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Ok, so I've gotten to the point where I can't see the music anymore (at least I can still hear it! )

I currently wear progressive lenses, which are great for general all-around vision, but the focal spot for reading is way down at the bottom of the lens, forcing me to raise my head way up to see the music on the stand.

I'm going to visit my optometrist on Saturday, in hopes of getting this squared away, once and for all.

Any suggestions?

I had single vision lenses made just for computer/work/music.

roweenie wrote:Any suggestions?

Don't miss your optometrist appointment.

Might be overkill, but it wouldn't hurt to show up with a measurement, taken from eye to music. Just thinking non-musicians might confuse this with ordinary reading distance, when it's probably twice as far.

A friend suggested I go with my horn and a music stand, and since I'll be going there after a gig, this will be no problem.

The "executive" lenses sound like a great idea, thanks elephant. I hadn't ever heard of those. Simple readers won't work for me, my distance vision is pretty bad

Has anyone tried contact lenses with reading glasses? That may be the cheapest solution......if it works.

I have a pair of "Mid Range" glasses. They allow reading at a farther point (about 2.5 feet) than regular reading glasses. Also the director of my group is very tall and keeps the music fairly low. He went to a specialist and got glasses that focus about 4 feet in front of him. Anything can be done it's just a matter of finding the right person and of course $$$.

Three Valves wrote:I had single vision lenses made just for computer/work/music.

I have the same issue and that's been my solution as well!!

ren wrote: I cant do single vision since I wouldnt be able to see the conductor.

It's all cool they're just a bit out of focus.

As a progressive wearer, decent quality readers has been the best solution I've come up with.

The "executive" lenses are a very good solution. Wish I could still get them here in Oz.

Tampaworth wrote:As a progressive wearer, decent quality readers has been the best solution I've come up with.

So, do you wear your progressives and reading glasses at the same time? You're not being very clear (I say this because I recall there were times that my grandmother wore two different pairs of glasses, simultaneously.... )

Strangely enough (even though I wear progressives), when I read (or do any other close-in work, such as tuba-construction-type stuff) I take off my eyeglasses and hold the book (or work, as the case may be) about 6 to 12" from my face.

I will ask my optometrist about executive lenses, maybe something like 1/3 distance and 2/3 reading. He is in Manhattan, so I've got to assume he'll have access to them (?)

The question of contact lenses and reading glasses is still on the table. If that were to work, it would be the least expensive solution.....

I started out with a pair of glasses with lenses prescribed for the distance from my eyes to the music stand - yes take music/stand with you. This was great for reading the music, but the conductor was blurry - the further away, the greater the difficulty seeing the stick.

Then I tried glasses like the “executives” being mentioned here- basically large bifocal in the center prescribed for intermediate distance to the music and distance at the top of the lens. Music was clear and conductor clear. This has worked great and is what I use the most now.

Recently, I tried distance only contact lenses (not multifocal, which did not work for me) which worked fine with reading glasses - +2.00 for reading and +1.25 for music.

You don't need to count the hangnails on the conductor's hand to see him wave tempo suggestions. I am very nearsighted and of course now that I am older, I also can't read if it's too close without corrective lenses. I have a pair of single prescription "Music glasses" I leave in my gigbag and switch glasses before and after playing. With my music glasses I can see the entire page(s) of music on the stand without moving my head and see the slightly blurry guy at the front of the band with a self important stick, wave in the air. Take a music stand and some music to the optometrist when you get your eye exam to show exactly what you need. Your eyes, your dollars paying for the exam.

Music reading glasses are the answer, and they are worth every penny. Most optomotrists even have a laminated piece of sheet music handy for you to look at during your eye exam to help come up with the right prescription.
If you have to play in the dark with a battery-powered stand light try to avoid the kind with blue-ish light. It's hard to focus blue.

Big +1

I have problems with astigmatism, so I get a great deal of extra comfort from bifocals. I have tried progressive lenses, and find the reading area too small: I have to keep moving my head to get the reading spot in the right position, which doesn't work too well with a tuba on the front of my face. Some years ago I followed TNFJ advice (from the Elephant I think, but the search facility can't seem to find that thread now) and got a pair of executive lenses. You need to ask the dispensing optician to set the dividing line on the lenses just level with the top of your pupil, so you can see the whole of the music page in the intermediate focus area, and get the conductor in focus with just a slight upward glance. This works best if you set your stand height so the join in the lens aligns with top of the page, which should allow you to read the whole page, or glance up at the stick, without moving your head. Whoever it was who published the original recipe: THANK YOU, these things are great.
The only problem is getting the lenses made - they are are a very low-demand item that has to be custom ordered, so they take about ten days. My local "Lenscrafters" branch knows them as "piano glasses", or "computer glasses" (our conductor also had a pair made, with suitable focal lengths, and is happy with them). The extra thickness at the joining line limits the choice of coatings that can be applied (I think the UV coating machine was the problem) so if you need UV protection you may need to wear those extra-clearance sunglasses that fit over your normal glasses (I suspect the yellow ones may work best??? - I need to try those).
PS:I find all bifocals suck for hiking in rough country - I keep glancing down through the reading areas, and tripping. For that application, I really need single vision distance lenses. Not much point experimenting with those though, until I can get my second cataract fixed.

Progressives: forget it.

Bifocals: I have them and they are sort of OK. Some people like them, and I did too, for a while. What I don't like is that they tend to require you to put your head in a certain position, and if you want to see the whole page, as well as the conductor, you really have to stay in that position. The advantage of course is that the conductor is in focus.

Single vision: My choice at this time. However, you need a dedicated set of glasses; computer glasses (which I also have) focus too close. A set of single vision glasses that focuses at about 30 inches works well for me, and the longer focal length has the advantage that it doesn't put the conductor very much out of focus.

Hup

OK, this is going to be a little more technical than most of you want, but here goes anyway:

I'm a high myope (VERY nearsighted) with a correction of -8.00 diopters bilaterally. I normally wear progressive lenses but as has already been pointed out numerous times, they require pointing your head when viewing anything that you want to see clearly. This isn't a deal breaker for most activities as my ophthalmologist who is also a high myope points out! Of course head-pointing isn't possible when playing an instrument that's always in a fixed position which render these progressive lenses useless when playing the tuba.

I've tried bifocals and executive lenses with limited success vis-a-vis reading music because of blurring from ghost images caused by their abrupt lens transitions even when the near-vision portion of the lenses is set at the proper distance. Like many of you I finally settled on 'music glasses' which are currently +1 diopter weaker than the near-vision reading portion of my normal glasses. My normal bifocal/progressive reading correction is +2.75 which yields a correction of -5.25 diopters (-8.00 + 2.75). My music glasses are single vision set at -6.25 diopters. The music is clearly in focus and although the conductors are a little blurry all of their gestures are obvious.

Whoever tests your vision, optometrist of ophthalmologist, is obligated to provide you with your prescription. If they don't do so spontaneously, ask them for it. It will contain MOST of the information you need to order glasses online. The one critical piece of data that's missing is your interpupillary distance, or PD, the distance in mm between the center of your pupils. There are ways you can do this, but it's a bit tricky.

With all this information in hand you can order your own single prescription music glasses. Generally a diopter that's around 2/3 weaker than your normal near-vision prescription could work fairly well, but it depends on your age. Be aware that the best correction would come from your eye doctor who can test your vision at 'music reading' distances. This is the frame of my current 'music glasses' coupled with the highest refractive index plastic lenses they offer. The high refractive index minimizes lateral thickness and edge reflections visible to others. My cost, with a coupon, was $102. These glasses require a hard case for protection, but I already had several of those on hand.

If you go the online route, be sure to search for valid current coupons in order to obtain the very best prices. And again, PD is key!

Meanwhile I am happy with bifocals. I started testing cheap reading half-glasses (I will make out the conductor better without correction) but found one disadvantage: I am used to old-school glasses with the bridge sitting on the dorsum. While playing with glasses with nose pads I felt some obstruction in breathing. So I took some vintage glasses to my favourite optician and now I have proper bifocals.
For tuba playing it is easy to find the proper position for the reading part for the bifocal, but you have to take not only stand and music to the optician but also the instrument. With the tuba the head movement while playing is limited, so you can define the reading position. Height adjustment of the music stand is quite important depending on chair height and floor level to the conductor.
Now I have the problem when playing trombone in the orchestra, the music stand has to be higher to get space for the slide so the top part of the sheet is above the reading part of the bifocals. Last time I scaled up the music but this will not always work. Perhaps I should use my cavalry trombone...

In my mid 40's, I began having issues reading up close, reading music while playing and reading a conductor's score, as I was a band director in my former life. I wore gas permeable contact lenses for most of my adult life. So then, I began wearing bifocal, or multi focal contact lenses. I had the optometrist set the lens for distance and mid range so I could see distance and read music. It worked great, but it was a compromise. I couldn't see as well as I would like for either, but I got by fine. Then, I wore cheap reading glasses for up close (computer and reading a book.)

That worked fine, until my cataracts kicked in while living here in Texas. I opted for surgery last year. My insurance would cover the cost of basic lens replacement where I would still need my contacts or glasses. I opted for the Symphony lens to be implanted in my eyes, which is a multi focal lens, except now I don't need my contacts anymore. I see great at distance and well enough for reading music. For up close, I use the cheapo readers still, but I can get by without. For me, at 66 yrs. of age, it was a great decision. The only problems are; 1., insurance didn't cover the Symphony lenses, so I had to pay over $800. out of pocket. And, 2., I see halos around lights at night. The halo issue both improved and I also got used to it. Otherwise, I can see clearly at night and read signs. I'm happy I went that route.

roweenie wrote:

Tampaworth wrote:As a progressive wearer, decent quality readers has been the best solution I've come up with.

So, do you wear your progressives and reading glasses at the same time? You're not being very clear (I say this because I recall there were times that my grandmother wore two different pairs of glasses, simultaneously.... )

Strangely enough (even though I wear progressives), when I read (or do any other close-in work, such as tuba-construction-type stuff) I take off my eyeglasses and hold the book (or work, as the case may be) about 6 to 12" from my face.

I will ask my optometrist about executive lenses, maybe something like 1/3 distance and 2/3 reading. He is in Manhattan, so I've got to assume he'll have access to them (?)

The question of contact lenses and reading glasses is still on the table. If that were to work, it would be the least expensive solution.....

I do exactly what Matt Walters describes with just, for me, 2X readers. This keeps everything clear on the stand with the somewhat blurry conductor in the periphery. I can see him or her well enough to stay on the beat and don’t have to refocus across the divide of the executive glasses. Of course YMMV.

Radar wrote:

Three Valves wrote:I had single vision lenses made just for computer/work/music.

I have the same issue and that's been my solution as well!!

I have done this also. My regular glasses are progressives.