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Discussion
I have a question on prescription changes
I have just had an eye test after deciding I need some new specs, my reading part of the varifocals I've had for the last 5 years is needing a little adjustment in my opinion, age related probably (I'm 61 now last prescription 5 years ago)
Old prescription
New prescription
Q
Is it feasible that the reading specifications can change from plus to minus on the prescription?
My recent test was in Portugal and my Portuguese ain't up to much and the opticians English wasn't up to much, I'm just wondering if she has put minus instead of plus on the prescription for the reading part?
Or am I concerned about nothing and everything looks fine?
Tia
I have just had an eye test after deciding I need some new specs, my reading part of the varifocals I've had for the last 5 years is needing a little adjustment in my opinion, age related probably (I'm 61 now last prescription 5 years ago)
Old prescription
New prescription
Q
Is it feasible that the reading specifications can change from plus to minus on the prescription?
My recent test was in Portugal and my Portuguese ain't up to much and the opticians English wasn't up to much, I'm just wondering if she has put minus instead of plus on the prescription for the reading part?
Or am I concerned about nothing and everything looks fine?
Tia
The prescriptions are written in two different ways.
The first one shows the reading prescription as a reading addition so you add this to the distance which gives
RE -1.25/-1.25x5 LE -0.75/-1.50x160 so you have +0.75 DS of change normally about 0.50DS is a noticeable change for most people.
Hope that helps
The first one shows the reading prescription as a reading addition so you add this to the distance which gives
RE -1.25/-1.25x5 LE -0.75/-1.50x160 so you have +0.75 DS of change normally about 0.50DS is a noticeable change for most people.
Hope that helps
Hi Helen I think it does help, thanks.
To be clear in my mind are you saying that the reading part of my prescription has changed from the last prescription by plus 0.75?
If so that's what I more or less expected and I can feel free to get some specs made to the new script when back in the UK
Thanks again
To be clear in my mind are you saying that the reading part of my prescription has changed from the last prescription by plus 0.75?
If so that's what I more or less expected and I can feel free to get some specs made to the new script when back in the UK
Thanks again
Yes that's it , if you are having varifocals made up even if the reading prescription is a fraction too strong it's not an issue as you'll find the right part of the lens too look through and the slight reduction in the distance prescription is quite normal. I'm guessing you wouldn't have just reading glasses made up as you would just read without glasses but you would probably find a reduced range with the new prescription so computer monitors etc wouldn't be as clear.
Digger said:
multifocal contact lenses - I cannot get my head around how you can use them to read & see in the distance at the same time! 
You can't, I've just sent them back!At least, I had zero success with the hard, gas permeable ones. They could be tempted into focus at almost any range but only for about 10% of the time and with specific effort. Useless for daily life when the other 90% of the time everything was out of focus.
The daily soft lenses with multifocus were equally hopeless in my case, because no correction of astigmatism.
At present I'm doing a final test-drive of two types of lens,
- Monthly soft lenses are working very well but need reading glasses over the top to cope with menus in dimly lit restaurants. These lenses are somewhat multifocal (less so than gas permeables) and do also correct for astigmatism. Pretty darned good.
- Daily soft lenses of fixed (distant) focus and also correcting for astigmatism. These too are pretty darned good but definitely need reading glasses for anything up close.
There's the advantage of so little faffing about with daily lenses and no fear of losing them.
Digger said:
Whilst you are here Helen & you appear to be an optician methinks?
Can you demystify how multifocal contact lenses work - I cannot get my head around how you can use them to read & see in the distance at the same time!
Yes I am,Can you demystify how multifocal contact lenses work - I cannot get my head around how you can use them to read & see in the distance at the same time!
They are pretty clever. Some designs use concentric circled of different lens powers now it is more common to have 2 designs generally one with the centre of the lens for distance and the edge corrected for reading and the other vice versa (although some manufacturers only do centre distance). They work by your brain selecting the right image for what you want to do. They don't work for everyone if you have small pupils you are only going to get vision through a limited part of the lens, and some people require top up reading specs for very small print. You also have astigmatism in your spec prescription (eye is more like a rugby ball in shape than a football) so you would need a toric multifocal lens to correct that, the orginal ones weren't very successful but the latest generation are a lot better. We have plenty of patients (me included wearing Bioinfinity Multifocal Torics). They usually take a bit more time to get exactly the right lens than just fitting a simple distance prescription and the patient has to adapt a bit more to make them work but for a lot of people especially established wearers who are keen to stay in lenses without the hassle of putting specs on top they can be a game changer. The other option is monovision where you correct the dominant eye for distance and the non dominant for reading and again the brain sorts it all out, works well for some.
HelenT said:
Digger said:
Whilst you are here Helen & you appear to be an optician methinks?
Can you demystify how multifocal contact lenses work - I cannot get my head around how you can use them to read & see in the distance at the same time!
Yes I am,Can you demystify how multifocal contact lenses work - I cannot get my head around how you can use them to read & see in the distance at the same time!
They are pretty clever. Some designs use concentric circled of different lens powers now it is more common to have 2 designs generally one with the centre of the lens for distance and the edge corrected for reading and the other vice versa (although some manufacturers only do centre distance). They work by your brain selecting the right image for what you want to do. They don't work for everyone if you have small pupils you are only going to get vision through a limited part of the lens, and some people require top up reading specs for very small print. You also have astigmatism in your spec prescription (eye is more like a rugby ball in shape than a football) so you would need a toric multifocal lens to correct that, the orginal ones weren't very successful but the latest generation are a lot better. We have plenty of patients (me included wearing Bioinfinity Multifocal Torics). They usually take a bit more time to get exactly the right lens than just fitting a simple distance prescription and the patient has to adapt a bit more to make them work but for a lot of people especially established wearers who are keen to stay in lenses without the hassle of putting specs on top they can be a game changer. The other option is monovision where you correct the dominant eye for distance and the non dominant for reading and again the brain sorts it all out, works well for some.
- Yep that is what I have & works reasonably well but takes getting used too in certain scenarios.On a related note my usual lenses for many years have been Acuview Oasys for Astygmatism 2 weeklies & they now have production issues so the Boots scheme i am on have put me on to their dailies (no extra charge) until production is resolved! - Any idea when this might be resolved?
Turn7 said:
OP - Sorry for the hijack..
Helen - quick Q...Essilor S series or X series ? Need new lens and cant decide if the X is worth more money
You can't buy S lenses anymore, they discontinued them about 2 or 3 years ago when they changed to X. I use loads and they're pretty good.Helen - quick Q...Essilor S series or X series ? Need new lens and cant decide if the X is worth more money
Personal preference is Hoya Mystyle which is currently morphing into Myself. lenses.
Digger said:
Thanks Helen - Yep that is what I have & works reasonably well but takes getting used too in certain scenarios.
On a related note my usual lenses for many years have been Acuview Oasys for Astygmatism 2 weeklies & they now have production issues so the Boots scheme i am on have put me on to their dailies (no extra charge) until production is resolved! - Any idea when this might be resolved?
Acuvue (J+J) and B+L and Alcon etc etc are all experiencing massive supply issues. It's a right royal pita. - Yep that is what I have & works reasonably well but takes getting used too in certain scenarios.On a related note my usual lenses for many years have been Acuview Oasys for Astygmatism 2 weeklies & they now have production issues so the Boots scheme i am on have put me on to their dailies (no extra charge) until production is resolved! - Any idea when this might be resolved?
When will it be resolved - who knows but not anytime soon!
DKL said:
Acuvue (J+J) and B+L and Alcon etc etc are all experiencing massive supply issues. It's a right royal pita.
When will it be resolved - who knows but not anytime soon!
Some of the J&J lenses I've tried to order are quoting mid January for delivery, and wouldn't trust that , also lots of solutions have issues too, it doesn't make life any easier. I tend to use Coopervision as first choice contact lenses as their website is the most user friendly and they don't seem too bad so far apart from the 20 working day lead time for extended range lenses (which I assume come from the US)When will it be resolved - who knows but not anytime soon!
ReverendCounter said:
Sorry got sidetracked by the Optics stuff, the time I found it hardest to keep a straight face was when an elderly gentleman told me he had complications after a cataract op and required a vasectomy!! (he meant capsulotomy where you get thickening around the new artificial lens).HelenT said:
Sorry got sidetracked by the Optics stuff, the time I found it hardest to keep a straight face was when an elderly gentleman told me he had complications after a cataract op and required a vasectomy!! (he meant capsulotomy where you get thickening around the new artificial lens).
Goodness...glad to hear he didn't flop the old feller out on the table and state, I need you to look at my eye...Sorry to bring to tone down.
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