Anyone else wear glasses? I've only needed them for the last 7 years. I had my first pair of prescription reading glasses 7 years ago and they were doing me fine. Gradually though I realised I needed them for more than just reading - ie the kind of middle distance area was not so sharp - eg when watching TV - and I ended up wearing them most of the time as everything looked clearer. Now at the time, I had a really nice optician I'd been seeing for years - even though I didn't need glasses for a long time - to have annual eye health check ups due to glaucoma and other eye conditions in the family.
She said I was fine continuing with ready readers for a few years as my eyes were the same strength. Then that year one of them was weaker than the other and she said - time for prescription glasses. Which are supposed to be for reading, but she asked all the right questions and I explained that I mainly read on my laptop and need them for that distance. I don't know how they work these things out (wish I did!) but she set them for my laptop distance and I could still read closer up with them as well.
Four years ago when I had an eye test, the glasses were still fine and I didn't need new ones. But I was aware I was wearing them around the house a lot - tv was clearer with them on than off. On that occasion I found my old optician was no longer there. I didn't like the new one. She was not "user friendly!".
Then the pandemic came along. I missed 3 years worth of eye tests. This year I got round to having an up to date eye test. My old opticians practice had closed down completely during the pandemic - although they still had another branch about 20 miles away. Instead I went to a different one locally.
Well that's where the trouble started. I said - I can see perfectly well with my current glasses. Had the eye test and was told my prescription had changed and I needed new ones. This optician didn't ask all the right questions. Did everything by the book and did a prescription for "reading"., I tried to explain that I don't read at the distance she held the card up - I read at laptop distance on my knee. She said the new prescription, being stronger, wouldn't encompass the middle distance like my old ones. I said well that won't work then because I need to read at laptop distance. She said you get distance glasses for further away.
I said - so what about the gap between the reading distance and the arms length distance? No answer to that. In hindsight I should have just carried on with my old glasses and thought about it a bit more. But unfortunately, by then, they were hanging by one arm and a neck chain! It was what pushed me into going to the opticians finally in the first place. So I was desperate for glasses as they kept falling off.
So I chose some new frames and balked at the cost of those and the lenses they said I needed. Then had to wait two weeks for them to arrive, still wearing my old ones at a weird angle and virtually tied on.
The new "reading" glasses came. Ugh. First time I wore them, my computer screen was clear enough but everything was distorted and convex and sloping down to one side. Horrible. I phoned back next day and they said - it's just your eyes getting used to the new prescription. Give it a week. I gave it a week and was getting headaches. The fishbowl effect was slightly less convex but things still sloped down to the right - even when looking at my phone. They said it was because it's a stronger prescription (it's not that strong actually) and give it another week.
Well by then I'd had enough because not only was everything distorted, but I couldn't xxxxxing see anything! With the glasses on - everything beyond arms length was completely blurred and out of focus. With them off, or looking over the top of them, my middle distance was still worse than it had been with my old glasses.
So for about a week, I couldn't enjoy going out as I couldn't see properly. Originally they told me I'd need the distance glasses as well to cover beyond the reading glasses - but neither would be right for computer distance (which I was still trying to get my head round), but when I phoned back describing the distortion she said - cancel the distance glasses for now in case we need to re-do your prescription.
So I got fed up with being told to stick it out another week and went for another eye test - at the old optician with the other branch 20 miles away. Unfortunately I got the same woman I didn't like four years ago. However I did like the old fashioned way they did the eye tests - with the metal frames and dropping lenses in instead of some giant computerised thing that the other optician used. Meanwhile I had had to go back to wearing my old glasses after a week of nearly having accidents and having headaches. Still held on by a string and sitting at an odd angle and falling off again. It took a couple of days for my eyes to adjust back to them. But then I could see perfectly well again! And read with them too. I told this second optician that - I can read perfectly well with my old ones and see middle distance as well.
However, after the test she also said I needed a new prescription. I had explained the problems with the other pair and she said oh well if they're stronger .......I said so does that mean I have to see everything convex for the rest of my life? But then she said oh well if they were giving you headaches.
She then said there really wasn't a lot of difference between my eye strengths, just 0.25 the same as before. And gave me a prescription for intermediate glasses. What a good idea! Why didn't someone else suggest that. They are basically for computer distance. Now I knew they wouldn't quite hack it for close up reading but I just wanted one pair I could see with to start with and rarely read small print and if I did, I could borrow OH ready readers
So I looked at this prescription and it was different to the first one - but not a lot different. She actually had one eye stronger than the old one.
Then there is the cylinder and axis bit of the prescription - to correct astigmatism. I didn't even know I had astigmatism until the previous test. It's very slight apparently. So I asked this second optician - so why was it distorted? Was it the cylinder and axis that was incorrect? She didn't answer, but clearly felt a bit nervous that I might come back and complain like I have done about the first prescription and I noticed she changed the axis to 90 for each eye. As opposed to 84 and 95. 90 is straight up and down rather than angled. I googled this later and apparently there is leeway about 5 to 10 degrees either way, so she probably went for the safe option of vertical for both eyes.
I then had to wait another two weeks for the next set of glasses - still wearing my old pair hanging by a string.
Now I probably sound like an idiot. In hindsight? I should have just ordered a new pair of my old prescription online and carried on as before and ignored the new prescriptions! Because I could see perfectly fine with them! For reading, for computer, for middle distance around the house. Beyond that - ie distance, I can see ok without glasses, although I was aware it could be a bit sharper with distance glasses. So again, in hindsight, I shoukld have just ordered distance glasses for my old prescription.
I couldn't take the first pair back until I was sure the second prescription was right, then I could ask the first optician to change the lenses to the second prescription. I ordered the intermediate glasses and then went straight home and ordered the distance glasses online - I was so sure this second prescription would be right as it was not that much different to my original one. Just 0.50 stronger in each eye - and the different axis.................
The distance glasses arrived first - things looked great through them. But I held off wearing them until the intermediate glasses arrived rather than wear two different prescriptions as stilk wearing my old ones (and couldn't see anything close up with the distance ones)
She said I was fine continuing with ready readers for a few years as my eyes were the same strength. Then that year one of them was weaker than the other and she said - time for prescription glasses. Which are supposed to be for reading, but she asked all the right questions and I explained that I mainly read on my laptop and need them for that distance. I don't know how they work these things out (wish I did!) but she set them for my laptop distance and I could still read closer up with them as well.
Four years ago when I had an eye test, the glasses were still fine and I didn't need new ones. But I was aware I was wearing them around the house a lot - tv was clearer with them on than off. On that occasion I found my old optician was no longer there. I didn't like the new one. She was not "user friendly!".
Then the pandemic came along. I missed 3 years worth of eye tests. This year I got round to having an up to date eye test. My old opticians practice had closed down completely during the pandemic - although they still had another branch about 20 miles away. Instead I went to a different one locally.
Well that's where the trouble started. I said - I can see perfectly well with my current glasses. Had the eye test and was told my prescription had changed and I needed new ones. This optician didn't ask all the right questions. Did everything by the book and did a prescription for "reading"., I tried to explain that I don't read at the distance she held the card up - I read at laptop distance on my knee. She said the new prescription, being stronger, wouldn't encompass the middle distance like my old ones. I said well that won't work then because I need to read at laptop distance. She said you get distance glasses for further away.
I said - so what about the gap between the reading distance and the arms length distance? No answer to that. In hindsight I should have just carried on with my old glasses and thought about it a bit more. But unfortunately, by then, they were hanging by one arm and a neck chain! It was what pushed me into going to the opticians finally in the first place. So I was desperate for glasses as they kept falling off.
So I chose some new frames and balked at the cost of those and the lenses they said I needed. Then had to wait two weeks for them to arrive, still wearing my old ones at a weird angle and virtually tied on.
The new "reading" glasses came. Ugh. First time I wore them, my computer screen was clear enough but everything was distorted and convex and sloping down to one side. Horrible. I phoned back next day and they said - it's just your eyes getting used to the new prescription. Give it a week. I gave it a week and was getting headaches. The fishbowl effect was slightly less convex but things still sloped down to the right - even when looking at my phone. They said it was because it's a stronger prescription (it's not that strong actually) and give it another week.
Well by then I'd had enough because not only was everything distorted, but I couldn't xxxxxing see anything! With the glasses on - everything beyond arms length was completely blurred and out of focus. With them off, or looking over the top of them, my middle distance was still worse than it had been with my old glasses.
So for about a week, I couldn't enjoy going out as I couldn't see properly. Originally they told me I'd need the distance glasses as well to cover beyond the reading glasses - but neither would be right for computer distance (which I was still trying to get my head round), but when I phoned back describing the distortion she said - cancel the distance glasses for now in case we need to re-do your prescription.
So I got fed up with being told to stick it out another week and went for another eye test - at the old optician with the other branch 20 miles away. Unfortunately I got the same woman I didn't like four years ago. However I did like the old fashioned way they did the eye tests - with the metal frames and dropping lenses in instead of some giant computerised thing that the other optician used. Meanwhile I had had to go back to wearing my old glasses after a week of nearly having accidents and having headaches. Still held on by a string and sitting at an odd angle and falling off again. It took a couple of days for my eyes to adjust back to them. But then I could see perfectly well again! And read with them too. I told this second optician that - I can read perfectly well with my old ones and see middle distance as well.
However, after the test she also said I needed a new prescription. I had explained the problems with the other pair and she said oh well if they're stronger .......I said so does that mean I have to see everything convex for the rest of my life? But then she said oh well if they were giving you headaches.
She then said there really wasn't a lot of difference between my eye strengths, just 0.25 the same as before. And gave me a prescription for intermediate glasses. What a good idea! Why didn't someone else suggest that. They are basically for computer distance. Now I knew they wouldn't quite hack it for close up reading but I just wanted one pair I could see with to start with and rarely read small print and if I did, I could borrow OH ready readers
So I looked at this prescription and it was different to the first one - but not a lot different. She actually had one eye stronger than the old one.
Then there is the cylinder and axis bit of the prescription - to correct astigmatism. I didn't even know I had astigmatism until the previous test. It's very slight apparently. So I asked this second optician - so why was it distorted? Was it the cylinder and axis that was incorrect? She didn't answer, but clearly felt a bit nervous that I might come back and complain like I have done about the first prescription and I noticed she changed the axis to 90 for each eye. As opposed to 84 and 95. 90 is straight up and down rather than angled. I googled this later and apparently there is leeway about 5 to 10 degrees either way, so she probably went for the safe option of vertical for both eyes.
I then had to wait another two weeks for the next set of glasses - still wearing my old pair hanging by a string.
Now I probably sound like an idiot. In hindsight? I should have just ordered a new pair of my old prescription online and carried on as before and ignored the new prescriptions! Because I could see perfectly fine with them! For reading, for computer, for middle distance around the house. Beyond that - ie distance, I can see ok without glasses, although I was aware it could be a bit sharper with distance glasses. So again, in hindsight, I shoukld have just ordered distance glasses for my old prescription.
I couldn't take the first pair back until I was sure the second prescription was right, then I could ask the first optician to change the lenses to the second prescription. I ordered the intermediate glasses and then went straight home and ordered the distance glasses online - I was so sure this second prescription would be right as it was not that much different to my original one. Just 0.50 stronger in each eye - and the different axis.................
The distance glasses arrived first - things looked great through them. But I held off wearing them until the intermediate glasses arrived rather than wear two different prescriptions as stilk wearing my old ones (and couldn't see anything close up with the distance ones)