Falling for Varifocals?

I love my varifocals, they seem completely natural to me. I am always careful on stairs though as I know they can be a problem.

I too wear varifocles and my problem is that whenever we go on countryside hikes and have to climb over stiles I become dizzy and nauseous, as I too see the ground coming up towards me. I haven't fallen yet and always use a walking stick to gauge ground distance. It is a very scary, disorienting feeling though.

Sorry. I meant varifocals (and I even previewed my post)

annodomini

I am sorry to hear about your fall and hope you feel better soon.

As someone up-thread said, if you've been wearing bifocals for 20 years it's unlikely to be the cause.

I find I do things like bang my knee because I forget that I'm old and leap up from my chair. (That's all part of feeling 21 inside rather than 75)

Marelli

What I do while wearing my distance glasses and coping with things like putting my pin number in at the supermarket is tilt my head so that I can look at the keyboard under my specs.

Sussexborn, as this fiasco happened in the Aldi car park, O wasn't wearing my slippers. A few years ago, rushing to pick up the phone in my socks, I slipped off the bottom step of the stairs and all the toes on one foot went black! So I'm fussy about slippers and properly fitting shoes.

Sorry you've had a fall annodomini but it does seem unlikely that varifocals would be the cause after 20 years of use, doesn't it? Just to reassure others, I have never had any issues with varifocals - Specsavers did warn me that some people can't cope with them but they honestly feel just like normal glasses to me and have done since the first moment I put my first pair on more than 10 years ago. I wore bifocals for a few years before that - they were very annoying so changing to varifocals was a massive improvement. I am very short sighted (not sure if that helps them feel ok ?).

My first pair of varifocals ended up in a drawer for a couple of years after I fell up some stairs. Got to the stage where I was juggling two pairs of specs which made work very difficult. I tried varifocals again and it only took a few days to get used to them.

I saw a daytime tv programme that said badly fitting slippers and loose rugs are often the cause of slips and falls. Got rid of my fluffy mules and now wear “sensible” (boring) granny slippers. Only got a couple of rugs but make sure they are rubber backed and don’t curl up at the edges.

Trouble is we don’t bounce back as quickly as we once did!

Hope you heal quickly and you haven’t marred your beauty too much!

I also have the ultra-thin lenses - am intrigued by the idea of the multi-focal lenses. Luckily I had a test ten days ago and don't need a new prescription this time. However, the fall has damaged the titanium frames and one side of my glasses. I'm using the previous ones which still work reasonably well.
All in all, the consensus seems to be that my lenses aren't to blame. It was just my carelessness!

I think a lot is to do with the lenses. I have worn varifocals for many, many years, but always get the expensive ultra thin lens. They are fine, I never have any problems with them except perhaps for a day or two after getting a new prescription. However a few years ago I went to a different high-street optician, where they made the glasses in an hour. I couldn’t wear them at all and felt nauseous the whole time I had them on. The shop actually refunded me for them! I also wear multi focal contact lenses, which although are something of a compromise, work very well and because of their construction....concentric rings, rather than a ‘top and bottom’ completely solve the steps/kerbs/stairs problem. It might be worth trying a different lens.

Sorry to hear about your fall anno - do hope your poor head doesn't stay sore for too long.

I first tried varifocals more than 20 years ago and couldn't get on with them. Then I tried dual-sight contact lenses - one lens has reading sight, the other has distance sight. It sounds odd, but they did work (except when I was reading and drinking a cup of tea at the same time - every time I lifted the cup to my mouth I obscured the right eye which had the reading sight, very disorientating!)

However, I tried varifocals again a couple of years later, making sure to buy the best available, and they were fine. I've never had a problem with them since. I guess I've just become accustomed to the need to move my head more, rather than just my eyes, so that I'm looking through the right part of the lens all the time.

I 've been wearing varifocals for years. I love them, and it took me no time at all to get used to them.
The only fall I've had was on ice beneath a layer of snow, so nothing to do with my glasses.

I’ve been wearing them for years with no problems. I do have the most expensive type as I need them for work. When driving at speed I need to be able to change from distance to near vision quickly. I have fallen once but it had nothing to do with glasses and everything to do with a rough surface in pitch dark!
I know they don’t work for everyone though, we’re all different.

I know others who say the same as you Harrigran Charleygirl ayse and sodapop...in fact, now I am scrolling back up, there are too many Grans to mention!

There doesn't seem to be any middle ground, no pun intended. Varifocals are great for some but really no good at all for others - most people on this thread.

annodomini, sorry to hear about your fall.
I have been wearing varifocals for about twenty years and I love them.
However, I do agree about about having to be careful of steps, kerbs etc. I have missed the bottom step a few times recently and am now more conscious of looking where I'm putting my feet.
I hope you feel better soon.

I had the same problem, fell up and down stairs and could not use them whilst on the computer. I took them back to the opticians and told them that they were obviously not suitable for me despite them telling me I would love them.

Sorry to read about your fall annodomini

My partner is always missing his step, tripping up and hurting himself and he doesn't wear varifocals, or indeed glasses, except for reading.

I am a fan of varifocals and have had no trouble going from needing just reading glasses to ones which make the distance clearer. I was warned things might loom up at me when I started wearing them, but I have been fine.

I know falling can cause confidence problems. My Mum fell off a bus step when she was 81 and it put paid to her independence in many ways. She became wary of public transport.

However, I'd say varifocals are a blessing (saves faffing about with two pairs of specs) and "accidents happen" annodomini unless you suspect you have a balance problem. I hope your head isn't sore for long.

I tried varifocals a couple of years ago but couldn't get on with them when using my laptop or tablet, the reading field just wasn't big enough despite buying the recommended (most expensive) version. Specsavers changed the lenses to bi-focals free of charge and I love them! The half-moons do look a bit grannyish but I am a granny so I don't care, and they are not very obvious. I have no problems with stairs or shopping and don't find myself consciously tipping my head up and down.
Might be worth considering for those of you worried about falling.

Hi Annodomini,
Sorry to hear about your fall and I hope you heal quickly. A couple of years back I had an accident on an icy ramp and fell from a height. As part of my recovery (and when I could eventually type again) I did a free online course through Futurelearn. It was run by the Falls Clinic at Newcastle and I have mentioned it here before so that I can let people know when it comes round again.

First of all, the course let us see that everybody falls and it is not necessarily anything to do with aging. Even the lead professor confessed to having a fall while running on an uneven surface in unsuitable shoes.

There are loads of things that increase your likelihood of having a fall and I was amazed at the number of different changes you can make...though I really just joined to see if I could speed up my recovery. It did that too.

Just a few examples of increased risk are:

Having had a previous fall; Not having a recent review of medication which might pick up that you no longer need something; Poor lighting; Men with balance issues insisting on standing to pee in the middle of the night when sitting would be much safer; "stuff" lying around; Inner ear conditions which turned out to be easily solved if you got the right health professional..... etc etc

And yes, for some people, bifocals and varifocals.

There was no single solution, but the general good advice and practical solutions (not all suggested by the course - some came from fellow participants) really helped me.

As soon as the course runs again, I'll post something, but please PM me if you want to know more.

The most reassuring thing I found was that the conclusion was that Falls are not a natural result of aging and there are lots of solutions/preventions.

Ironically, the same Scottish hospital that treated me for the fluke accident (I must have told them six times what happened and that I'd fallen from an icy height) later pursued me relentlessly to have a hip xray because they insisted I'd fallen from lower than shoulder height with no obvious cause. Ridiculous record keeping. I don't think we have a falls clinic up here.

I've been wearing them for over 20 years.
If they're not right it's the prescription.
2 years ago I went though 3 opticians until I found one that got it right.
As I've been wearing them for so long I know what's right and what's wrong.
One fool told me I would 'get used to them'
I told him, very loudly, that I had probably started wearing them about the time he was born

I wear glasses all the time for distance, but stuggling to read the tiny print on labels.
I work in a supermarket on the checkout and sometimes have to read the tiny tiny code on clothes labels( which is very long and sometimes white writing on black label)

I do carry reading glasses in my pocket but must admit it is a bit of a faff plus keeping the customer waiting a little, I have now found a little magnifying glass to keep in my pocket. I really don't want bifocals or varifocals. After reading some of the stories.

I think the fall where I landed forehead on granite worktop had more to do with wine consumption than varifocals!

Sorry to hear if your accident Annodomini hope you recover soon. Any falls really shake you up don't they.
I have never been able to manage varifocals either, I stick with my bifocals. I did speak to my optician last year to see if I should try again. He said that some people just can't manage and its sometimes related to having migraines which I used to suffer from. The optician was of the opinion that as bifocals had suited me for many years there was no reason to change.

The thing is, though - if you wear glasses for distance only, how do you read the things that come up in a normal day, like labels and things round the house that need sharper sight? Is it not a bit of a faff having to reach for reading glasses? ?

My DH couldn't get on with varifolals. He fell down the stairs once when he had them on. He went back to ordinary glasses after that.

I’ve tried varifocals and they made me nauseous and I couldn’t continue. I now have bifocals for distance and reading but continue with single vision as well, especially for sewing as I have a closer focus for this.
Varifocals have been ‘recommended’ by both Specsavers and Vision Express. My local optician just lets me have what I want with plenty of advice to suit my pocket.