually had to pick the camera up and look through the viewfinder to confirm that is what I do.


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## smoke665 (Mar 28, 2018)

Glasses on. My vision is so bad, I couldn't even FIND the camera with my glasses off. Trifocals suck, but the alternative isn't much better. I'm a year or so away from cataract surgery, so hopefully one day it will be better.


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## RowdyRay (Mar 28, 2018)

smoke665 said:


> Glasses on. My vision is so bad, I couldn't even FIND the camera with my glasses off. Trifocals suck, but the alternative isn't much better. I'm a year or so away from cataract surgery, so hopefully one day it will be better.



My dad has trifocals. And prisms ground into his lenses for night time driving. Have no idea how he does it, but any deer within 200 yards doesn't survive. Dead eye dick. So it can be done. 

I've worn glasses since the 5th grade. About 45 years. Because of the astigmatism I have, contact lenses weren't an option. Might be different now, haven't checked. Even laser surgery can't completely correct it. Still would have to wear corrective lenses. I'll wait until there are no other options. 

Recently got bifocals and it's a challenge with a scope or camera. Leave them on because I'm blind as a bat without them. Lol.


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## ac12 (Mar 28, 2018)

I have progressive (lineless) lens.  But it is not as good as they make it out to be.  Sometimes I have to move my head about, trying to find the sweet spot to get the focus on the clock or someones face good.  I have been considering going to old fashioned trifocals.

I gave up on the progressive lens for the computer, tilting my head up to the ceiling to view out of the bottom middle of the lens gave me a sore neck.  So now, I use a pair of computer bifocals.  24 inch screen distance on top and reading distance on the bottom.  If I need to get up from the computer, I just switch to my regular glasses.


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## ceemac (Mar 28, 2018)

RowdyRay said:


> Because of the astigmatism I have, contact lenses weren't an option.



They have contacts for astigmatism. They're a little thicker and heavier on the bottom and rotate into place. Works great.


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## Missyismyname (Mar 29, 2018)

I thought the small wind know by the view finder allows one to adjust where we dont have to wear readers or glasses??? True or not true?


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## ac12 (Mar 30, 2018)

Missyismyname said:


> I thought the small wind know by the view finder allows one to adjust where we dont have to wear readers or glasses??? True or not true?



Depends on how much adjustment YOUR eye needs.
Some of us need a LOT of adjustment to go without glasses.
The lucky ones only a little adjustment.


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## SquarePeg (Mar 30, 2018)

Missyismyname said:


> I thought the small wind know by the view finder allows one to adjust where we dont have to wear readers or glasses??? True or not true?



Yes the diopter. 

I wear glasses only for reading/up close. I don’t need them walking around. I use the diopter to adjust for my vision so when I look through the viewfinder I can see perfectly.  I do need the glasses to see the dials and buttons or review on the lcd so I have to keep them handy.  I typically push them up on my head or use one of this old lady librarian chains around my neck. 

One of the reasons I love my Xt2 is that with the evf I can review right through the viewfinder and zoom in for a better look without putting on my glasses.


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## astroNikon (Mar 30, 2018)

I wear my glasses.  But my cameras have the correct diopter correction.
I simply tilt my head forward a bit and look over the top of my glasses.


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## Jeff15 (Apr 1, 2018)

I have been shooting for many years with glasses on....................


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## mcap1972 (Apr 12, 2018)

Leave them on


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## Jeff G (Apr 22, 2018)

I have been struggling with this issue too. My bi-focals make it very difficult to read the settings in the view finder,  but using the flip out screen is tricky too in bright light or with sunglasses on. 

Without my glasses I can adjust the diopter to see clearly in the viewfinder but it is a pain figuring out what to do with my glasses while not wearing them. 

So far I have been wearing my glasses and sucking it up but boy do they get smudgy.


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## john.margetts (Apr 23, 2018)

Jeff G said:


> I have been struggling with this issue too. My bi-focals make it very difficult to read the settings in the view finder,  but using the flip out screen is tricky too in bright light or with sunglasses on.
> 
> Without my glasses I can adjust the diopter to see clearly in the viewfinder but it is a pain figuring out what to do with my glasses while not wearing them.
> 
> So far I have been wearing my glasses and sucking it up but boy do they get smudgy.



I found bifocals nearly impossible to use - and even worse with binoculars. My solution was to go to an interweb firm that offers 2 pairs for £16 and bought two pairs of distance only glasses for use with my optical equipment.

Sent from my 8070 using Tapatalk


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## Braineack (Apr 23, 2018)

I have a consult for Lasik in may.


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## Jeff15 (Apr 23, 2018)

I have no problems using the viewfinder with my glasses on


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## Dave Colangelo (Apr 23, 2018)

I usually wear contacts or keep my glasses on so that the image is nice and sharp. 

However it can be uncomfortable to wear glasses pressed against a finder for a long time. Depending on what kind of camera you have there are better options. Nikon (and cannon) cameras offer limited diopter correction within the body however knowing that some people wear glasses you can add more correction over the finder. Nikon outlines all the info here the correctors are fairly inexpensive and easily obtained. If you are using some kind of vintage camera you can most likely find the correction units on various auction sites.


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## Braineack (May 6, 2018)

Braineack said:


> I have a consult for Lasik in may.


...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand scheduled for june 14th.


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## AVargy (Jun 21, 2018)

I have the same issue as you do. Glasses irritate while shooting, however, when you take them off, the picture seems to look like completely different and you can't analyze it in real life. Have bought the contacts and trying to get used to them. It's much more easier to shoot without distractions but now they irritate my eyes


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## waday (Jun 21, 2018)

Braineack said:


> Braineack said:
> 
> 
> > I have a consult for Lasik in may.
> ...


How'd it go?



TCampbell said:


> now I need bifocals and contacts don't work for that (not unless there's something new I don't know about)


I believe there are bifocal and multifocal contacts nowadays.


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## Braineack (Jun 21, 2018)

went very well thanks!   20/15 vision!

and i bought cool sunglasses.









there's actually a thing called monovision with lasik/prk,  they make one eye farsighted and one eye nearsighted.


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## Lorrilia (Jun 21, 2018)

I keep mine on as I can see what I'm focusing on.


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## SquarePeg (Sep 27, 2019)

Reviving this old thread due to a current dilemma.  Went for my annual eye test yesterday.  Currently I wear glasses only for reading/computer/close up and that prescription has not changed.  My distance vision has gotten worse though.  Not to the point where I need glasses to drive or watch a movie but to the point where driving and watching a movie could be more enjoyable with glasses on.  I do sometimes have trouble making out distant objects and seeing a lot of detail in anything that is more than 40 ft. away.  Went to a play recently in a small theater and from the back of the orchestra section, I could not make out any faces on the actors.  

Now I have to decide - do I want a pair of distance glasses to use just for those times when I prefer to have everything 100% clear?  Driving, movies etc. Or do I want a pair of progressive lenses that I would/could wear all the time?  Or do I want to put it off and just continue with my "reading" glasses until I can't read the "driver's" line on the eye chart any more?  I feel like if I start wearing the distance glasses, I will quickly become very disenchanted with my vision without them.  

I don't mind wearing my reading glasses and have been wearing them more and more for things other than reading/working.  Used to take them out at a restaurant to read the menu and then put them away but now I leave them on so I can better see my food and dining companions.  I think I would prefer to be able to see it all, all the time but what is holding me back from going this route is how this could impact my enjoyment of photography.  

Right now I use my diopter to adjust the viewfinder to my eyesight. I do carry my glasses in my bag but don't normally need them when I'm out shooting.  I tried adjusting the diopter for my glasses and looking through the viewfinder while wearing them and it was awkward and I didn't feel like I could see as well as when I have my glasses off and the diopter adjusted to my vision.  

Advice from those who wear glasses full time?  Especially those who wear progressive lenses - is the middle spot where I would be looking through the viewfinder going to be fuzzy due to the transition from one prescription to the other?


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## JoeU (Sep 27, 2019)

I wear my progressive lenses full time, but I still shoot without them. Its a bit of a pain, as I need them for the camera settings, so I'm constantly switching back and forth.

One consideration of you go this route: If you spend a lot of time reading or in front of the screen, they can make the bottom portion a bit larger to help with those activities. I did not go this route on the first pair of glasses, but did on the second. I find the second pair preferable, but maybe thats just me.

My optometrist had a pair of frames with slide-in (for lack of better phrasing) lens that enabled him to create a mockup of what the progressive lenses would be like. Then he let me walk around the office for a bit to see what I thought. It convinced me that I was missing more than I thought I was.


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## snowbear (Sep 27, 2019)

I normally wear my progressives for everything except when watching/reading anything within about two feet (arm's distance), since that is what I asked for when I had the cataract surgery.

I generally let the auto-focus do it's thing - so far it's proven it can see better than I can.


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## Jeff G (Sep 27, 2019)

I got used to wearing my progressives when I shoot, but hated it in the beginning. Now the only problem I have, is that I have to make sure I have a lens cleaning cloth for my glasses on me, because I tend to smudge my glasses when looking through the viewfinder.


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## smoke665 (Sep 27, 2019)

I went from single, to bifocoal, to trifocal so progressive was the only way to go. It took a little bit to adjust, but once I did the slight head movement became automatic. After cataract surgery I only require reading glasses, that I remove when not needed. I find that more comfortable then wearing glasses all day. My wife on the other hand prefers to wear glasses  all day with progressive lenses after her cataract surgery, because she doesnt like putting them on/taking off. Different strokes for different folks.


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## ac12 (Sep 27, 2019)

Sharon,

I like to see what I am looking at.  I do not like fuzzy vision, and looking at an out of focus scene gives me a head ache, as my eye and brain TRY to bring the scene in focus.  So glasses on ALL the time.

I wore bifocals and now progressives.
IMHO, for TWO prescriptions, I would go with BI-focals over progressives.

Here is the issue, as I learned from talking with an optician several years back.  The lens technology may have changed since, but my current progressives verify his statement.
A progressive is not as progressive and even as one would think.  The progressive Rx is vertical in the center of the lens, NOT the sides.  And looking thru mine, I can verify this.  So, you have to rotate your head more, to put the progressive Rx part of the lens on the thing that you want in focus.
And the smaller the lens, the smaller the progressive Rx section.  In fact they cannot make progressives on some of the smaller fashion glasses, as the vertical height of the lens is too short.

When you see people looking at something and moving their head around, it is because they are "trying" to put the correct part of the transition Rx on the object they are trying to see, like a clock.  I did not mind that at first, but now I find it irritating to have to do.​I personally prefer BI-focals, so the RX is all the way out to the side, and I have a BIG area of the correct Rx, vs. the more limited area of the transition.
I did not have any problem adapting to bifocals, but my eye doc warned me that some people have trouble adjusting to bifocals where the Rx has a sharp change at the bifocal line.  

With both bi-focals and transition, you need to be aware that the reading glasses Rx is on the bottom of the lens.  So when going DOWN stairs, your vision of the stairs will be blurry.  And you need to be careful of this kind of situation.

But when I needed TRI-focals (mid distance to see the TV), I bit the bullet and went progressive.
I adjusted to putting the viewfinder on the correct part of the lens fairly easily.
Although the having to move my head around to get the right Rx on an object has bothered me to the point that I am now considering going to plain tri-focals.

BTW, I have a separate pair of computer glasses, and did for many years.
It is a bifocal.  The main Rx is for eye to monitor and is set at 24 inches, the lower bifocal is for reading stuff on my desk and is set for 16".
With the progressive, I was tilting my head up, to get the correct Rx on the screen, and that quickly gave me a sore neck.  And since I was/am on the computer a LOT, that was not acceptable.


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## Derrel (Sep 27, 2019)

I tried a pair of progressive lens eyeglasses several years ago, and was extremely displeased with how they work. I thought it was the shittiest idea and implementation ever designed in the field of eyewear. Despite their insistence that "we don't do cash refunds", the manager at the Sears Optical store decided that it was worth it to give me my $360 back in cash, after I told him how diligently I would work to smear the store's selling practices and products on my Facebook page. In the case of the pair of progressive lenses that I was sold, there was a very small area about as wide as a pencil and about 3/4 of an inch tall at most, which was where I was supposed to do my intermediate distance viewing, which is for objects from 12 to 20 feet in distance, which is a huge amount of my normal viewing, and so the glasses were basically almost useless for me. I was extremely underwhelmed by the idea, and by the implementation. I would definitely encourage you to investigate the issue of progressive lenses very carefully before committing to them.


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## smoke665 (Sep 27, 2019)

Derrel said:


> I would definitely encourage you to investigate the issue of progressive lenses very carefully before committing to them.



Progressives done right work great, progressives that aren't are a PITA. My first pair from a reputable Optician, came back just a hair off. Couldn't wear them, took them back, they had a machine that could measure such things, and determined that they were in fact off. Had to wait a few days for the lenses to come back, but once they did, there was a world of difference. Over the years I had two or three more pair from the same place without an issue. Funny thing was after the cataract surgery, it took a while to unlearn the "head movement" required with the progressives.


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## vintagesnaps (Sep 27, 2019)

Progressives/'no line', you get used to them. Supposedly the area with the progression is an hourglass shape, so looking to the side things aren't as sharp as looking straight thru them. I've had glasses since elementary school, although I wore contacts for years til they only made gas perms and my eyes were so dry I gradually quit wearing them. So back to glasses all the time and eventually bifocals. 

I can't see distance well enough to be able to _just_ use the diopter! but adjust it for wearing glasses except using vintage cameras that don't have one. I got used to taking pictures wearing glasses instead of contacts years ago, you just figure out how to adapt.


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## Derrel (Sep 27, 2019)

I was so unimpressed after a week I took them back, quite angry about having been sold the idea of progressive lenses without an adequate explanation of what exactly I was being sold.


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## Derrel (Sep 27, 2019)

The head movement aspect was particularly a big pain in the ass for me as was the extremely small area of each lens that was designed for intermediate viewing


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## Winona (Oct 1, 2019)

This is good information. I have strugglesd with glasses as well and next week go to see about retrying bifocals. Nice information about progressives since I had not heard of this option. Right now I use the diopter set to my distance vision, take the picture, and hand the camera to my daughter to see if it’s in focus. Lol. But, I really need to start wearing glasses full time.....


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## AlanKlein (Oct 1, 2019)

I wear progressives all the time including when I'm shooting.  Taking them off to look through a diopter on the viewfinder but then having to put them on to see everything else was a pain.  Progressives take some getting use to.  Eventually your head moves to find the right spot in a natural way.  Downside when you're looking at a monitor or even a big TV screen is that you can't see the entire screen in focus at one time.  The further from the center where you are looking either up or down or right or left gets out of focus the further away from that center point.  But even that you get use too or at least I did. 

Also, with glasses on, I lose some of the full view through the eye finder.  Even there you have to look around a little to see the edges although  that happens with all glasses even non-progressives.  When I scuba dived, I had corrected lenses glued on the inside of my face mask.   Gosh.  To be young again. 



Scuba_15 by Alan Klein, on Flickr


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## RVT1K (Oct 2, 2019)

I had LASIK 20 years ago now and I recommend it to anyone. I couldn't read the big "E" on the eye chart when I walked in, and walked out 20/20. But now I need reading glasses and just use the cheaters you get at the dollar store. 

I have to take them off to take a shot. I have the adjusted the diopter control so I see the image in the viewfinder clearly without them. 

But...I have to put them on to see the image well or make an adjustment on my camera.


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## SquarePeg (Oct 2, 2019)

This input has been really helpful.  I’m leaning toward getting the progressives and I appreciate the info on the pros and cons to wearing them.  Most of the cost is covered by my vision plan at work so if I really don’t like them, there’s not much of a loss there other than forfeiting a second pair of really nice prescription “readers”.  I can get them and not wear them when shooting or so what I do now and push them on top of my head to get them out of the way.  Unfortunately Lasik is not an option for me so I will be wearing glasses it’s just a matter of how often and for what reasons.


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## ac12 (Oct 2, 2019)

Us photographer tend to be more critical visually than the average person.
I recall getting my prior eye doc a bit upset, since I was much more fussy than his other patients.
I insisted on GLASS lens, and he kept saying plastic was optically just as good, NOT.  
I had tried plastic, did not like it, went back to glass.

Same eye doc tried to push me to get progressive bifocals, I insisted on standard lined bifocals.
And now that I've use progressive tri-focals, and don't like them, I'm going back to lined tri-focals.​
Progressives is something that you have to try, to determine if you will like them, or not.
I've been using them, and do not like them as I did my bifocals, which is why I am considering lined tri-focals for my next glasses.

Some people, both men and women, are put off by the look of the lines on a bifocal.  They think it makes them look OLD, so they don't want lined bifocals for cosmetic reasons.  And depending on your business, that may be a valid reason.

Others have trouble adjusting to the sudden RX shift at the bifocal line.  The progressive makes that transition easier.​


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## AlanKlein (Oct 2, 2019)

The other things about progressives is that just like focusing a camera lens, you can find the exact focal point for the distance.  With fixed prescription lenses, bifocals or trifocals, there are only one, two or three exact focus points.


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## ac12 (Oct 2, 2019)

AlanKlein said:


> The other things about progressives is that just like focusing a camera lens, you can find the exact focal point for the distance.  With fixed prescription lenses, bifocals or trifocals, there are only one, two or three exact focus points.



What I found odd and irritating about progressives is exactly that.
I have to move my head around to find the EXACT spot (in vertical and horizontal axis) where the clock is in focus, so that I can see the clock.
I never had the problem with bifocals.


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## RowdyRay (Oct 2, 2019)

Since my previous post, I've gotten used to them. It was just weeks earlier. I was tired of lifting my glasses and caved. Glad I went with the plain bifocals. No grey area. I'll stick with these going forward.


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