Reading/Distance Glasses – Understanding the Numbers

[Belly]

I’ve just bought two pairs of glasses on line. I ordered one pair of reading the second pair for distance. The Boots prescription dated 4 Dec 20.


I used the same numbers from the prescription for both pairs with the reading addition of +2 for each eye.


When the glasses arrived the distance glasses were perfect but the reading glasses were well out (both left and right eye).


I’ve sent the reading glasses back and asked them to replace them with distance glasses.


I would have thought that the reading glasses would use the same numbers for the distance but then just add a magnification, therefore if the reading glasses are wrong so would be the distance glasses. Is that correct?

It’s strange that one pair is correct, the other not so.


Any advice would be welcome.


Merry Christmas to everyone.

 

[pepp77]

Any help - https://www.verywellhealth.com/eyeglass-prescriptions-3421911

 

[LeeUK]

No help but I've had to wear glasses all my life for distance and every pair I've had they have never been 100% spot on in both eyes.

 

[Belly]

I'd have thought a prescription would be like laminations. 1st lamination would be the distance figures and 2nd lamination reading. If the distance glasses were correct the only problem with reading would be they were too strong or too weak but they wouldn't be blurred?

I had already phoned the company a few days ago and sent the reading glasses back asking them to replace the lenses with distance lenses which are perfect. But it was still niggling me so after posting this thread I phoned them again and spoke to a different person. The lady said that I'd entered two prescriptions, one with and one without the reading addition but had ordered both as distance glasses. I'll accept that I made a mistake but no way under the sun had the two sets of glasses the same lenses. If they were both distance I'd have accepted them but they were definately NOT the same. Thanks for your input. Hopefully they will sort it out.

 

[DXP55]

I bought two pair of distance glasses from Specsavers - One pair plain glass - second pair sunglasses with Polerized lenses and scratch resistant
Plain pair were perfect but sungasses never felt right - Slight blur in distance - never wore them. -should really have taken them back but couldn't be assed.
The only thing I have noticed is distance lenses are thinner than reading - looking at my old ones now I can't believe they were that thin at start of weareing glasses.

 

[Graetzbridge]

I'm new here so forgive me if I have repeated the topics here.

Like others here, I have have had spectacles for most of my life. Reading glasses and varifocals - until a couple of years ago. I'd didn't realise just badly my eves had deteriorated. Then I got cataract surgery. Amazing.
If anyone else here is considering that, I hope they get they also get same pleasure.

 

[Indigo]

I worked for Specsavers for 11 years so may be able to help a little.

When you say the reading glasses feel wrong in what way are you struggling with them? They do have limitations particularly as the addition increases (focal length or lack of rather) and they are naturally specific to purpose and no good for anything else.

 

[Indigo]

I bought two pair of distance glasses from Specsavers - One pair plain glass - second pair sunglasses with Polerized lenses and scratch resistant
Plain pair were perfect but sungasses never felt right - Slight blur in distance - never wore them. -should really have taken them back but couldn't be assed.
The only thing I have noticed is distance lenses are thinner than reading - looking at my old ones now I can't believe they were that thin at start of weareing glasses.

In what way did the sunglasses not feel right? And were they a bigger frame? There are reasons sometimes why sunglasses may not be quite as good as your usual glasses but these things should be considered by the dispenser when they are sold to you.

Happy to be more specific if you can let me know the main issue and the size of the frames / lenses compared to your everyday glasses.

 

[DXP55]

This was about 4 yrs ago now so not bothered - Sun glasses were slightly smaller frames and as said above the distance seemed blured also felt lopsided. Hard to explain but thats in the past -Got new driving glasses from optician with bendy frames and cost arm and a leg but I can take them back anytime.
I need a dark lens for a pair of Pila Panther post sport glasses - three press stud but at £150 I will get a pair of ordinary sun glasses from optician.

 

[Diddums]

+2 eyesight is nothing to be sneered at, that's usually endgame stuff. If you gain rep with the NPC at the Chapel Of Specsavers he might be able to enchant them with +1 eyesight too.

 

[Belly]

I worked for Specsavers for 11 years so may be able to help a little.

When you say the reading glasses feel wrong in what way are you struggling with them? They do have limitations particularly as the addition increases (focal length or lack of rather) and they are naturally specific to purpose and no good for anything else.

Well, the company is now saying that they sent me two pairs of distance glasses (my error) when I thought I'd ordered one distance and one reading.

Both frames are the same size with the exception of one pair has a slightly larger lens (bridge and total width the same).

When they arrived I tried one pair on, I could tell they were distance and were perfect, if I tried to read with them, I struggled but they were NOT blurred, just too weak. I tried the second pair (which I assumed were reading), at a far distance they were OK, but unlike the others everything within arms distance was blurred, closing one eye and then the other, they were still blurred.

Thus far I've been able to wear a pair of distance glasses with a gorilla grip around my neck and go about my daily activities, if I go to the bank etc, I've been able to read most script, the same in a supermarket. The optician stated that I needed distance glasses for driving and I intended to place one pair in the car. Certainly the first pair I'd tried on would have sufficed, I'd have been able to see the traffic and car controls, with the second pair I'd have been able to see the traffic but the controls, internal mirror etc would have been blurred, as such they would have been too dangerous to use for driving.

 

[Indigo]

Well, the company is now saying that they sent me two pairs of distance glasses (my error) when I thought I'd ordered one distance and one reading.

Both frames are the same size with the exception of one pair has a slightly larger lens (bridge and total width the same).

When they arrived I tried one pair on, I could tell they were distance and were perfect, if I tried to read with them, I struggled but they were NOT blurred, just too weak. I tried the second pair (which I assumed were reading), at a far distance they were OK, but unlike the others everything within arms distance was blurred, closing one eye and then the other, they were still blurred.

Thus far I've been able to wear a pair of distance glasses with a gorilla grip around my neck and go about my daily activities, if I go to the bank etc, I've been able to read most script, the same in a supermarket. The optician stated that I needed distance glasses for driving and I intended to place one pair in the car. Certainly the first pair I'd tried on would have sufficed, I'd have been able to see the traffic and car controls, with the second pair I'd have been able to see the traffic but the controls, internal mirror etc would have been blurred, as such they would have been too dangerous to use for driving.

Well even if they sent you two pairs of distance in this case both of them should offer the same vision so even with your 'mistake' they still don't seem to have made one of the pairs correctly sadly.

I wojld mention wanting to have them sent back and checked for faults. I'd be inclined to ask ghem for the focimeter readings too and I'll check them against expected tolerances if you like.

 

[Belly]

Well even if they sent you two pairs of distance in this case both of them should offer the same vision so even with your 'mistake' they still don't seem to have made one of the pairs correctly sadly.

I would mention wanting to have them sent back and checked for faults. I'd be inclined to ask them for the focimeter readings too and I'll check them against expected tolerances if you like.

Thank you

Yes I thought that if they were supposed to be the same they must have made a mistake. Originally when I phoned the 1st lady didn't say that I'd opted for two pairs of distance. We agreed that I'd send back the "incorrect pair" which I thought were reading and have them replaced with the "perfect" distance ones.

Then, after starting this post and thinking they might have made a mistake, I phoned them and the 2nd lady said that I'd made a mistake. I told her that the "incorrect" pair were NOT the same as the "perfect" pair. We agreed that although I'd opted for an exchange from what I believed to be reading to distance she would change that decision and send me a pair of reading glasses with the correct prescription. So hopefully they will sort it out. This morning I received an email from them stating that they had received the second pair back in the post.

Thanks for your helpful assistance.

 

[jpaul]

Well even if they sent you two pairs of distance in this case both of them should offer the same vision so even with your 'mistake' they still don't seem to have made one of the pairs correctly sadly.

I thought what he was saying - when he ordered his reading glasses he specified them as distance glasses, and nonetheless provided their correct reading prescription.
ie he added the '+2' near adjust to the distance prescription.

even though he made that error, if they managed to accomodate that prescription in their distance lense, it should still work as a reading pair.

The Boots prescription dated 4 Dec 20.

did you, subsequently, send a photo of that prescription to them, so they can confirm you had interpreted it correctly ?

Unless they are making the new glasses up to a different prescription, I don't see the new pair will be any less blurry,

 

[SexyGreyFox]

I've had a couple of threads on here about reading glasses.
Specsavers always get my reading prescription as 1.75 and 2.0 which are no good for me in front of a PC.
The last time I went I asked her if I could hold a card up in front of me and she got it to 1.0 and 1.25 but said she couldn't put that on my prescription because it wasn't how they test.
I ended up going on the Jungle in South America and buying Doovic 1.25 reading specs and they are perfect.

Another way to test for reading is go into Boots or anywhere that has a rack of reading glasses, stand the distance away that you will be doing your thing and go through the glasses.

 

[Indigo]

I've had a couple of threads on here about reading glasses.
Specsavers always get my reading prescription as 1.75 and 2.0 which are no good for me in front of a PC.
The last time I went I asked her if I could hold a card up in front of me and she got it to 1.0 and 1.25 but said she couldn't put that on my prescription because it wasn't how they test.
I ended up going on the Jungle in South America and buying Doovic 1.25 reading specs and they are perfect.

Another way to test for reading is go into Boots or anywhere that has a rack of reading glasses, stand the distance away that you will be doing your thing and go through the glasses.

My massive irritation with stuck in their ways Opticians was the constant issues with reading distance.

It mostly comes from typical reading distance which is apparently 30cm. They seem to ignore thenfact that computer use isnas often as it is and do ehat they like. Admittedly it's not all of them but it's definitely most based on the ones I've worked with. I'm rather happy I must say I don't work in that industry anymore.

 

[Azza]

I've had a couple of threads on here about reading glasses.
Specsavers always get my reading prescription as 1.75 and 2.0 which are no good for me in front of a PC.
The last time I went I asked her if I could hold a card up in front of me and she got it to 1.0 and 1.25 but said she couldn't put that on my prescription because it wasn't how they test.
I ended up going on the Jungle in South America and buying Doovic 1.25 reading specs and they are perfect.

Another way to test for reading is go into Boots or anywhere that has a rack of reading glasses, stand the distance away that you will be doing your thing and go through the glasses.

They should definitely do a prescription just for VDU/DSE use and you'd get a reimbursement for DSE specific glasses from work.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

My massive irritation with stuck in their ways Opticians was the constant issues with reading distance.

It mostly comes from typical reading distance which is apparently 30cm. They seem to ignore thenfact that computer use isnas often as it is and do ehat they like. Admittedly it's not all of them but it's definitely most based on the ones I've worked with. I'm rather happy I must say I don't work in that industry anymore.

They should definitely do a prescription just for VDU/DSE use and you'd get a reimbursement for DSE specific glasses from work.

The last time I posted about this I got the impression nobody believed me.
I also couldn't get any High Street shop to make glasses with my own lenses in all saying they could only go off the prescription so that's why I tried Goggles4U
and now my favourite readers are these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085Q43K8Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Indigo]

The last time I posted about this I got the impression nobody believed me.
I also couldn't get any High Street shop to make glasses with my own lenses in all saying they could only go off the prescription so that's why I tried Goggles4U
and now my favourite readers are these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085Q43K8Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are correct in that they can only go based off the prescription given. Online they should too but they rely on you giving the information rather than them seeing a copy.

As Azza mentioned they should (once an add reaches a certain range at least) give both a reading addition and an intermediate addition.

The focal length of a reading addition reduces the stronger it gets. Can be worked out simply though. 1 divided by the addition gives you the focal length in metres.