Just moved into a new set of glasses with a new prescription. Nothing major for the distance, but the addition of a trifocal. I wanted to add that to help with focusing on the sights while shooting. They talked me into the new progressive lens which 4 days in I'm having problems. I just can't get used to the sweet spot and the distortion in the periphery. These things are sweet when I'm still and focusing on one thing, but when I'm in motion that's a problem. First day I had them I was untangle a knotted up hose and just about fell down. How long should I try to make this work?

It took me about ten days to acclimate. Would be disappointed with anything else now, really like that focus has no "steps" between distances.

for me adaptation to continuous progressive lens was far easier than the constraints of lined trifocals, which were an abomination in comparison.

I'd never choose even lined bifocals again.

re: " I just can't get used to the sweet spot and the distortion in the periphery."
it's only periphery if you're not looking at the sweet spot. The distractions are easy to train out of, if I want 'clear' I look at it. And the tiny head/eye adaptation come with a little more range time.

I realize the conflict of the statement above regarding 'periphery', yet my eye has learned to ignore 'the periphery' in the same way the blur of rear sight vs front sight focus, as taught in basic target sighting.

Good luck whichever you choose.

I never tried bifocals or progressives, but Mrs. Flash did.

She ran into walls, kind of fell off of curbs, tripped a bunch of times and finally gave up.

So she switched to monovision around 30 years ago and has done fine ever since.

Tried and failed. I have two pair of glasses, and half the time struggle on with neither because they're in the wrong place from being set down all the time.

Back in my younger days I needed significant correction for distant vision, and minimal, if any, correction for near vision. Progressive lenses worked just fine for me.

As my eyes aged, my distant vision improved and my near vision deteriorated, so the whole deal was reversed. When I tried progressive lenses for this situation I found them to be very disorienting. The optician replaced them at not charge, with lined tri-focals, which work just fine for general walking-around glasses. For desk work I used lined bi-focals, with just the intermediate and close segments, no correction for distant vision.

I cannot stand progressive lenses. Not at all.

Lined bifocal for me and a pair of reverse bifocals for when I'm shooting pistols.

Bought new glasses after getting a new prescription. Tried the progressive version, but kept getting headaches and wacky vision. Went back to line bifocals. To each his/her own.

I'd give it a week or two. I wore a set for a year and went back to single vision. The distortion in your periphery is something that while you can get used to, I just didn't want to keep dealing with.

For shooting, I solved this issue by going red dot and just using my distance glasses.

I have been wearing trifocals for over 20 years and like them. My complaint about them is that it seems that the prescription only last 12-18 months. My almost 73 yo eyes change quickly.

Will progressives be useful longer? As my eyes change, will the “sweet spot” move along the vertical axis as my eyes gradually change allowing me to adjust to the changing position of the sweet spot and
use the glasses longer?

It’s been along time since I worked in the eyeglass field, but if they don’t measure your pupillary distance perfectly and make your classes with the perfect pupillary distance there can be more difficulty for progressive wearers.

Progressives need to be centered on your pupil correctly, and unfortunately there is no "standard" way to do this. Some places measure your pupil location with a ruler, some dot the "dummy" lens during fitting with a marker, then measure afterwards. And you need to get the frames adjusted right before they measure. Any adjustments afterwards will make things worse.

Lenscrafters uses a fancy iPad photo along with a jig they put the eyeglasses frames in that looks impressive but is consistently wrong every time because the morons in the store don't understand parallax. They stick the iPad in your face and center it, and tell you to look at them, but the lens is way off center and taking the photo at a compound angle.

I may try lined bifocals instead. My current prescription is under corrected in each eye by about .5 diopters to allow me more use of the distance part of the lens for medium distances (computers). They work well for desk work, but are hell on red dot sights and scope reticles. I have another Rx that is better for distance and shooting.

Night driving is a lot worse with progressives too. I used to have great vision for driving at night with single vision lenses, but now is a lot worse.

Did you consider monovision correction? That's the way I have been corrected for 40 years. Distance in the right eye and reading in the left. About 1.5 diopters difference. Works great.

I have been in progressive lenses for two years. I took to them instantly without problems. Lucky I guess, but I don’t usually shoot in them. I had a special pair of glasses made for shooting but I can’t read a thing with them on. We were working at adjusting for an astigmatism to help get me to red dots vs red blobs. We’re close but I’ll be bringing in a slide mounted RMR to the next appointment to tweak the prescription.

I know plenty of folks that can’t do the progressive lenses, my father included.

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:
Did you consider monovision correction? That's the way I have been corrected for 40 years. Distance in the right eye and reading in the left. About 1.5 diopters difference. Works great.

Yep. That's what I posted also. It's the answer to a lot of vision problems.

I was new to glasses, wore cheaters a bit but could not get used to moving my head so much instead of moving my eyes. I gave it about 10 days, just too frustrating for me. I’m having them changed to bifocals.

Wow! I guess everybody has a different experience. When I first got progressives (never had bifocals or trifocals, just used cheaters to read). The folks at the optometrist said not to drive with them right away. I was puzzled by this as they seemed perfect when I walked out the door. Walked around a bit, had no issues. Drove home and went back to work. Have never looked back.

Another non-adapter here..now at 51 I have lined bifocals....I really really tried the progressives, but it just made me sick and I couldn’t stay in the aperture.

I had cataract surgery May 27 on my right eye. I chose to get the lens for distance and so far so good. I'm using some Dollar General 1.75 for reading and nothing for for distance. This surgery was a VA referral to a outside Dr. that did both my girlfriends eyes last year.
He told me everything looked great Thursday and to come back June 28 for my final visit to him.

The VA gave me lined bifocals a few years ago and the bifocal was too strong and nothing for intermediate vision. So I really only wore them to go to movie or watch TV. Driving with them wasn't too bad but I could read my phone or dash or my ham radios in my truck.

After my last visit June 28th with the surgeon I'll go back to the VA and see what glasses I can get.

I have had them for years no problem. My wife has tried them 3 times and can't adjust to them at all