Glasses question for older ns students

[notthereyet0]

For those of you that have approached the age of needing bi-focals, (yes, there seems to be quite a few of us here), maybe you can share your thoughts. Being severely nearsighted, I have probably put off getting bi-focals for awhile. When you were starting lab and clinicals did you find you should have got them or you were glad you did before you started? I am wondering if I should bite the bullet and get used to them before classes start...any thoughts?

[AtomicWoman]

As a glass wearer, I can tell you it's a great big pain in the you-know-what to have goggles on AND glasses. It's so darn bulky! But without my glasses, I can't see! I can't read the graduated cylinders. I can't read the lab manual... So I wear my glasses all the time to class. I don't wear bifocals, however. Because I am farsighted, I look over my glasses for the long-distance stuff and through the glasses for the close stuff. I tried progressives lenses once, but they made me sick to my stomach. I know the glasses make me look all of my 50 years, but darn, they are just too important! I once left my glasses home on the day of a test. When I looked at the test, everything was swimming on the page! I had to rummage through my knapsack for a pair of cheater glasses I had stashed there -- thank heavens!

[mommy2three2]

Although I am not older older, I have had bifocals since I was 18 as my eyes do not refocus correctly when switching from far to near vision. I opt for the semi-circular bifocals, they are hardly noticable when you lok at them and I had heard things about the progressive lenses giving people headaches and other difficulties. I wear my glasses when I am doing microscope work and it does make a difference when I am looking at something. When I took classes like Chem that required goggles, I would occasionally take them off once I got past the reading protocol part as you do get very sweaty under the goggles.

[AtomicWoman]

as you do get very sweaty under the goggles.

Especially when you are hot flashing, like me! :chuckle My professor last semester told me no one had ever given that as a reason for foggy goggles before! I guess he doesn't teach too many Coots! Fortunately, he was older than me, so I'll bet his wife has done her share of flashing, sweating, fogging...