Question
Hi
I am male, 51. I started using progressive bifocals a few years ago.
It seems like every couple years my eyesight changes and I need new glasses.
Is this normal?
Also, my plan only covers a small portion of my glasses, so I end up paying a lot out of pocket. Maybe I get suckered into the extras?
What is the most basic pair of bifocals (my distance is OK) I can get with a basic frame?
Thanks!
Answer
Hi Bud;
It is normal that you need to increase the power of the reading lenses every year or two from age forty-something to, say, fifty-something. This is because the mechanism that controls shifting focus from far to near breaks down gradually during these years and eventually fails entirely, at which point you need a sort of "maximum" bifocal power. NOT that it can't change after that, but the changes should slow down.
Most "plans" are not intended to get you anything but the very most basic pair of glasses - in most cases of a quality you would not particularly want. They are not intended to get you all the latest technology, most of which we have by now begun to take for granted. If you tried to do without the extras - the anti-glare coating, the Transition lens, the thinner lens materials - you would probably miss them. It would be sort of like buying a car without air conditioning.
When you ask what is the most basic pair of glasses you can get, I am not sure if you are asking me for a brand name of lens, or what. For the most part, this will depend on what shop you get them from. Obviously, lined bifocals are less expensive than progressives - but generally do not work well at a computer. I simply do NOT recommend you get a lesser brand of progressives. There is very good reason why the more expensive ones cost more - they have drastically better optics. I really cannot give you a price for "the most basic pair" because that varies tremendously with the establishment, and may greatly vary from my country to yours as well.
The most basic frame will also vary with the shop, and there are huge differences in quality. Just today I had a patient in with a pair of frames for which she had paid over $300. They had a designer brand name on them - yet the hinges were of very poor quality and the temples got out of adjustment very easily.
The bottom line is you should shop at an establishment you can trust and which has straightforward pricing structure - where you know if you are paying more, it is because they are supplying better quality materials. That way if you choose to pay for the extras, you know you are getting something of quality. And if you decline to pay for extras, you will know that your lack of comfort was your own choice.
Conversely, if you got your glasses from a less reputable establishment,with lots of "trick" pricing, they could be buying the products for far less and still charging you huge mark-ups. Thus you may not be getting the quality you are paying for.
