Trouble with Glasses

[knucklebusted]

My eyes aren't what they used to be. I have trouble with the last foot of vision. I can't read fine print any more and can't work with small stuff without a pair of +1.50 reading glasses.

The REAL problem comes in when I'm trying to work under a car, usually under the dash, upside down or on my back. Normal glasses are great for level to downward vision but I have resorted to wearing glasses upside down to get upward vision. It works but they won't stay on my face and are always falling off.

I found some reading glasses at Sams that are made with no frame. The hardware bolts to the actual lens. I've flipped one pair over to try out and they seem to be workable.

Anyone else use a little ingenuity to overcome something like this? Improvements?

Here's a pic of modified and standard glasses of the same type to illustrate the difference.

[Daves69]

Get the dual bifocal safety glasses.
I was having the same problem now these are all I wear at work.

http://www.safetyglassesusa.com/bf30.html

Dave

[softailgarage]

I know what your talking about, sometimes the readers aren't enough. I use a magifying glass, it's a pain in the ass and severly bruises my ego, but it works

[Krash Kadillak]

A magnifying glass is in my right-hand drawer, and gets used a lot.
I need new glasses at well. Have progressive bi-focals, and have recently noticed the lower 'reading' area is pretty much useless.

[Gregishome]

Ones eye sight is too precious to take lightly. Go to a optometrist and get a professional eye exam done and if your over 40, might want a glycoma(sp?) test done also. They will fix you up with bi or trifocals as needed and you wont believe how well you will see again. good luck !

[JimVonBaden]

A friend of mine has the new tri-focal contacts. They are designed like a bulls-eye, and allow him to see even upside-down correctly.

Jim

PS He is only 48 years old.

[Krash Kadillak]

Because of my diabetes, I get a full eye exam every year. Just had it done a few weeks ago - everything OK. Of course, an ophthalmologist is not an optometrist. Still have to do that.

Interestingly, it vision changes that caused me to be diagnosed with diabetes. I had been wearing glasses all my life, since I was 7, and all of a sudden I could see fine without them. Got my blood sugar in check and my eyes returned to their normal bad vision.

[machine_punk]

Looks like someone beat me to it, but my dad had the optometrist make double reading lenses in glasses for work (one set of reading lenses at the bottom for normal stuff and one set of reading lenses at the top for standing on a ladder, working on things over his head). He always had perfect far vision, so I think the 'main' lens was 'just glass,' without a prescription.

As someone above suggested, getting real safety glasses made that way (with the side shields and rated safety glass) would be great.

M_P

[Tarheelgarage]

I had better than 20/20 vision my entire life until about age 45, then my arms somehow weren't long enough....

I've got readers scattered all over the place; shop , cars, truck, desks, top pocket of my bib overalls.....

[Torque1st]

For temporary use one can buy stick-on magnifying lenses for use with regular glasses. Safety equipment companies may have them. I am coming up empty when looking for my bookmarked links though.

[Tim Kennedy]

My mechanic many years ago had several pair of glasses made with the bi-focal on top -- just for under the dash work.

[dr.gizmo]

I have been wearing double D glasses for a couple of years, its the only way to go. I think I use the upper reading lenses more than the bottom.

[Torque1st]

Glasses are getting REAL expensive also. I have trifocals with an AR coating.

[alan camby]

I can't believe no one has mentioned the Opti-grab, "just like the tie rods on a 72 Buick".

Lets see if anyone knows what I am talking about. Sorry for the hijack

[Daves69]

Originally Posted by alan camby

I can't believe no one has mentioned the Opti-grab, "just like the tie rods on a 72 Buick".

Lets see if anyone knows what I am talking about. Sorry for the hijack

[JimVonBaden]

Originally Posted by Torque1st

Glasses are getting REAL expensive also. I have trifocals with an AR coating.

http://www.firmoo.com/

Glasses as low as $8. I have several sets, including sunglasses and safety prescription glasses.

Jim

[Torque1st]

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

http://www.firmoo.com/

Glasses as low as $8. I have several sets, including sunglasses and safety prescription glasses.

Jim

Thanks for the link but it is the trifocals that jack up the price and availability. They don't even mention them on that site. Many people that need trifocals use the progressives but they give me a monster headache. I never could get used to them.

[knucklebusted]

Sounds like I've been lucky to make it to 50 with only the need for slight magnification. I work on a computer screen all day long, too! Luckily, it is a huge one and sites more than 3 feet away from my face.

I get an eye exam every year or so since I was 45. Doc (who is now my US Senator Rand Paul for KY) told me it was normal and to just buy some inexpensive readers until it got worse.

The bullseye contact sounds interesting but I don't know that at 50 I could learn to jab something in my eye intentionally.

[Kevin54]

Go to either your regular eye doctor or to one of the cheaper eye doctors (Lenscrafters, EyeMart) and take a pair of glasses that you can see out of that you really like. They can take the strength measurments off of the lenses. Then pic out a pair of smaller frames than you normally have, and not half frames. Have new lenses made to those frames. I have two pair that I got a few years back. The frames are small and light enough that you don't really feel like you are wearing glasses. If I want to see a distance they are small enough that I can pull them down slightly and see over the top, but if working under a car, I can push them all the way up and see above or below easily.

For what it's worth, I had excellent vision until I had my first shoulder surgery. I think it was the meds that may have changed things, but after that, my reading vision went to shit. I did find out the other day though that in bright sunlight my vision actually changes to where I can read smaller print without glasses, but in normal light inside, I can't read anything at all without glasses. Weird!!!

[Milton Shaw]

I had several special pairs made. I have trifocals and needed vision at different distances. I have everyday sunglasses made with the top being regular distance and the bifocal being the strength of my middle lens in the trifocals. That gives good vision for driving and in this case the bi-focal is the right strength to see the speedometer etc. I also had a pair of computer glasses with the whole lens made the strength of the middle tri-focal for computer use. They also turned out to be the right strength for use under a welding hood. I can see a lot better with them than trying to get the right distance and right angle to see out of the bi or tri focal part of regular glasses. I used old frames I already had so lens were less than $50 for each set.