Anybody else have trouble seeing close up?

[fletcher]

It's got to the point where I can't see close up even with reading glasses. I can't be the only old fart with tired eyes around here. What are you guys doing to be able to see what you're working on?

 

[RivennHewn]

I turned 47, and the next day my eyes went to ****!

*****.

 

[jrsulo]

46.....see great other then whats right in front of me....cant read a lable thats for sure !!!

 

[58Yeoman]

Try stronger lenses...I usually wear 1.50's, but use 2.0 for doing our crossword puzzles.

 

[930dreamer]

I thought I was going blind (wearing off the shelf readers) , had an eye exam and all I needed were reading glasses. Anything not in full light or in orange colors (atlas) screws me up. Still haven't filled the glasses prescription.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

interesting topic the OP chose for his very first post on this forum.

 

[fletcher]

Yeah, I keep trying stronger glasses but still there are those times when you're wrenching on something and you have to be right on top of it. That's when I have to tap out and let the kid do it if he's around. If he's not there it's touch and go and hope experience will carry me through.

 

[Orangestang]

I'm 44 and its getting harder to the small print on a medicine bottle I need full light, part of it could be from welding in my earlier years. My parents needed reading glasses in there 40's also.

 

[sam3]

oh heck yea, i have cheap cheaters stashed everywhere.

 

[sgrammel]

Relax guys, I discovered about 10 years ago (50 now) that companies are using smaller fonts on labels, magazines, newspapers, etc. There was some weird law passed (again, 10 years ago..when I was 40...weird) as part of some bi-partisan pork barrel thing...supposed to save money or something like that....

 

[Gary S]

I've always had the opposite problem. I can't see close up with my glasses on, so I take them off and then I can SEE.

 

[rburke65]

I just bought my first set of Brail sockets!

 

[Shadowdog500]

I've always had the opposite problem. I can't see close up with my glasses on, so I take them off and then I can SEE.

Same here, Just started a couple of years ago. I tell people that my eyes are getting better. Im actually going for an eye exam tomorrow, probably getting bifocals.

Chris

 

[BigAl62]

I've always had the opposite problem. I can't see close up with my glasses on, so I take them off and then I can SEE.

That's my problem too! Drives the wife nuts. I do need new glasses, but can't afford them right now, so I'll just keep lifting my glasses and putting stuff right up next to my face to read.

 

[fletcher]

Well Jag Fan, up until now I have been satisfied with the topics that everybody else chose to post. Recently though, I've really been struggling with the close up vision problem and I was hoping somebody knew of a good solution.

So far it doesn't look like anybody my age has posted. I'll be 60 before the ball drops in Time's Square again and the last couple of years things have really gotten bad. My dentist uses some king of glasses that have loupes built into them and I wonder if anybody has experience with those.

 

[Frank The Plumber]

I buy the 1.5 lenses for 10 bucks at the local Wahlgreens.

 

[uhohjim]

Bi focals here for my tig welding.........and occasionally reading lol.........gettin old *****

 

[tcianci]

You should see an eye doctor (no pun intended). Last time I was at the eye doctor he said all I needed was cheap reading glasses and I have pairs of them all over the place. He cautioned me about just getting stronger and stronger reading glasses though because the nature of these lenses is such that they introduce some distortion, straight lines look curved (which actually helps when watching skinny girls). Most of all, a good eye exam will tell you if there are any other conditions that need attention other than "My arms are too short".

 

[dladcock]

Happened to me when I turned 40. Have always been able to see microscopic ****. 52 now, and use readers, the eye Doc says I'm still good, just tasting the future.

I'm told that it's really a matter of how quickly the eyes focus as we get older. The muscles change and don't react as sharply as they do when we're younger.

The other thing is "Gettin' Old ain't for Sissy's". I forget who told me that.

 

[ThePenguin]

I not only have bifocals, but two years ago I also got a second pair of glasses for using at work (staring at two monitors). And a lot of the documentation is using smaller and smaller fonts. I blame it on all the damn 20 year olds that work at tech companies. And also people are using gray for fonts instead of black.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

I made it till 42 without glasses, funny I first noticed it working under my cars laying on the garage floor couldn't get my head far enough back to see clearly.
anyway I'm 61 now and up 2.75 on the readers, but i can see clear with them.

 

[tcsalvage]

have 1.5 everywhere and one set of 2.0 just in case. gettin old ain't for sissys my dad said was from katharine hepburn years ago.

 

[Mr_fixit]

Welcome to the mid 40's. If you're reading this and aren't that old yet, .. HA Ha! you will be. I use the $1.00 readers from Dollar tree. Got em everywhere.

Sometimes my arms aren't long enough, too.

 

[Andy Griffith]

I use safety glasses that have 1.5 readers in the lower part of the lens, or just regular reading glasses.

I really struggled today with some welding I was doing that had some close up and some medium distance welds on the same part. I was using an auto darkening helmet and was constantly tipping my head up to see through the readers or down to see over the readers. I was striking arcs everywhere but where I needed the weld to start.

 

[John in OH]

So far it doesn't look like anybody my age has posted. I'll be 60 before the ball drops in Time's Square again and the last couple of years things have really gotten bad. My dentist uses some king of glasses that have loupes built into them and I wonder if anybody has experience with those.

OK, I'll chip in a comment here since I'm 61. I've worn glasses for many years and now wear blended trifocals. Even with these lenses there are times I can't see close up and actually take off the glasses to see near details (I'm near-sighted). It's normal for one's eyesight to deteriorate as you grow older.

You've only got two eyes and you need to do your best to take care of them so if you've experienced a loss of eyesight in the last few years then you need to go to a GOOD optometrist or ophthalmologist and get a thorough eye exam. You loss of sight may just be due to aging and will be easy to correct ... or it could be a warning sign of a more serious eye problem.

Maybe a pair of off-the-shelf reading glasses will help, but regardless, regular eye exams are as important as regular health checkups or dental checkups. Ya need to have a pro keeping tabs on your body's performance just like you keep tabs on a fine engine's performance.

 

[dlc]

I have a reading glasses drawer like Fred Sanford had.

 

[Norcal]

My problem is opposite I can read just fine w/o glasses, but have trouble reading signs in the distance, & if wear my contacts, it's hard to focus on fine details so when I decide to wear only wear one. (The reason contacts instead of glasses is saw how my safety glasses got scratched & knew corrective lenses would not be any different). BTW am 51.

 

[BHR4CE1]

48 here and have just started noticing how short my arms really are. Went to an ophthalmologist and got the full course of tests done. Looks like 48 is my year to get readers. OH WELL! Getting old *****, but it sure beats the alternative!

 

[69f100]

im 16 and have trouble honestly. i do have glasses, and they help for distance, but up close. . .well im shizz out of luck.

 

[D.J.]

I think I was about 35 when I went from no glasses to bifocals and I feel these damned computer screens didn't help matters any at all.
I got my first computer in 1988 when I bought my first business and by 1992 I was fitted with glasses. I'm 54 in case anyone was wandering.
Just my $ .02

 

[balane]

I have a reading glasses drawer like Fred Sanford had.

And anybody who knows who Fred Sanford is most likely has reading glasses. Kind of a catch 22 there.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I don't need glasses for most things (reading newspaper, computer, etc), but I do have prescription reader. Yes, they help, but not for really small print. I complained last time I had my prescription renewed, but the doctor thought I was crazy (can you read the printing on the back of your credit cards ?)

I also have distance glass which I should wear when driving. I do wear my prescription polarized sunglasses during the day, but I frequently forget to put my driving glasses on at night (until I realize I can not read some street signs)

I do wish that the default font for computer bulletin boards had serifs like this.

 

[Torque1st]

I am near 60 and wear trifocals. I have had trifocals for 8 years. The prescription reading bifocals are too strong for the computer screen which is about arm's length. They were also miserable to try to wrench with. I also have astigmatism and something else near/far sighted. I just bought a new set of glasses. It was mi$erable to find trifocals in polycarbonate. Impact resistance is important to me. I just had an angle grinder disk blow up yesterday and a piece cut my right cheek under my eye. Eye surgery is fixing many of the simpler vision problems leaving complicated vision problems with presbyopia harder and more $$$ to get glasses for.

BTW, up until I hit about 35 I had 20:5 vision. I could count the leaves on a tree at 1/4 mile.

They make stick-on plastic reading lenses that can really help when working overhead.

I also have little magnifier loops like in my avatar and a set of lenses on a headband that go over my glasses.

 

[darkk]

I just bought my first set of Brail sockets!

Thats nothing, our banks drive up automobile window and ATM have braille on both! I'd like to see a blind guy drive up to use that! hahahaha!

I've been wearing perscription readers for about 10 years now. (64)

 

[sscustom]

i guess being 20 i dont have this problem maybe you can go get an eye test then they can prescibe you a beter pair of specs

 

[dittle fart around]

I'm 54 and have bifocals and tri-focal safety glasses. I was doing mostly overhead work and dropping screws all the time, then I got the tri-focals. When I'm welding in the garage its easier to use readers. Don't have tilt my head so much to find the right lens.

 

[Zeke]

You should see an eye doctor (no pun intended). Last time I was at the eye doctor he said all I needed was cheap reading glasses and I have pairs of them all over the place. He cautioned me about just getting stronger and stronger reading glasses though because the nature of these lenses is such that they introduce some distortion, straight lines look curved (which actually helps when watching skinny girls). Most of all, a good eye exam will tell you if there are any other conditions that need attention other than "My arms are too short".

I always wondered about the curved lines. I'm a carpenter by trade and looking at boards with readers on freaked me out for a year or so. You get used to it. I'm 66 and been using glasses for close work like welding (you can't weld worth a **** if you can't see) for the better part of 20 years. I finally went to the eye doc about 8 years ago. Turns out I need somewhere around 1.25 L and 1.5 R. They dial it in exactly along with any astigmatism.

The thing is, glasses have an optimal focal point, so I opted to have mine set at reading. I still use off-the-shelf glasses for really close work. And at the price of drug store glasses, I don't care how I treat them.

Not the case for the $180 ones!

 

[Jackfre]

I'm a first in the morning and last thing at night spec wearer for 57 years now. I have progressive bi-focals and over the years went from 1.5-2-2.5 and now at 3X magnification. I'll tell ya what will drive you nuts though is once you settle on a mag rating you will find that when in the garage doing close work you cannot get your head into position to be able to see what you need to see. Welding is a good example. i finally got a set with magnification on the top and bottom so I could see what I had to. Has worked well. This getting older is everything it is cracked up to be

 

[Mikie]

I absolutely have to wear my reading glasses while working on things up close, as well as reading. Funny thing is, outside in the sunlight I can read the tiniest print without the glasses. Something to do with natural vs. artificial lighting. My eyes know the difference!

 

[machine_punk]

I remember my dad used to have trifocals...but not the normal set. He repaired bank equipment and was routinely working on stuff 'above his head,' so he had a pair of glasses made with the normal 'bifocal' lense at the bottom AND at the top...so he could see things close up when glancing at things he was repairing above his head.