Eyeglasses

[DonShirer]

A year ago I finally got a pair of single lens glasses optimized for a two-foot distance, and found them useful for not only music and computers, but as good all-round indoor and gardening specs. Now I store my bifocals in the car and only use them for driving and such.

[Chuck(G)]

So, do you folks who have had cataract surgery or glaucoma or macular degeneration side with Joe's pronouncement that

Bifocals and trifocals are gimmicks that a few people can actually use and many others simply tolerate.

I play with people who have all of the above. Of course I'm no saint either--my corrected vision is 20/50 on a good day. How about you?

Me, I'll take whatever help I can get.

[LoyalTubist]

I bought a new pair of glasses when I arrived here. My progressive trifocals which would have been over 200 bucks in the States were a mere 1,200,000 dong (roughly about 75 bucks). The quality is just as good as the pair I broke on the airplane coming over (except that they're not broken!)

[dmmorris]

I use the so-called "Executive" lenses specially-ground where the top 1/3 is corrected for infinity focus and the bottom two-thirds are corrected for about 18 inches. Yes, there's a dividing line, but it's not really noticeable during normal use and you don't have to move your head to see either the music or the guy with the stick.

You may have to argue a bit with the oculist and the prescription may be special-order, but it does the job.

I also took this route. The Optometrist didn't wanna make 'em, but I insisted. They work great and I love the larger field of magnification. When I glance up...I can see the other players and the audience through the small, top, single vision, "far-away" part with good clarity.

[tuba72]

I found the same problem. I have progressive lenses and it was a pain to follow the music. Kept getting in the wrong part of the lens and I could not see squat. I tried getting contacts set for about 30 inches but I had fits getting them in(they worked great though)so I had my eye doctor write a set of single vision glasses, got the largest rims I could find and it seems to be working okay.((the director is where?)) I think next year I may get some of the top changed to distance so I can actually see him and see how it works.

[TubaRay]

You guys are really old!!! Alright. Alright. My story says that on my 40th birthday things went awry. That's right. The day before, I could see fine. On my birthday(40), I could no longer see well up close. A few years after that, I got a contact lens configuration similar to Dan's. One for close and one for far. This worked pretty well until fairly recently. A few months ago I cataract surgery on one eye. That eye now focuses on the music extremely well. Reading at regular reading distance and seeing at a distance are just a little fuzzy with that eye. I wear a lens in the other eye which is set for far vision. You will note that I don't have the close vision covered yet. I'm not yet through with the process, but I do like the good vision with one eye in order to read the music.

[Rick F]

The reason why many of us can't see the music wearing progressive lenses, is because the intermediate vision area where we view music (or computer) is pretty narrow. That's ok if you can move your head from left to right as you read, but if you're playing tuba or euph, that's not easy.

I found this drawing that is close to correct in describing progressive's design.

• 

Accuracy of alignment of the narrow reading portion is critical. If the narrow reading correction is not placed exactly in the right spot on both lenses, so that one is looking through the center of this correction with both eyes simultaneously when reading, one eye will always be getting an annoying soft-focus view.

[The Big Ben]

I found this drawing that is close to correct in describing progressive's design.

• 

Accuracy of alignment of the narrow reading portion is critical. If the narrow reading correction is not placed exactly in the right spot on both lenses, so that one is looking through the center of this correction with both eyes simultaneously when reading, one eye will always be getting an annoying soft-focus view.

I remember my guy sitting me down and marking the center of my eye on a sample set of lenses which were going to be sent to the lab. I guess that was what he was doing.

I received lots of good ideas to take to the optometrist. He's my buddy so he will make me what I need. (Bloke even gave a crusty reply!)

Thanks, all!

[iiipopes]

Optical center is indeed an important "spec" (sorry, had to) that is often "overlooked." (sorry, had to again)

My previous pair of glasses had to have one lens reground three times because the instrument measuring my optical center was not calibrated properly. Finally, I was remeasured on another machine with lenses ground accordingly, and they lasted me the longest of any prescription to date.

[tbn.al]

Multi focal glasses suck for trombone players. If you think it is difficult to turn your head while playing tuba, try it with a 4 foot stick hanging out of your mouth. Normally I don't pay that close attention to the conductor's face but I went to the executive lenses a couple of years agor from the 3 foot computer glasses when the conductor had to stop the entire orchestra to give me some instructions. I had not been at a previous rehearsal and was not aware of a cut. I noticed he was making some sort of gesture in my direction but couldn't see him well enough to understand he was trying to talk to me while conducting. Very embarrased, I got the new glasses. They work great for tuba as well.

[Rick Denney]

The optometrist said, "Trust me, I've helped many musicians before you."

My response to that statement: "I'm not a musician. I'm a tuba player."

The position of the face is determined by the instrument, not the glasses.

Rick "whose bifocal line is about a third of the way down the page" Denney

[lgb&dtuba]

So, I have a pair of glasses that work perfectly for music on the stand. And then we have to march into a gig, as German bands do from time to time, and put the piece on a lyre.

Leaving aside that finding a lyre for a tuba that actually fits is problematic, now the darn music is 12 inches away from my eyes. Closer than I can focus with the music glasses, too high for bifocals, and too far for me to see without any glasses. We do this maybe once a year, so memorizing is a pain.

In my next incarnation I'm coming back with eyes that don't get old.

(The actual solution was a pair of flip down, clip on reading glasses and my normal music reading glasses. Find the clip ons at your friendly fly fishing store. )

[LoyalTubist]

I had an eye doctor (ophthamologist--M.D.) my mother took me to see when I was a kid who didn't think I should wear glasses. He said most people have lazy eyes and those who want to wear glasses just want to look smart. He gave me some eye exercises to correct the problem. Since he was a great surgeon, my mother never questioned his word. He helped to restore my little brother's eyesight to a point where he didn't need glasses except for close work (he was born with poor sight).

In school, I did OK. I knew something was wrong with my eyes, so I bought some of those "old folks glasses" at the drug store. I don't think my parents ever knew I wore them. When I played tuba with the band, I always memorized my music, so I never wore the glasses for performance.

After I dropped out of college (3-1/2 years into it) I joined the Army. I passed the initial sight test (which was only for farsightedness). When I finally got in they found a lot of things wrong with my eyes, which go way beyond numbers. I was under orders to wear my glasses for everything, although I didn't always wear them.

I think if I went through my childhood again, I would confront my parents and say, "The doctor is wrong. I still can't see. The exercises aren't doing anything except giving me a headache."

[Chuck(G)]

Bill, it sounds as if your ophthalmologist was a Bates disciple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Vision_Improvement
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRel ... quack.html

I briefly toyed with it during the 70's (with professional supervision). Didn't do a thing for me, though the practitioners want to make you believe that you're seeing better.

I lump it into the same category as psychic surgery.