Overhaulin'

ordering glasses need help please?

i need to order glasses. doctor prescribed one prescription for distance and one for close up /reading/computer work. i was told that i could either get two pair. use one for distance/ one for close work. or alternatively, get one pair that is bi focals that have distance/close up built into one. is it hard to use a bifocal glass ? also, are all the options, such as anti glare , tinting, transition etc. all necessary ? these are more expensive options than the frames i have picked out. the salesperson would not give me direct answers. after spending an hour with her , i still don't know what i need / what it is going to cost me. she kept giving figures about figures, two written pages of figures and was not direct / did not answer questions. i felt like my head was spinning, already i couldn't see cause of the dilation drops . i have bought cars before and it wasn't this comlicated ! today, i'll go back / decide. do you know ??

Public Comments

1. no, it is generally not difficult to adjust to bifocals. interesting, maybe...but for most people not hard. no, all of those options are not "necessary". they are optional. kind of like buying a car, thats a good analogy. you can buy a car w/o a sunroof, or cruise control, or window tinting. but all of that is nice if you can afford it. but as far as your VISION is concerned...the bifocals will work and you will see just fine w/o all of those options. but they can be nice!
2. I admire princeidoc for his answers...spot on. But, all the add-ons are there for a reason. Do you need them all? Probably not. I usually advise my patients to get 2 things...namely anti-reflective coating and polarized sun lenses. Anti-reflective coatings DO help in relieving eye strain, it brings more light comfortably to the eyes. Choose a premium coating and you will have a 2 year scratch guarantee. Polarized lenses cut glare, plain and simple. They were once advertised in fishing mags, now I recommend them to bikers, hikers, campers, truckers, you name it. As for bifocals, since you have never worn them before, I would suggest a progessive lens. A couple of brands that are truly great are the Varilux comfort and Zeiss GT2. Both offer wide peripheral vision. And yes they are easy to get used to.