Bifocals Are No Joke

I got my yearly eye exam not too long ago and the doctor gave me bifocals. I wanted to cry the moment he said. Not because I’m getting older or anything but because I knew the moment I walked out and told my brother and uncle they would make some remark.

My brother laughed so hard he fell out of his chair, the jerk. Anyway I figured bifocals weren’t that much harder than reading glasses. Boy could I have not been more wrong, I struggled for about week with them. First they don’t tell you that bifocals aren’t going to work with your tablet. The girl told me progressives were the way to go, without lines. She asked if I used the computer and told me these were my best option.

Not Close Enough But Too Far Away

When I tried to use my tablet I discovered I wouldn’t make the bifocals work. So I thought I would give it some time. However, it wasn’t working at all. My tablet was blurry and when I moved it closer I ended up with my head in a funny position. If I pulled it out, things just didn’t work. I began looking into it after calling my doctor and the nurse telling me I needed to give it more time.

I didn’t think was what I needed because my glasses with the bifocals worked just fine any other time. I could stand in the kitchen and read the menu on the television which is something I was struggling with and we have a 65 inch television. What I discovered in my research though is that the way tablets are made means you can’t actually get them far enough away for the regular part of your glasses or close enough for the bifocals. They just won’t work.

What to Do

So what was I going to do? I began to receive some emails with offers of free glasses, glasses for a discounted rate. I began to look into to those and asked if it was possible to get just my bifocal part of the prescription in a pair of glasses. I found out that I could and ended up two pair of them. The moment I put the new pair on and attempted to read I was able to. Everything was much clearer.

Now, I look a little like Fred Sanford with the multiple pairs of glasses. For those who never saw that show, he had a drawer that was full of glasses and he would pull out multiple pairs in his quest to find the right pair for what he was doing.

What I discovered is that I can use my bifocals most of the time. Although I admit I still struggle with the looking down with my whole head and not just my eyes. I have my reading prescription for my tablet and computer. so live and learn.

Do you wear bifocals? Were they a struggle for you? Please share your story with us in the comments.