Progressive Lenses on Deck?

[Chris Whitney]

Well be through it all including loosing expensive prescription glasses over board. Have hand progressive for 20 years. My far vision has been good enough and for a long time I could just wear good sunglasses on the boat. But with all the stuff on the chart plotter now, I have to be able to read and that meant my real glasses. Tried switching between glasses but that was more annoying than just being careful on deck. Although I adjusted to these lenses not like the stories I have heard from others getting dizzy, maybe just lucky that way.

[roverhi]

Have had progressives since first forced to wear glasses to read, probably more than 30 years ago. Never had conventional bifocals. At first it was just reading prescription but as time has progressed now have astigmatism correction in the rest of the lense. Adapted to them almost from the minute I put them on with no problems. Do occasionally experience curvature in straight lines but I just slightly change the angle of view if the distortion is a problem and it goes away. It hasn't been a problem in moving around. Only notice it when doing woodwork or stuff with straight lines and I notice it doesn't look straight. Give yourself some time to adjust and any problems will probably go away. If you don't adapt in a week or two there is always conventional bifocals.

Biggest issue with progressives and bifocals is they don't magnify on something that's in upper portion of the lense. Keep a pair of large frame reading glasses on the boat to be able to see when doing boat yoga exercises if I have to see details.

I was experiencing problems descending stairs with the lower portion of the lense judging height of step. Wasn't an issue with the progressive lense itself but the bifocal difference in magnification in the lower reading area. Turned out the problem was a cataract in my right eye. Had the cataract operation and no longer a problem. Had been told I had a cataract years ago but it suddenly got way worse between yearly eye exams.

[Sailshabby]

Use ‘em. Every now and then, primarily when stepping from the dock to the boat if they’re not even’d up. Other than that, you should adjust .

[Diesel Bill]

I've been using progressives for maybe 25 years or so. When I first started with them it was scary walking down stairs. All weird and not where my feet seemed to be. So used to them now I put them on first thing in the morning and take them off last thing before bed. I've worn out and badly scratched many pairs. Now I buy the best Nikon lenses with scratch guard coating and auto tint for the sun. I use for boating, driving, mechanical work etc. Really can't function without them. I got used to them in less than a week.

[bcboomer]

Hopefully you get used to them.

I tried progressives when I was first prescribed for reading.
Wore them for 60 days, took them back to get checked several times because of headaches all day, gave up and tried conventional split.
Ended up with half frames as the only type that my brain can cope with.

My wife on the other hand can pop a contact into either eye for monovision with no problem. She had bifocal contacts for a while but finds monovision just as good, and cheaper.

[hellosailor]

There are some big differences in how each company make progressive lenses. If your high-end eye doctor sells Varilux, and mine sells Zeiss, and Wallyworld sells lord knows what...all three will have major differences. The progression is not just up-and-down but yes, there is correction (distortion) sometimes in butterfly or figure-8 patterns that make the sides very different.

On top of that, there's a question of how the lenses are centered and which portion (top or bottom) of the correction is cut off to fit in the frames. So for instance, my first pair worked fine in the shop...but still leave me dizzy if I try to look at my feet while going down stairs. Better not to look. And the first time I tried driving with them, I could read the dashboard just fine--but had to tilt my head back to see clearly down the road.

When I took them back with that complaint, my optometrist said no problem, let's see how much you need them to be shifted--and made new lenses that are about 3mm offcenter, raised up in the frame, top of the lens ground off instead of normally centered.

All of that might change again with a different lens, or if I wanted a more useful close reading rx on the closer part.

Any *good* optometrist will discuss these things and work with you, and many will say that if the progressives don't work for you, they'll make up (swap in) regular lenses at no additional charge. Some people's brains are just wired differently. progressives require you to sort of be aware of peripheral things, and ignore the fact that they're never going to be clear unless you're looking through the exact right spot of the lens to focus on them.

[SqPeg]

I have Maui Jim wrap arounds. They are the best! Mucho $$$s unfortunately.

[whg1942]

I think progressive lens are a lot like hearing aids. If you will stick with them for a while and get used to them, they are a wonderful benefit. Most people that I have heard complaining, are not willing to put in the effort to get used to them. I love my progressive lenses and my hearing aids.

[Mirage35]

Originally Posted by WanderingStar39

I recently bought two pairs of progressive lens sunglasses. Like many, I had perfect vision until about 40. Reading glasses followed, now I qualify for a distance prescription too, so I got the progressives. One of the side effects of them is blurry peripheral vision. Last week after a day sail, I went forward to do something, and lost my balance twice. I did not fall, but I think it was because the deck and bowsprit appeared to curve. Will I get used to this? Or should I take the glasses off up forward?

Read many of the comments, and they mostly make sense, but this may be one area where my point of view (ha ha) is exceptional, so.


I know whereof I speak: my prescription for myopia is -13 diopters (peripheral vision? never heard of it), and with age I need reading glasses as well so have progressives to cover that.


Unless your presbytie (is that the word? far-sightedness) is extreme, it shouldn't take much adaptation to get used to the glasses. Unless you waited too long - my optometrist told me it's easier to adapt to progressives when the near-sighted prescription is small, say +1 or +1.5. And I see no reason why what sounds like a pretty minor prescription would cause such problems with peripheral vision.


So my interpretation is that you may need a better optometrist or (more likely) a better optician. You may pay more but they should be able to make it work.

[johnjuliano]

I use both progressive contacts and glasses. They work great for me.

However, there seem to be personal differences, so they may not work for you, but give them some time.

I also use mono vision: one contact lens at infinity, the other at reading distance. The binocular vision isn’t quite as good as either plain or progressive contacts, but never needing reading glasses makes it worth it, especially when sailing.

[MoorOrLess]

This is interesting topic, and something had not considered before. Everyone is going to be comfortable with different combinations. I used single script glasses for reading form many years, but could never walk while wearing them. A friend suggested I try progressive, and I hated them at first, they were horrible for PC work or reading, but were easy to walk around in. With persistence I did become use to adjusting/tilting my head without thinking to get the correct focus. On the boat I leave the progressives on 80% of the time below. On deck just normal sun glasses. I don’t think I would try stepping off the boat wearing progressive as it would not work for me. To read a book, chart, or close work I put on the single script (they are my comfort blanket).

[WanderingStar39]

Very interesting thread, thank you all.
I definitely need them at times, to read a chart, GPS, or the compass. Cheater/Readers work, but the progressives are much better, especially in dim light. I am wearing them every day, and that helps. They gave me headaches the first couple of days, but not anymore. These aren't cheap, and I think Davis Vision is reputable. I'll keep trying to adjust, but for now I think I'll take them off before going onto the bowsprit.
Thanks again.

[meirriba]

I am with progressive multifocals for more years that I can remember.
No problems at all.
I take them off only when it is raining or heavy spray in the air.
Always secured with rubber strap!

[Hearts Content]

Very interesting, it seems to really depend on the individual. I had heard all the talk of progressives and tried bifocals and fell down some steps. I honestly cannot imagine how anyone could use these. To me they are outright life threatening.

Switched to progressives and absolutely love them. I get the best lense available from lens crafters and they aren’t cheap but they’re light and give me great vision. The lenses in my Raybans are huge and honestly, I can’t tell they are not single vision. My regular glasses are smaller and while stylish (girls stepped in) they are not as good as the raybans due to the lense size. But I wouldn’t part with my little hipster glasses.

The skinny little hipster glasses will create a smaller sweet spot. The cheaper lenses also have a smaller sweet spot. Little sweet spot will cause a lot of the problems mentioned here.

I’m sure progressives do not work for many folks but make sure your giving yourself a chance. I was able to return my bifocals.

[rea]

I never had a problem until I got a new pair of glasses from Specsaver. They changed the lenses, but it was never very good, narrow field vision. After a year
I went back to my old optometrist and got new lenses (more expensive). What a difference! I don’t have any problems anymore at all, my sunglasses are the same quality. Don’t skimp on lenses, get the best quality.