Am I the only one who thinks it is strange that being nearsighted means you can’t clearly see things that are far away and that being farsighted means you can’t clearly see things that are very near? Well, now that I’ve read what I just wrote, it doesn’t seem strange at all, does it?
Are you nearsighted or farsighted? I am both, actually. When I was younger, I used to wear contact lenses for distance vision, and reading glasses (aka cheaters) for close reading. But these days, I wear glasses with “progressive” lenses.
Back in the day people like me, who are both nearsighted and farsighted would have to wear bifocals. These had a very visible line that showed up about two-thirds of the way down the lenses.
The top two-thirds of the lenses were to correct for nearsightedness and the bottom third was to correct for farsightedness.
But modern progressive lenses correct for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and just about everything in between. And with no visible line!
I do have a confession to make. While my progressive lenses are great for my nearsightedness, they’re not as effective when it comes to addressing my farsightedness. So, when I need to read something near, whether it’s a newspaper, a magazine, a book, or my iPhone, I can see it better when I remove my glasses completely than when I leave them on and try to read through that “sweet spot” that is supposed to correct for reading things up close.
Anyway, if you’ve read this far, I hope you will forgive me for having written one of my most boring posts ever.
Written for Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, where we are asked to use “near,” use “far,” or use them both in our response.
This, That, and the Other 
I cannot read without glasses, but my long distance is fine. I know I probably shouldn’t but I do buy the cheap reading glasses from the shops, which seem to work just fine.
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It’s not boring to me. You and I suffer the same battle. Two years ago, I got the progressive lenses, and I had the same issue of just having to take them off to read. So last year, I got a pair for distance and one pair for reading. I still do better if I take them off to write or read a paper in front of me on my readers. The reading ones only help me with seeing my computer, and they suck watching television. Distance for that…and it’s not that far away lol. I definitely feel your pain on this post. The struggle is real 😁
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I’ve been curious about how progressive lenses work. They’ve been recommended for me. I currently have bi-focals where the “reader” portion is a computer distance one. I find this is perfect for driving and seeing the dashboard, as well as when I attend a meeting where I want to see a presentation and type. I remove my glasses to read.
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Your post wasn’t boring. It was relatable. I have progressives as well. I only ever owned one pair of bifocals. I much prefer the no line.
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I solved this problem when I had cataract surgery. Now I just need my readers.
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I was not bored at all. I have the same problem. I cannot see much at all without my glasses these days- near or far.
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Same here,even my new script doesn’t make it as clear to read as without glasses.
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Not boring. The truth for many of us. I have been wearing progressive lenses for years. Once upon a time, I had trifocals with the lines and all. I need the glasses for reading and driving. Two pairs of glasses didn’t work for me.
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Same! I never use my progressives for reading only for driving. I don’t think I am going to get them next time, just get some readers instead.
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The punch line at the end was worth the read! I was wondering where it was going and blam! your last line. Love it.
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I try not to think to much about it myself…
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I use progressive lens too, or rather used to. Reading seems better with them off, so I have not been using them for months on end now.
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I’ve worn glasses since 4th grade. Now I have tri-focals, and probably need to get a new Rx as they aren’t working very good. I tried progressive but it made me feel goofy in the head, so went back to the lines. Still, I can read better without any for some reason. I’m always taking them off and putting them on to see farther than a book or a computer screen.
This is a good post, not boring at all! 🙂
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Seems a lot of us have to remove our glasses for up close reading.
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Not a boring post at all.
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Thanks.
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I used to have better than 20/20 vision, near and far. I did get my first glasses somewhere in my thirties, even though I was told I didn’t exactly need them. Wow, was it wonderful to have that correction for looking at movies and plays in theatre. Then, those got broken and I didn’t replace them until five to ten years later. It started to become slightly important that I have glasses for driving, mainly for reading street names. Yeah, that probably wouldn’t matter so much any more. The audible directions say, “Turn now.” Anyway, I do like having glasses for driving these days… as well as for watching tv, most of the time (an improvement but not essential).
I don’t read at the distance the doctor says is reading distance. For one reason, it’s just more comfortable and relaxing to hold what I’m reading father away than that. For another reason, I was always taught, by teachers, that the distance I use is correct (really that the distance most people who said teachers were saying this to used was incorrect). Thirdly, when buying progressive style lenses (or even bifocals [and I tried trifocals once after I found progressive lenses the first time disorienting], reading closely with the glasses doesn’t work; I only attempt reading close up once in a while, such as when reading tiny print on a supplement bottle.
I havent needed the glasses for reading. I just don’t want to take off my glasses to read if I’m doing that while also watching television… or when I’m even looking at the person in the passenger seat or at my dashboard while driving. These matters weren’t an issue in the past. Younger eyes adjust better through their corrective lenses, they say. As for the the fine print, none of this was a problem at all until my late forties. I’m supposing I’m not exactly far sighted (as opposed to not as well sighted as I used to be); I think some things, with regard to what is expected of most people, are intended to go with a magnifier.
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I can feel the discomfort. I think I may need reading glasses soon…
And the thought is disturbing.
I had my vision corrected about fifteen years ago.
Wore glasses before that.
May the eyes be at peace. 🙂
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It wasn’t boring, it was informative. My husband is both and he’s never heard of progressive lenses, so guess where he’s off to this week thanks to you and this great blog post
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Glad to be of help! 👍
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I got two pair, line bifocals and progressives and I really like the progressives. But I do still take them off for some things up really close too.
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