First time glasses wearer could use some advice

Goose

Goose

Goose

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I got my first ever pair of glasses yesterday (i'm 41) for reading and could use some advice from some long time glasses wearers.

The frames and lenses I got were both free on the NHS and as you can imagine they're the lowest quality items you can get, they're very plasticky, flimsy and with no coatings on the lenses. In the short time i've been wearing them i've discovered that they reflect absolutely everything to the point that seeing through them is quite unpleasant. I can also see every speck of dust that lands on them. I've been on glassesdirect.co.uk and spex4less.co.uk to see what they offer and they seem to offer a baffling array of different lenses and coatings with various names.

Another thing i've discovered is that wearing over ear headphones is going to be an issue. I bought some DT 700 Pro X's the other day and I found that the clamping force would make wearing the glasses quite uncomfortable after only 20 minutes or so. My old HyperX gaming headset is a lot more comfortable due to it's lower clamping force. I'm wondering if there specific types or frames that make wearing headphone less of an issue?

I spend most of my day looking at my computer screen and i'm hoping you guys could educate me on what lenses and coatings are actually worth getting and which ones to avoid? Are the the blue light filtering ones worth getting or do they adversely affect the colours on the monitor?

Thanks
 
Polarised lenses will reduce glare (which is what I think you mean by "reflect everything"). I usually get anti-scratch coating too. With stuff like headphones and dust, it is only a question of becoming used to it.
 
I normally get the basic first level coating on my lenses (every company seems to call it something different) I think it's normally included with some of the chains as standard*, and for my main pair "transitions" or whatever they've decided to call the automatic darkening this year.

One tip I can give is to get good quality lens wipes, I use Zeiss as they're about a tenner for a box of 200, the clothes you get with the glasses don't really do much for anything other than dust imo, they're pretty useless for grease etc and get gummed up if you use a spray cleaner, give the lenses a clean at least once a day or whenever you realise there is anything on them.

NHS vouchers can get good quality frames, but it's highly dependent on the optician you go to and what they've got in their range, i've had ~£200 frames that were worse than the £75 ones (unfortunately my prescription is hitting the point where the range of frames is limited by the lens size, as well as my big fat head).


*My suspicion is that it's potentially cheaper for them to do it as standard than offer it as an option, or costs them so little it's worth it as an incentive to go to them.
 
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I usually go to specsavers - they always have a buy a pair, get a pair free offer on.

I also get anti scratch and anti glare coatings on them.

The only way around the headphones issuer is to seek out a frame with really thin arms, but that might mean the fit a bit loose/insecurely... ...or get ear buds instead.
 
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I go to spec savers as well, buy one get one free but I always tend to break the spare pair. Warped my second pair from 2009 when I stood on them whilst getting out of bed as they were on the floor. Broke my second pair from 2018 when upgrading my PC as they were on the floor whilst I was putting it together.

My most used pair from 2018 finally broke the other day and I’ve managed to straighten the warped pair from 2009 to an acceptable level where I can wear them.
 
Goose said:
Another thing i've discovered is that wearing over ear headphones is going to be an issue. I bought some DT 700 Pro X's the other day and I found that the clamping force would make wearing the glasses quite uncomfortable after only 20 minutes or so. My old HyperX gaming headset is a lot more comfortable due to it's lower clamping force.
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I find the Steelseries Headsets with the "Ski" band style a lot more comfortable with glasses, but a lot of it does comes down to how your glasses arms have been adjusted.

Rather than ordering online as a new glasses wearer, you probably are better off going to specsavers and getting a pair from there - you get unlimited free adjustments, and if you genuine don't get on with a pair, can normally get them replaced free of charge.
 
Goose said:
I got my first ever pair of glasses yesterday (i'm 41) for reading and could use some advice from some long time glasses wearers.

The frames and lenses I got were both free on the NHS and as you can imagine they're the lowest quality items you can get, they're very plasticky, flimsy and with no coatings on the lenses. In the short time i've been wearing them i've discovered that they reflect absolutely everything to the point that seeing through them is quite unpleasant. I can also see every speck of dust that lands on them. I've been on glassesdirect.co.uk and spex4less.co.uk to see what they offer and they seem to offer a baffling array of different lenses and coatings with various names.

Another thing i've discovered is that wearing over ear headphones is going to be an issue. I bought some DT 700 Pro X's the other day and I found that the clamping force would make wearing the glasses quite uncomfortable after only 20 minutes or so. My old HyperX gaming headset is a lot more comfortable due to it's lower clamping force. I'm wondering if there specific types or frames that make wearing headphone less of an issue?

I spend most of my day looking at my computer screen and i'm hoping you guys could educate me on what lenses and coatings are actually worth getting and which ones to avoid? Are the the blue light filtering ones worth getting or do they adversely affect the colours on the monitor?

Thanks
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Yeah you need to wipe them every so often, just how it is.
I have bars on my headphone pads where the arms press into them, no helping it besides trying to find least uncomfortable pads.
Blue light filters are for mugs. The spiel from people trying to push it is to imply it's beneficial and let you sucker yourself. Reputable retailers will tell you there's no proven benefit... but will take your money if you insist.
 
anti-reflective/scratch coatings are invaluable especially for night driving, I've had hoya hvll coating on my varifocals and still fine 10 years in - seems they now give guarantee for a couple of years, too.
Spec savers are just vague about their coatings , not sure they have a guarantee either - one supplier in my bookmarks https://www.peepeyewear.co.uk/peep-optics/lens-options.
maybe it's the anti-scratch, but don't need any special wipes just a dab of dish soap on a finger and hot water, and non-lint kitchen roll to blot them - they've taken knocks from cupboard doors and DIY

have to take care for clearance of glasses arms if you use bike/safety helmets too.

as said, definitely no blue; prescription sunglasses with polarisation great for sun/sunset driving.
 
I'm a first-time glasses wearer too.

If you value what you wear, then go to an independent optometrist's. So in Stafford, that's Webb, Lucas & Stubbs for me. £99 a pair, +£10 for the upgrades already mentioned here - scratch resistance and anti glare. No NHS help for me as I pay for my prescriptions as per usual.

Keep the prescription if you still have it as you can use it with other providers. They will start to get funny if it's a year old though.

+1 for the Zeiss alcohol wipes.

I can wear the glasses fine with over-ear headphones (Skullcandy Skullcrusher... for the bass!) and also with hearing aids no probs. It's not much different really from wearing sunglasses instead of glasses. So people in this thread will have surely worn headphones and sunglasses together?
 
Pawnless Endgame said:
I'm a first-time glasses wearer too.

If you value what you wear, then go to an independent optometrist's. So in Stafford, that's Webb, Lucas & Stubbs for me. £99 a pair, +£10 for the upgrades already mentioned here - scratch resistance and anti glare. No NHS help for me as I pay for my prescriptions as per usual.

Keep the prescription if you still have it as you can use it with other providers. They will start to get funny if it's a year old though.

+1 for the Zeiss alcohol wipes.

I can wear the glasses fine with over-ear headphones (Skullcandy Skullcrusher... for the bass!) and also with hearing aids no probs. It's not much different really from wearing sunglasses instead of glasses. So people in this thread will have surely worn headphones and sunglasses together?
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The free glasses I got are from Kent Eye Care, my local independent place. I didn't really like any of the frames they had that I would have had to pay for but I might see what sort of coatings they do and compare the cost against the online places.
 
Advice? If you're ever short on cotton buds, you can always use the end tip of your glasses to scratch inside your ears or your nose. Although preferably not in that order!
 
mattyfez said:
I usually go to specsavers - they always have a buy a pair, get a pair free offer on.

I also get anti scratch and anti glare coatings on them.

The only way around the headphones issuer is to seek out a frame with really thin arms, but that might mean the fit a bit loose/insecurely... ...or get ear buds instead.
Click to expand...

This is where I went too.

No issue with glare or scratches and I wear headphones every day with no discomfort. OP - Take your headphones in with you when trying on frames if this is a concern.
 
Goose said:
I got my first ever pair of glasses yesterday (i'm 41) for reading and could use some advice from some long time glasses wearers.

The frames and lenses I got were both free on the NHS and as you can imagine they're the lowest quality items you can get, they're very plasticky, flimsy and with no coatings on the lenses. In the short time i've been wearing them i've discovered that they reflect absolutely everything to the point that seeing through them is quite unpleasant. I can also see every speck of dust that lands on them. I've been on glassesdirect.co.uk and spex4less.co.uk to see what they offer and they seem to offer a baffling array of different lenses and coatings with various names.

Another thing i've discovered is that wearing over ear headphones is going to be an issue. I bought some DT 700 Pro X's the other day and I found that the clamping force would make wearing the glasses quite uncomfortable after only 20 minutes or so. My old HyperX gaming headset is a lot more comfortable due to it's lower clamping force. I'm wondering if there specific types or frames that make wearing headphone less of an issue?

I spend most of my day looking at my computer screen and i'm hoping you guys could educate me on what lenses and coatings are actually worth getting and which ones to avoid? Are the the blue light filtering ones worth getting or do they adversely affect the colours on the monitor?

Thanks
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give it a few days for your eyes to get used to them .. it sounds like your eyes are trying to look at the lens instead of thru them .. yeah it's a thing .. wait till you need bifocals took me 2 weeks to get used to mine ..lol :)
 
Whenever I buy new glasses I tend to end up at Spec Savers. I dislike the buy one get one free thing they do because I'd rather just have one nice pair, and you are basically paying much higher prices for your set, which are inferior quality potentially. Having said that, if you pick up some designer ones it doesn't really matter. I wouldn't say there is any particular reason to go with any particular brand. It's literally always been looks for me. So go there with a female, ask which look good and suit your face shape. Try on. Buy.

I always get the lens thinning, where they basically make it as thin as possible whilst still magnifying to your prescription. This I will always pay for. Looks loads better, lighter, probably some other reason its better that I forgot about. Certain frames will benefit more from this than others as if you have a chunky frame, the thinning isn't going to be as noticeable anyway.

I also get the anti scratch and glare coatings because again, why not. I wear mine literally most days. I tend to wear contact lenses on days I'm going to be doing jobs, sports, outdoors a lot, want to wear shades a lot, swimming etc. When I'm on the computer for work most of a day, I will tend to use glasses because they are slightly sharper with less fatigue.

Dust and general filth...yeah get used to that. I wipe mine usually just with my shirt/top or anything close by when vision is becoming annoyingly affected. Mine are always filthy somehow. Just life.

Once you have your prescription you can really just shop anywhere. Obviously in an actual shop you get the support and fitment adjustment which is good to have to be fair.

Two main differences in glasses you should be aware of in terms of the way they sit on your nose. There are the frames with the old skool plastic pads, and then the frames where they don't really have pads but that part of the frame has been widened into a sort of flap/pad shape and it is literally just the plastic frame against your nose. A lot of people find the pads leave marks after a while, and hence prefer the frame contact point ones instead. Others you will find the pads grip better and hold them in position better. Worth trying a few.

In terms of the headphones thing...yeah different frames and headphone combos get affected by this in different amounts. I've generally never found it that much of a problem but on some tight clamping over ear ones it can be. Another thing you will live with in time. When you first wear glasses or contacts, things feel weird. In time you will look back and laugh at how fussy you were and how nicely you treated your glasses during the honeymoon part of your relationship. It won't be long before you leave her for another juicier pair, and generally treat her like ****. :)
 
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@op I appreciate that this info might not help you with the headphones issue, but I hope you find some of it useful.

I wore glasses for short sightedness during my teens and early 20s. Then I had laser surgery and ditched the glasses until long sightedness came along in my early 40s, so I now wear glasses again, but only for reading and VDU.

Gone are the days where I'd try on lots of glasses and get titanium frames with fancy lens coatings costing £400. I bought a cheap pair of glasses with plastic frames which had no lens coatings, from Specsavers, and they do the job perfectly. In fact, I often get comments about them looking good! The cost was about £70 to me, including prescription, but my employers contributed about £50 too.

Afterwards, and this is the first time I've ever done this, I took the data from my prescription, entered it onto a glasses website and bought another 2 pairs, one to have lying around the house and another for out in the garage where I don't care if they get oily etc. Again, I didn't bother with any lens coatings and the price was £35 delivered for both pairs in total.

It took about 3 weeks for them to be manufactured and shipped over from China, and I didn't have high hopes regarding quality, but it turns out that they're excellent quality, they fit perfectly and I'll be getting all if my glasses thus way moving forward.

A final note on the subject of glasses. Lens coatings IMO are a complete scam. Every optician who ever examined my eyes told me without hesitation that I needed anti glare coatings, which I duly paid for, but my current 3 pairs have no coatings and it makes zero difference whatsoever.

I was a bit apprehensive when I sat at my screen for the first time wearing my new glasses, half expecting a blinding pain as my retinas were burnt out, yet they're absolutely fine.

On a teams call I can see in the image of myself that the light is being reflected from my glasses much more than other people in the call who wear glasses, so it does make it harder for them to see my eyes due to the glinting, but doesn't affect my own vision at all.

So, the way forward for me is getting a prescription done with a local optician and then buying several cheap pairs online.
 
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teams calls those coatings that diminish reflections you see off front of others glasses, during calls, also reduce reflections of inner surface of glasses, equally if you meet people who wants to be the man with no eyes, unless that's your character.

if you only have single focus glasses then, yes, getting from china might be fine, but if you need varifocals the grinding on the inner and outer surfaces to provide a wide corridor without too much peripheral aberration, is less of a commodity.
 
jpaul said:
teams calls those coatings that diminish reflections you see off front of others glasses, during calls, also reduce reflections of inner surface of glasses, equally if you meet people who wants to be the man with no eyes, unless that's your character.

if you only have single focus glasses then, yes, getting from china might be fine, but if you need varifocals the grinding on the inner and outer surfaces to provide a wide corridor without too much peripheral aberration, is less of a commodity.
Click to expand...

I don't want to derail Op's thread with talk about coated lenses, so I'll create another thread.
 
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