# Do you wear progressive lenses?



## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

They say I now need them. I picked them up Friday. Wore them as much as I could possibly stand all weekend. Last night I got my cheap bargains tore readers back out. I couldn't see to thread the needle of my sewing machine. I'm trying to be patient but I'm not sure these are going to work for me. I've heard that not everyone can wear progressives......I may be one of those. 
So if you wear them any tips? I'm pointing my nose at what I want to focus on like they said. Last night I was trying to sew while I watched tv.....I could focus on the tv and then it would take minutes for me to be able to focus on my sewing again....and so forth. This looking at things and not seeing anything really clearly is giving me a headache and making me dizzy. I have a 2 week window that if I can't get used to them I can change them they said.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

I wear the progressive lenses. t did take me a couple weeks to get used to them like tipping my head when going down the basement stairs so I didn't fall on my face, etc. But now I Love them. I've been wearing them now for at least 2 years.

I remember they did tell me to drive with my old glasses the first 2 weeks & just wear the progressive lense glasses when I wasn't driving.


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

I wouldn't even attempt to walk down steps....much less drive!


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## SunsetSonata (Nov 23, 2006)

It's way too soon to give up on them. Like Backforty mentions, give them a chance for at least two weeks. Your optician should have asked if you get motion sickness - those are the people that they KNOW won't adapt.


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

only time I get motion sickness is if I try and read when I ride....but honestly it feels like I'm looking thru a sheet of warped plexiglass all the time now. I'm going to give them till the first of next week and then I'm going back in. If its not any better by then they are a waste of money because I can't wear them if it doesn't get better.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

It takes a good week or so to get used to them but then they are great. Give it some time.


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## Shygal (May 26, 2003)

ginnie5 said:


> ..but honestly it feels like I'm looking thru a sheet of warped plexiglass all the time now..


Then they are NOT set up right for your eyes. You need to go back and have them remeasured and fitted again. They should not look that way.


It took me about 2 MONTHS to get used to using mine, but I did get another pair when it came down to getting more glasses.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I have had mine 2 years, told to wear them all the time. I H A T E them. Just can't seem to get them right. Been back 20 times 4 new sets of lenses. I liked reading glasses better except changing from near to far, like looking at items at a hardware store, I would have to remove them to see what was on the wall, then back on to read or look at the item and it would make me sick. I can see good to read but walking, driving, riding in a car or watching a TV screen I get motion sickness bad. These are tri, might try bi....James


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

My first pair of glasses were progressives...had to go to regular bi-focals. Everything looked very warped and they made be dizzy/nauseous. DH loves his, though.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I've been wearing them for 5 years and love them. It took a while to adjust to them, but I wouldn't want to wear anything else. If you are still having problems in 7-10 days, take them back and get them re-made. The second pair I had were wrong and I had to tilt my head back to see anything clearly. Had them remade and they were fine. I also make sure to tell the optrician that I do a lot of computer work and need more mid-distance on mine. The other thing is to make sure the lenses are tall enough. I purchased one pair on-line last year and didn't pay attention to the heighth of the lens and they just didn't work for mid-range. Fine for reading, though.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I love my progressive glasses. I've had problems with getting the "warped" look - problem was the glasses were not right. Though I've had that with regular lenses too - had to give up sorting lumber, it all looked curved - made walking down stairs difficult too. BTW - I am using the same frame with the progressinve lenses as with the single vision lenses I had before that made everything bowed out in the middle. 

I stopped going to cheap eyeglass places, and finally got a pair that is wonderful. They took just days to get use to and I have no problem - though it's been two years and I need to go in and get a new perscription.


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## DAVID In Wisconsin (Dec 3, 2002)

I cannot get use to progressives. I have different pairs for reading and far off.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

i have had 5-6 pairs of them and I now know that fit is everything. If they don't fit - as in the 'line' isn't in the right spot you not be able to see anything anytime. It took me about 10 minutes to get used to mine - except for the computer screen. I didn't like looking down through the bottom of the glass for that. 

We bought PC peekers - that fit over your glasses that will make the entire lens be like reading glasses rather than the progressives they are. That makes the computer screen much easier to deal with - as well as book reading. then I just increased the size of the letters on my PC and don't need glasses to use it at all now.


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

well I went back in...the fit is right, they're sitting where they are supposed to and the lenses are the correct prescription. I have to go back this afternoon and let the doc verify that this is the prescription I need and we will go from there they said. May mean bigger frames (more lens) or going back to a single vision lens.


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## kimmom2five (Apr 19, 2009)

I have progressive lenses. I wore them a month and then didn't wear them for a year until my close up vision got where I had to wear them see anything. One thing I did notice is that the close up part is not set for sewing or even reading really closeup. It is set more for computer distance or having a book in my lap. I don't want trifocals so I think I will get a separate pair, maybe even cheap non prescription readers, for sewing.


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## Marianne (Feb 22, 2009)

I tried my expensive ones for 2 yrs., they just NEVER worked right on me. I went back to my old reading glasses finally. I'm set to go in next week for new exam & glasses, but will order bifocals this time and NOT progrssives. I hate those things! And they make me dizzy.


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

Well the lenses are wrong! I just got back from having them checked. They had me change frames also to give me a little more room to see with. We'll try the progressives once more and if they don't work then I'll just go with reading glasses.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

I was born with progressive lenses and they are right on schedule.
I also have bifocals that I'm sure will be found by someone someday in a pasture.

Give them some time.


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## Kevingr (Mar 10, 2006)

I have them, took a long time to get used to them, at least 2 weeks. But now that I have them I barely notice it except for certain situation. To really see well close up, like if I had to thread a needle, I still need to take my glasses off for that, progressive lenses or not. I work on a computer all day and also read and write while working. Going back and forth to the screen and the paper and following my nose was next to impossible. I got another pair of glasses to work at my desk that didn't have the progressive lens, but, the horses in the pasture out my window are a little blurry.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

I didn't wear glasses until I was 45. I went from not needing glasses to needing bifocals. I got progressive lenses instead. The eye doc said that it can actually be easier to go from no glasses to progressives than from single vision lenses to progressives. Anyway, I had the headache of my life for a week or so. I haven't had any problems since. Give the glasses more time.


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

often it takes several adjustments to get them to hit your eyes right


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

SunsetSonata said:


> It's way too soon to give up on them. Like Backforty mentions, give them a chance for at least two weeks. Your optician should have asked if you get motion sickness - those are the people that they KNOW won't adapt.


My DH has motion sickness but does just fine with progressives.


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## mellba (Oct 15, 2004)

I wear them and don't remember ever having a problem, even when I first got them. I've only had cheap ones. The ones I have now are from Walmart but I've also had some from Zenni Optical. Guess I've been really lucky.


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## mellba (Oct 15, 2004)

I thought about this and wondered if what I have is progressives. They are no line bifocals, but maybe that is something different.


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## Kwings (Dec 21, 2010)

no line Bifocals and progressives are the same thing. (i work in an optical lab) 

If they are giving you headaches, or are giving you other troubles i would take them in and have them make sure they are lined up correctly. There should be two little dots (or S's or...something) that show where the ends of the bifocal are on each lens. these should be lined up on each lens, like the two dots on the left should be even with the two on the right. As if you could draw a straight line through the dots it would remain straight. 

It is also possible that they got your progressives too high or too low on your lenses. It happens quite often.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

ginnie5 said:


> Well the lenses are wrong! I just got back from having them checked. They had me change frames also to give me a little more room to see with. We'll try the progressives once more and if they don't work then I'll just go with reading glasses.


Do you already have single vision lenses? If not, why are you getting progressives? Reading glasses are cheap.


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## kimmom2five (Apr 19, 2009)

Joshie said:


> Do you already have single vision lenses? If not, why are you getting progressives? Reading glasses are cheap.


I don't know about the OP but I went from no glasses to progressives because I developed an astigmatism. In fact my distance vision is still excellent except for the astigmatism. And I didn't want to have to carry around 2 pairs of glasses all the time.


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## indypartridge (Oct 26, 2004)

I first got bi-focals over 40 years ago (5th grade) and switched to progressive lenses about 10 years ago. I almost took them back after the first week - they were driving me batty. Took me a good 2-3 weeks before I wasn't consciously tilting my head constantly.


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## bluesky (Mar 22, 2008)

hippygirl said:


> My first pair of glasses were progressives...had to go to regular bi-focals. Everything looked very warped and they made be dizzy/nauseous. DH loves his, though.


Same thing here. He loves his, I get sick with them so wear regular bifocals.


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## Tricky Grama (Oct 7, 2006)

mellba said:


> I wear them and don't remember ever having a problem, even when I first got them. I've only had cheap ones. The ones I have now are from Walmart but I've also had some from Zenni Optical. Guess I've been really lucky.


Me too.
Except, they're a little too high on the lens for me...(the close part) have to keep 'em sitting down on my nose a bit.
Had the same problem when I had bifocal contacts.


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

I had single lenses before......just never wore them. One eye is so much stronger than the other though. I can see distance fine in my left eye but not in my right. Forget reading anything without glasses unless of course it huge print. He said if I can't get used to progressives I can get by with reading glasses but its not what he recommends.


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## nodak3 (Feb 5, 2003)

I cannot tolerate progressives OR astigmatism correction as they give me motion sickness.

BUT while I loved my first pair of trifocals and love my new pair, I had a two year run of couldn't wear anything prescribed.

Turned out they mismeasured the pupil distance for starters.

Once they got that right, they then adjusted the height of the line wrong. The know nothing gal doing it was doing a pantoscopic (sp?) tilt instead of fiddling with the nose pieces to get the adjustment.

That meant she was throwing the whole prescription out of focus.

Took them to a different optician, same chain, and she readjusted them and they are fine.

You can check the tilt yourself and see if it is right.

Do you see better if you either put the legs of the glasses above your ear, or wear them about half way down your ear?

If so, the tilt is wrong and easily corrected.


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## Fae (Mar 9, 2005)

I haven't read all the responses but just wanted to say I tried to wear them for a month and just could not get used to them. I got dizzy every time I turned my head and could not see good with them. I donated them and got more bifocals. Probably just me but I did not like them.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

I had them - took the advice of the optometrist. He said I would get used to them. I never did. I would not buy them again. I have heard this same story from many other people but I have also heard from people who love their progressive lenses.


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