RFI: Progressive corrective lenses?

[Bluemonday]

A year ago at age 45, after wearing contacts daily for over 30 years to correct my near sighted vision, my doctor told me to back off and start wearing glasses more frequently due to obvious signs my eyes were not getting enough oxygen. After a year now of wearing glasses 5 to 6 days weekly, I can see & feel a big improvement.

On top of this, my reading vision is going to hell and getting worse.

So now here's what I think I want to do with my next set of glasses, but need guidance from those who have already been down this road:

1) I want daily wear glasses that I can use at the range.
2) Ballistic frames that cover the sides with ballistic rated lenses (when wearing contacts, I currently use Smith Optics Elite Prospect at the range and as sunglasses and love them).
3) Clear lenses that transition to tinted when outdoors and it's sunny.
4) Clear lenses that transition to tinted when it's sunny outdoors but am inside a vehicle whose window have UV protection.

Now for the big one . . .

5) Are progressives the best solution so I can see both distance and near? There's a lens brand called Varilux that claims to minimize the side effects of progressives, but I don't know if they make ballistic rated lenses, I don't know if I will even like progressives, and I don't know if there are better alternatives.

Thoughts?

[Mark Hatfield]

All of my glasses have the dominant eye focus set at 33 inches. Puts my sights in focus and is still very close for driving and other uses. Fine for scopes and dots. The only problem is for iron sights on rifles, the sights are clear but can't see bulls eyes precisely enough for good alignment. I've been doing this for years and it works for me.

[cco45acp]

A year ago at age 45, after wearing contacts daily for over 30 years to correct my near sighted vision, my doctor told me to back off and start wearing glasses more frequently due to obvious signs my eyes were not getting enough oxygen. After a year now of wearing glasses 5 to 6 days weekly, I can see & feel a big improvement.

On top of this, my reading vision is going to hell and getting worse.

So now here's what I think I want to do with my next set of glasses, but need guidance from those who have already been down this road:

1) I want daily wear glasses that I can use at the range.
2) Ballistic frames that cover the sides with ballistic rated lenses (when wearing contacts, I currently use Smith Optics Elite Prospect at the range and as sunglasses and love them).
3) Clear lenses that transition to tinted when outdoors and it's sunny.
4) Clear lenses that transition to tinted when it's sunny outdoors but am inside a vehicle whose window have UV protection.

Now for the big one . . .

5) Are progressives the best solution so I can see both distance and near? There's a lens brand called Varilux that claims to minimize the side effects of progressives, but I don't know if they make ballistic rated lenses, I don't know if I will even like progressives, and I don't know if there are better alternatives.

Thoughts?

Are you trying to get all that with one pair of glasses? I think that is a tough order.

I have progressive bifocals and they work great for me. There is a short transistion time going from lined bifocals to no line progressives but not hard or long.

Other than that I generally use the same pair with clip-on sunglasses for everything as beyond the normal impact resistant polycarbonate lens I don't see the need for ballistic lens. I do a good bit of shooting, chainsaw wood, backpack, mountain bike, watercrossing/canoe etc and the glasses do great. Probably the biggest thing for me is the cable temples (wire wraps around ears) so that the glasses stay put under strenuous activity without having to use a strap.

FWIW here is what I have been using http://optometristattic.com/7205_Optometrist_Attic.htm 44070 With clip-ons: 44071

I may have to defer to my fashion police in the family and get more stylish frames for (office) work and going out, but for everything else these are great. My only wish is that the frames came in a more subdued bronze or gunmetal color. But the bright gold color gets subdued after a few weeks of hard wear. BTW the frame style I understand was U.S. military issue in WWII.

Now if I was uniformed LEO or military during intense training or deployed where there was a high probabilty of fragments flying around I'd get a second set of wrap around ballistic work glasses, probably with perscription inserts...currently that is not my profile and probably won't be.


Haven't been a big fan of transitions so not much help there. Back in my early days, they were frowned upon by the organizational culture and that bias stuck with me.

[IANative]

This doesn't answer your specific question, but at age 38 I had the same issue after 20 years of contacts. Not enough O2 getting to the eyes, and a severe dry-eye condition as a result. I opted for LASIK, and it's subsequently been a heavenly 8 years. I'm starting to notice the need for a little correction up close, but nothing major yet. I wear a pair of special "gamer's" glasses by Gunnar at work, as my job is computer-intensive. I do still suffer some eye-strain and dry eye after a particularly long day in front of the monitors, but the trade-off for 20/20 uncorrected vision was/is a no-brainer for me.

[lefty60]

I don't know if they have improved how they grind progressives, but when I tried them they ground a strip down the center of the lens. I had to turn my head to see clearly to the side, not acceptable.

I would hope that they have better methods now of grinding so that you can move your eyes "normally."

[droggsey]

I just tried a pair of the progressive lenses a couple of weeks ago and they had the same issue where only a vertical strip in the middle was in focus. They are remaking the lenses for me as traditional bifocals. It was so bad I had to move my head side to side to read a 17" laptop screen.

[Mark Hatfield]

I stay with bifocals. Progressives are ok for driving or out in the woods but drive me crazy otherwise. I don't like the narrow focus either or how reading material can appear to tilt if you move your head.

[steve_k]

Progressives have been working good for me since my lazik wore off a few years ago after being contact and glasses free for about 12 years. They work ok for me with driving and most my other daily activities, even use at the range and during SI classes.

The one problem with progressives is they don't offer the transition lenses, well as of a couple years ago when I got my last set.

[taurus_dude]

If your prescription is bad enough, and your lenses are too small, then you will have that "narrow focus" issue with progressives. The larger the lens, the more area they have to work with. My previous progressive lenses were fine but my latest ones have that same narrow focus issue. All opticians and eyeglass makers are not created equal.