Glasses(?)

[heather717]

Advice needed: how do you manage your bifocals at work? Do you wear them around your neck (dislike glasses dangling from my neck) or otherwise? And how do you handle them in isolation rooms?

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

I wear multifocal contacts.

I've worn contacts for decades, and then the 40s creeped up on me and I needed reading glasses. I tried doing the monovision thing (wearing one contact for long distance and one contact for reading distance) but my brain just couldn't adjust.

Then last year a new eye doc told me about multifocal lenses.... I popped some in, and was able to read the small print on the contact box! I probably looked like a huge dork to the doctor, saying, "OMG, I can actually read it!"

I got the next "size" up this year (moved from a +1 to a +2) and it's going great.

[lepew]

I agree. I wear multi focal contacts also. Same story as brillohead above. 56 now - still wearing them and love it

[Kitiger, RN]

I'm confused; why would you take bifocals off? When you want to read fine print, you look through the lower part of the lens. When you want to see distance, you look through the upper part of the lens.

Were you referring to reading glasses? They only help with near vision, and actually distort the far vision.

I got reading glasses when I was 24, as I couldn't see the tiny boxes on the cardiac rhythm strips. It was a mess, as I would forget to switch back to my regular glasses when I jumped up to answer a call light. Halfway down the hallway, I'd realize that I couldn't focus on anything except close-up.

I got bifocals a month later, and that stopped the rhythm strip problem. But I do wish someone had warned me about driving the first time. I got into the car and looked out the window, and everything looked fine. Then I looked at the dashboard, and I jumped back! The dashboard was so close to my face! Or, so it seemed. I wasn't used to seeing the dials so clearly!

So this is how the other half lives ...

I wore bifocals until I was in my 40s, then switched to trifocals. The bottom part is for reading. The middle of the lens is for computer work and anything from an arm's length to about 5 feet. the top is for everything else. They help a lot, except when I'm standing next to someone taller then me. Since I have to look up to see him, I end up looking through the top of the trifocals, and I can't focus on his face; he is too near to me.

[heather717]

They aren't true bifocals I guess; the top is magnified too. I don't need them all the time and I get headaches if I wear them for anything but reading or looking at wound measurements.

[Wuzzie]

I wear mine perched on the end of my nose and look over the tops. I am mercilessly teased about this but it works for me.

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I wear progressive lens glasses. No contacts at work as i like having my glasses as a first line splatter shield.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

My readers are worn as a fashionable headband. I have oodles of them from the Dollar Store- alcohol them off as needed, and don't fret if they get broken. I can bring them down to look through or put them back up with the back of my hand.

[AutumnApple]

I wear progressive lens glasses. No contacts at work as i like having my glasses as a first line splatter shield.

I have progressive lenses as well and absolutely love them.

Now, if only I could get my boss to believe my story that I need a seeing eye cat to function at work..............

I had so many patients who wanted to meet Mumphries.

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

I have to wear glasses all the time because I'm near sighted. It gets annoying because they sometimes slide down my nose, but otherwise they stay on. I've never tried contacts because they are expensive.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

I've had trifocals since nursing school. I had to have my single vision glasses on to see the blackboard and take them off to see the book on my desk. Trifocals are awesome. 15 years later I usually have a pair of cheap readers with me for while I chart because it makes the computer time seem easier on my eyes.

I don't like contacts for work because I want the eyeglass protection. I've had stuff splash up on my glasses and was glad they were there to protect my eyes.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Did you get them from your ophthalmologist? They sound like drug store cheaters