Bifocals or Trifocals for Welding?

[Wamsutta]

Bifocals or Trifocals for Welding ?

I see the eye doctor on the 17th. Wish I knew what to ask for. Right now I'm nearsighted with separate single vision eyeglasses; one for reading and one for distance. I was welding this morning with my reading glasses on. I could see the weld pool just fine, but when I lift my hood up to look across the shop, I can't see anything clearly unless I take them off.

 

[MattT]

Maybe a cheater lens would be the better way to go. Bi-focals are only going to work when you're looking down on the weld.

 

[Robby321]

Get magnifying lens for the helmet...

 

[rmack898]

I use both. I wear bi-focals and have a cheater in my hood.

If I didn't have both, I wouldn't be able to see the puddle at all. After a very short time, you naturally tilt your head to the correct angle to see out of the bi-focals.

 

[56rpm]

On my daily glasses I use bifocals, but couldn't see worth a darn cause I wasn't liking thru them to weld. I just got a cheater lens to use, which is outstanding. If you're set on using glasses, have a single vision pair made with only your bifocal prescription.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

For welding I use a single vision and have bifocals as well. I got the nearsighted portion on top of the lens. It means people think I'm looking down my nose at them, and in some cases it's true. I have regular bifocals for everyday use.

 

[txvwnut]

I use bi-focals, I tired a cheater lense(s) and could never get my eye to focus through them.

 

[royce]

I run progressive lenses and a 3.00 cheater.
It would be nice to have a prescription for the right focal length, but I would not care for not being able to see when the hood is up.
Having to change glasses would be a deal breaker for me.

Royce

 

[danielbuck]

I have a set of cheap cheaters that I use under the helmet. Not because I can't see close up (I'm a bit near sighted, one eye won't focus out beyond 12 feet or so), but I use them because it just makes things easier to see, and larger. Particularly with TIG welding, where you have time to sit down and make a good weld and where small distances matter. I use them for MIG as well, but not every time.

 

[bugnut]

This is going to sound silly, but it works for me. Put your glasses on upside down, with the magnifying lenses at the top. I have gone to a cheater lens in the hood, but before I did that the upside down made it work. Also works for when you can't get your head in the correct position to see through the magnifying part of you lenses.

 

[Wamsutta]

bugnut --- that makes perfect sense, especially for vertical welds. I can feel my neck getting sore already from the thought of having to tilt my head back all the time to use regular bi-focals with the magnifying part on the lower half.

I was poking around on some weld forums and one guy said the perfect setup for him was to have three sections: The lower half magnified, the center part unmagnified, and the upper half magnified again. Interesting.

 

[backwoods96]

They call them double -d glass's - Also work great for working under dash or any overhead work ------------

 

[Wamsutta]

backwoods96 --- are you referring to the three sections with the magnifying part on top and bottom and then regular clear in the middle?

 

[GaryM909]

bugnut --- that makes perfect sense, especially for vertical welds. I can feel my neck getting sore already from the thought of having to tilt my head back all the time to use regular bi-focals with the magnifying part on the lower half.

I was poking around on some weld forums and one guy said the perfect setup for him was to have three sections: The lower half magnified, the center part unmagnified, and the upper half magnified again. Interesting.

I friend of mine did that about 20 years ago. He had bifocals and then had trifocals made. Same prescription at the bottom as at the top. Different perception in the middle. He said it worked great for flat and overhead welds but I am not sure what he did when looking straight on.
Myself I tried prescription safety glasses and they didn't work for me. I like a cheater lense with a solid #9 for welding outside and a # 10 for inside and if that gets a bit bright I change from a clear safety glass to a light tinted one.

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

They call them double -d glass's - Also work great for working under dash or any overhead work ------------

I'm an optometrist. I also have a little welding experience.

What works the best for one person will be completely different for another. It depends entirely on 3 things:
1. Your prescription (both for distance, and the "add" for near)
2. Your working distance (How far away your eyeball is from the weld pool)
3. The position of the work (below you? above you? etc)

My advice would be to measure your typical working distance before going to your optometrist, then let them know your concerns.

The thing to remember about glasses is that they are constant. i.e. Through one prescription, glasses will put things in focus for one specific distance; that's why you can't see far distances out of your readers. (FYI, to your optometrist, anything beyond arm's reach is considered "optical infinity," or far)

If you're looking for one pair of glasses to meet all your needs, your best bet is a PROGRESSIVE LENS (blended bifocal). You will get distance vision out of the top of the specs, near vision through the bottom of the specs, and a small area of intermediate distance (like computer or dashboard) through the middle. Keep in mind that each portion of the lens will only be clear at once specific distance, so head positioning is key. You must force yourself to wear your progressives all day, every day for 2 weeks while you adapt and teach yourself where the "sweet spots" are in your new glasses. Also note that progressives will cause peripheral distortion: you can't read out of the sides of them, the ground will seem closer than it is, and you have to remember to point your nose at what you're reading/welding so that you look through the middle of the bottom portion of the lens.

Double D's are fun , and a great solution for people who need to do near work over their heads. (They are bifocals on top AND bottom of your lens, with the distance portion in the center.)

I hope this helps!

 

[danski0224]

Can those "double D's" be made in ANSI safety glasses?

I never heard of them before, and they sound perfect.

 

[RustFarmer]

Can those "double D's" be made in ANSI safety glasses?

Three parties involved here.

Lens Manufacturer (makes a big round lens w/ the prescription ground in)
Optical Lab (cuts big round lens down to fit into eyeglass frame)
Optometrist (where you go because first two don't want to deal with you. like me going to a HVAC supply house)

I. F. Optical on Touhy in Chicago is a Lab that sells to the public. They have made several pairs of bifocals for me, I recommend them, they can get any lens made.

Phillips Safety of New Jersey makes all kinds of safety lenses. They should have double D safety lenses. I think Phillips and RX-safety are the same. RX-Safety will sell you mail order safety bifocals, but I feel it is important to have a local optometrist measure where the magnifying portion is placed in the lens based on how the frames sit on your face.

I think I. F. optical could get double d lenses from Phillips and put them in a frame for you.

https://www.facebook.com/IfOptical/

http://www.phillips-safety.com/

http://www.rx-safety.com/

 

[Wamsutta]

I'm an optometrist. I also have a little welding experience.

What works the best for one person will be completely different for another. It depends entirely on 3 things:
1. Your prescription (both for distance, and the "add" for near)
2. Your working distance (How far away your eyeball is from the weld pool)
3. The position of the work (below you? above you? etc)

My advice would be to measure your typical working distance before going to your optometrist, then let them know your concerns.

The thing to remember about glasses is that they are constant. i.e. Through one prescription, glasses will put things in focus for one specific distance; that's why you can't see far distances out of your readers. (FYI, to your optometrist, anything beyond arm's reach is considered "optical infinity," or far)

If you're looking for one pair of glasses to meet all your needs, your best bet is a PROGRESSIVE LENS (blended bifocal). You will get distance vision out of the top of the specs, near vision through the bottom of the specs, and a small area of intermediate distance (like computer or dashboard) through the middle. Keep in mind that each portion of the lens will only be clear at once specific distance, so head positioning is key. You must force yourself to wear your progressives all day, every day for 2 weeks while you adapt and teach yourself where the "sweet spots" are in your new glasses. Also note that progressives will cause peripheral distortion: you can't read out of the sides of them, the ground will seem closer than it is, and you have to remember to point your nose at what you're reading/welding so that you look through the middle of the bottom portion of the lens.

Double D's are fun , and a great solution for people who need to do near work over their heads. (They are bifocals on top AND bottom of your lens, with the distance portion in the center.)

I hope this helps!

SHAKEnBLAKE --- Thanks a million!

One question: Do you think the lenses for bi-focals or tri-focals need to be a larger physical size than single vision lenses? If I chose the same size as I always get; which are pretty small rectangles at 1-7/8" X 1-1/4" --- they'd be dividing that little bitty real-estate into two or three sections.

 

[ttpete]

I have a pair of progressives that were made for reading and computer use. They focus from very close out to about 6 feet. There's no distance correction at all. I wear them around the house and for general shop use. Outside, I wear another pair with regular correction.

 

[greenlizard]

These are my 70’s inspired welding glasses. The lenses are ground with an extra reading script near the top. This makes welding overhead much, much easier as I can see what I’m doing. Also great for working under a car where I have to focus on something over my head. The lenses are bottom of the line with no extras, no coatings, no nothing. They are around $120 including the Italian frames.

 

[James-W]

I wear bifocals. When I weld, which isn't all that often these days, I have a pair of glasses that have just the bottom part so that the whole lens lets me see what I am doing. Works great for close up work but then I have to switch back to my bifocals as soon as I am done welding.

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

SHAKEnBLAKE --- Thanks a million!

One question: Do you think the lenses for bi-focals or tri-focals need to be a larger physical size than single vision lenses? If I chose the same size as I always get; which are pretty small rectangles at 1-7/8" X 1-1/4" --- they'd be dividing that little bitty real-estate into two or three sections.

Generally, it is a good idea to go a tad larger to allow yourself more real-estate. Most current styles are large enough for a bifocal, which was not necessarily the case 10-20 years ago when the styles were much smaller. Your optometrist office/ optician should let you know if you're going too small for the lens you need. A larger lens also protects your eyes and the surrounding tissue better from debris, UV, etc.

I have a pair of progressives that were made for reading and computer use. They focus from very close out to about 6 feet. There's no distance correction at all. I wear them around the house and for general shop use. Outside, I wear another pair with regular correction.

That sounds like what they call an office lens/occupational lens/OPL. Pretty handy if you're spending long periods of time doing near work, but need a different power for different distances, e.g. computer vs paperwork. Generally I wouldn't expect you to be able to see clearly as far as 6 ft away. I tell patients "these lenses stay at your desk."

On the topic of double D's, yes you can get them in ANSI approved polycarbonate, as these lenses were designed for electricians, welders, mechanics and the like.

 

[Mikeske]

My advise is to tell the eye doctor exactly what you are having issues and what you do. I was a aviation mechanic for 40 plus years and when I was 35-40 years old I told the eye doctor I was having difficulty seeing small print over my head. It led to him asking detailed questions to how I use my glasses and what I wanted to see clearly. He came up with something that worked great for me and I always say the same thing for others. A clear and concise discussion with your eye doctor always will do more for what you need to do what you want then any of us internet doctors.

 

[BD1]

Before you spend the big $$$$ , go to like Walgreens or even costco and checkout their cheap reading glasses. You may find what you need at a fraction of the cost and are cheap throwaways . I hate when you get the first grinding sparks on the lens. Even with a face shield they get in there.

 

[Copymutt]

At age 30, 40 yrs. ago my optometrist had me in bifocals. First split lens then even worse in progressives. They are extremely dangerous going down stairs.
For welding I slip on 2X cheaters. Even more helpful is a clamp on spot light on your torch (assuming mig/tig). The spot opens up a whole world of intricacy about what your wire is doing.

 

[danski0224]

At age 30, 40 yrs. ago my optometrist had me in bifocals. First split lens then even worse in progressives. They are extremely dangerous going down stairs.

Yes, progressives are weird at first. It took a couple of days to adjust to them. Now, it comes automatically. I would assume that you have adjusted by now

I found no-line bifocals to be just about worthless. There was a big swath of blur in the middle of the lens, I suspect that the traditional lined style would be better, but I haven't tried them.

I still need to get a set of intermediate vision lenses only for welding. Getting glasses has been a PITA with the whole COVID thing.

 

[steel 35]

This is going to sound silly, but it works for me. Put your glasses on upside down, with the magnifying lenses at the top. I have gone to a cheater lens in the hood, but before I did that the upside down made it work. Also works for when you can't get your head in the correct position to see through the magnifying part of you lenses.

That sounds as silly as having the bifocal cut in the middle of the cheap second pair

Yep the cheater & no glasses, Really helps on reflections, No light behind the hood is better yet.

 

[BORING HOP YARD]

I had a conversation with my optometrist 6 - 7 years ago and got a prescription for my welding glasses. The Doctor had me get into the position I would be in when I'm welding and he measured the distance. I had safety glasses with side shields made with the prescription and they work great. I only use them for welding.

 

[joe49]

Neither, cheater lens or glasses at as need strength.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Talk to your eye doctor and get him to prescribe a lens for you and use an old set of frames and get out for less than $50 for single vision lens. I also have a pair for computer use that keep me from bobbing my head up and down to read the screen. The extra UV protection of the glasses is a help to keep you from getting flashed .

 

[493mike]

I'm reading this thread while wearing the all bifocal/corrected for my astigmatism glasses. Cost me $70.00 a couple years ago. I love them! I'm getting a second pair so I don't have to tote them back and forth to the garage. One extra welding benefit is not burning my neck tilting my head back to use the bifocal section!
Mike

 

[ducksface]

I didn't read the thread but I do have a solution. So if this is redundant, sorry.
I used to use three per eye when doing underwater archeological digs. My eyes never really worked consistently underwater. Sometimes my corrections were 3.5 sometimes I couldnt wear my prescription mask and saw perfectly. I'm finding similar with welding.

One would be perfect for the inside of a welding lens.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JP91L2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Bodj Built]

I'm 28 years old with pretty good eyes. I don't wear glasses (although I am very slightly nearsighted), and I still use a cheater lens in my hood. Helps an incredible amount. Cheater lens and new hood lens is the best thing ever haha

 

[KenC]

Another vote for progressive bifocals. I've worn them for 35+years. When I first needed reading glasses I started with them, no correction in the top just reading in the bottom. Did that because I didn't want to keep taking them on and off in the office.

So, the adjustment for me is now automatic. That near - far - and a small intermediate area works fine and easily. But not everyone likes them, really a personal thing.