Glasses wearers - help please!

[danswan]

Hi glasses wearers.

I've been lucky enough not to need glasses but at 50 I realised that holding my phone at arm's length to read it wasn't right, and last year I got a prescription for some glasses which totally sort out that problem.

However I've not really been wearing them, mostly out of habit and forgetting to taken them with me etc.

Recently I've been getting headaches, I noticed only when I've been working in the office. It took me a while to make the link, but I guess it's likely related to my vision.

At home I don't get headaches, I work primarily on 2 x 27" 1440p monitors 3 days a week.

I do 2 days in the office where there's 2 x 1080p monitors. I'm assuming the lower resolution means I'm straining a bit more, or some other environmental factor.

I tried my glasses but they only help with close-in stuff, the monitors don't appear and clearer, in fact they seem more blurry, so I don't use the glasses when at my desk either at home or in the office.

So... I went back to the optician with this info. She gave me a test and told me I needed a slightly stronger prescription. However, she said there was no point me getting new glasses until I got used to wearing the old, and that I should wear them when in the office.

I tried this for a few days, but headaches have been worse and it's still way clearer without them than when wearing them.

I'd assumed that I needed different glasses depending on how far away I wanted to focus, and was expecting this to result in me getting some glasses which made that spot a couple of feet from my face clearer, but it seems not.

Am I missing something, or should I go back to the optician? Or should I see a different optician?

 

[decto]

For age related eyesight I just get cheap reading glasses from the pound shop or Amazon.

I have half or dozen or more pairs ... Around the house, car, work bag etc.

I tried a few different magnifications and 1.5 works well for me.

I do have an expensive set of optician glasses which are a mild varifocal but I find myself having to look down my nose with head tilted back to view a monitor. They work well for driving though as both the road and the dash are in focus.

Resolution shouldn't be an issue but it might be the monitor isn't at the correct distance for your readers hence blurry. A different optician would give an opinion.... And likely sell you more glasses.

 

[BananaDunka]

What kind of glasses did they give? Some glasses are bifocal, most have lenses though that are fixed to a focal range. Sounds like the existing glasses are for reading only,w hereas in your office you're sat a different distance apart from the monitors meaning the focal range has increased. The resolution being 1080p wont' matter but the quality of the displays will, as will the ability to change the scaling in Windows to suit your vision. Right click the desktop and select Display, then change the Scaling factor, by default it's 100% so you could try 125 or 150 and see if that aids reading.

You should also do a VDU assessment which should be a part of your workplace's regular things every staff using a computer should be doing, this will highlight what's needed for you to be able to work properly and safely, if that means 2 new bigger monitors then that's what they have to provide you.

I don't wear glasses, back when I was 12 my school teacher said I looked handsome when I arrived one day wearing new reading glasses so after school that day I buried them in the front yard and as far as I know they are still there lols.

 

[DXP55]

I measured my sitting distance from monitor to my eyes as I sit here. 1m-200mm - I went to optician with a tape measure and had a pair set up to that measurement.
You could also as said above go buy some cheap ones -take a tape measure and do some tests -I have some cheepies for reading but they don't work on monitor

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Varifocals for the win.

I have a pair which are 2.0 for reading at the lower 1/3 of the lens and drop off to 1.25 at arm’s length monitor use by the middle of the lens. The top 1/3 of the lens has no correction as my distance eyesight is 20:20.

I believe my lenses are made by Hoya.

 

[Mint8]

For age related eyesight I just get cheap reading glasses from the pound shop or Amazon.

I have half or dozen or more pairs ... Around the house, car, work bag etc.

I tried a few different magnifications and 1.5 works well for me.

I do have an expensive set of optician glasses which are a mild varifocal but I find myself having to look down my nose with head tilted back to view a monitor. They work well for driving though as both the road and the dash are in focus.

Resolution shouldn't be an issue but it might be the monitor isn't at the correct distance for your readers hence blurry. A different optician would give an opinion.... And likely sell you more glasses.

This appraoch is not to be recommended - if you dont have the correct prescription for your eyes then all you are potentially doing is worsening the sight deterioration.

 

[Diddums]

Should probably go to Specsavers m9

 

[moon man]

Tbh I also have various strength ones 3.5 for the tiny serial number thermal label changes at work 1.5 for kindle (instead of having less words on page)
I have known so many people who just go higher and higher magnification my own theory is that using different strengths helps your eyes (just like the focus exercise , close up to horizon and back, repeat) my long sight is amazing.
Ps full eye test including retinal scan done recently, they recommended I use 2.25 for close up and didn't try and sell me any (Specsavers)

 

[firstborn]

Varifocals for the win.

I have a pair which are 2.0 for reading at the lower 1/3 of the lens and drop off to 1.25 at arm’s length monitor use by the middle of the lens. The top 1/3 of the lens has no correction as my distance eyesight is 20:20.

I believe my lenses are made by Hoya.

This is also my solution for my old eyes.

 

[decto]

This appraoch is not to be recommended - if you dont have the correct prescription for your eyes then all you are potentially doing is worsening the sight deterioration.

That is an old wives tale. Vision deteriorating is due to the hardening of the lens on the eye which is a biological process.

Incorrect prescription can cause eyestrain headaches etc. but will not worsen vision or speed up deterioration. Usually it's obvious if text etc. is not clear.

Glasses are important for children when the eye is developing.

 

[robinbanks]

m9

M8

 

[Armageus]

At home I don't get headaches, I work primarily on 2 x 27" 1440p monitors 3 days a week.

I do 2 days in the office where there's 2 x 1080p monitors. I'm assuming the lower resolution means I'm straining a bit more, or some other environmental factor.

Assuming the screens are the same size and the scaling is set the same, then at 1080P you should be straining less as everything should be bigger.

Even if the screens at work are smaller e.g. the more typical 24" for 1080P screens, then the Pixels per Inch will still be lower (i.e. everything will be slightly bigger).

 

[Nutty667]

I started getting headaches too.. unfortunately the distance of my monitor is the mid-point where my eyesight is fine.
I have long distance glasses for driving and TV, but recently got some ones for on the computer. But similar to you, they made it worse.

I would measure accurately the distance of your face to your monitor, and make sure you test at that distance at the opticians.
Last time I went I thought my monitors were at nearly arms length and at that distance I need close reading glasses, but my monitor is actually further back and the glasses don't help.

However they are useful for reading tablet/phone.

If like me after work, you spend a fair bit of time looking at phone/tablet/tv, then try and structure in activities away from screens. That is probably the best way to get around the headaches.

 

[Sinbad2000]

M8

He shoulda gone to specsavers?

 

[Diddums]

M8

 

[danswan]

Thanks for the replies. To try to sift out the valuable info which isn't about bolts and suchlike (I did go to Specsavers btw ), it does sound like I can get glasses which are tailored for me to see a monitor properly at a standard distance, and thus hopefully stop these headaches.

Is that right? Is there anything special I need to ask for?

 

[pastymuncher]

I was having headaches exactly like you are having so I now have a prescription specifically for computer use and includes blue light filters and the result is no more headaches. As a bonus these glasses are also great for working on the car, gardening or anything else that is too far for my reading glasses but too close for my distance glasses.

 

[danswan]

I was having headaches exactly like you are having so I now have a prescription specifically for computer use and includes blue light filters and the result is no more headaches. As a bonus these glasses are also great for working on the car, gardening or anything else that is too far for my reading glasses but too close for my distance glasses.

Thanks! But as a n00b to opticians etc, do I just make another appointment and ask for specific monitor glasses?

 

[throwaway4372]

I've had a few pairs of glasses over the years at various prescriptions, never found any of them perfect at all distances. A lot better than without them, but still annoying.

 

[Belly]

I can't get by with varifocals and have 3 sets of glasses, reading, computer and distance/TV. I get a free eye test at Boots but buy my glasses from Glasses Direct, usually £15 for two pairs.

Regarding headaches: I read that wearing too stronger glasses is more likely to cause headaches than weaker ones and I'd agree where occasionally I've been working on the computer for some time only to discover that I've been using my stronger reading glasses.