Computer / Everyday glasses advice needed.

I normally wear RGP lenses but like to wear glasses from time to time
for a week or so.

My prescription is:

O.D. -5.25, -.75, 55
O.S. -6.00, -.50, 155
Add 150

I have tried progressives in the past and could never adjust to them.
I wear "lined" bifocals which work well except for computer work (I
spend from 7am to 5pm at a computer).

I recently got the above new prescription and am now considering
having a pair of "computer" glasses made for my work and another pair
for general use.

Should I have computer glasses made with some "Add" on top and my
reading prescription on the bottom? How much should the top add be?

Is there an alternative to visible line bifocals other than
progressives?

Are there specific lens manufaturers that I should look for? Specific
lens materials? Antireflective coating?

Thanks

 

First off all you have to realize that switching between RGP lenses and
glasses comes with some acuity problems.
It is not possible to give an exact prescription after wearing RGP
contactlenses shortly before, this has to do with the influence on the
cornea by the contactlenses.
In other words, there are differences in measurement each time you take the
lenses out, sometimes bigger differences some times lesser.
This also depends on how long your lenses are out when measuring.
Often there are no big problems in vision aquity but some people are not
comfortable with these changes in refraction and the belonging aquity
problems.
You have to accept compromises!

Answering your question about "other" glasses I can tell you that there are
special computerglasses with above a power belonging to the computerdistance
and in the direction bottom a gliding power till nearby, kind of multifocals
so to say but with some wider view angles as in normal multifocals.(at least
in the Netherlands whe have)

May be this helps,

Jan (normally Dutch spoken)

 

snip

It depends on how far your monitor and your reading material are from your
eyes. If you can arrange your work space so that the monitor and reading
material are at the same distance (move monitor closer or use copy stand
beside monitor for paper reading material) then you can get by with single
vision computer glasses.

Sit comfortably at the computer and have someone measure the distance from
your eyes to the screen, the keyboard (if you are not a touch typist) and to
whereever you usually place reading material. The distances determine what
add to use on the top and whether an additional reading prescription is
needed on the bottom. Take the distances to your eye care provider and
he/she can calculate what powers are needed.

Two pairs of single vision glasses, one for near, the other for far.

There are special computer progressives that place the intermediate
(computer) power in the centre of the lens, then progress to a small reading
area on the bottom and degress to an even smaller "distance" (defined as
6ft) area on the top. If you didn't adapt to progressives, you may not
adapt to those either.

Dr Judy

 

I disagree with this part of your comments. There are many of us who
find lined bi- or tri-focals more comfortable than progressives.

Terry

 

Well, when I started needing multi-focals about 3 years ago at age 51,
I was put into varilux panemics, which wasn't an old design, and
seemed to be a reasonable recommendation. (-6.00 in each eye, with
+0.75 cyl in one eye, and +2.00 add). I never liked them and switched
to trifocals.

On the other hand, I am considering trying them again. Because it's
getting so the only time I use the trifocals is when I'm "out", either
driving, or socializing, shopping, etc. I've given up using the
trifocals at the computer, even for short periods of time (which I was
trying to do when I first tried progressives). And I find that
indoors, I end up using my +1.5 add SV computer glasses for almost
everything. I have enough adaption left to read comfortably (and I
tend to read at close to the same distance as the screen, anyway). And
slightly blurry across the room doesn't seem to bother me. May not be
the "standard" approach, but it works for me.

Anyway, progressives might work fine for what I now use trifocals for,
so I am considering trying another pair.

Who says I have to be consistent?

Terry