Tuba & Bifocal glasses/contacts

[kprinz]

Does anyone have experience with glasses/contacts and tuba. 1year ago I had to switch to progressives. I couldn’t make that work with reading music and conducting, so I had them make computer bifocals that only used mid-range/distance as my “music glasses.” With Covid and fogging glasses, I thought I would try contacts. I’m only on day 3, but I have a hard time focusing and sometimes get double vision, Long story short, I need advice from those who have experience. Is it going to help, or should I continue with glasses? Anyone out there struggled with this and found a good solution. Advice would be greatly appreciated.

If it helps, I have bifocal contacts with astigmatism.

[windshieldbug]

Many of my colleagues and I used single vision lenses to keep the music in focus at any time (high or low, left or right).
Your optometrist can make you a set to focus at music stand length.
As you have noticed, progressives are worthless for tuba because you can't move your head while playing.

[Ulli]

For a long time I am very satisfied with Rodenstock Ardis eyeglass lenses with curved dividing line in a Panto frame. (Round metal optics)
https://www.ray-ban.com/germany/sehbril ... _Id=397109


Looks like M. Gandhi's glasses
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=ht ... egUIARDZAQ

Hope, you understand my german-english...

[enhite]

I agree with the above advice on single vision music reading glasses (if you can afford the extra pair). Neither bifocals nor progressives are useful for music reading.

[GC]

I've used weak cheap rimless reading glasses for reading music/computers for years. They work for me best when the tops of the lenses are straight so I can look over the glasses at the conductor. I've bought them in bulk from Amazon for years. Unfortunately their current selection is not what I like. Most have flexible temple bars without hinges, which are harder to carry in a shirt pocket. I also don't like heavy frames on glasses. I'm SOL at the moment.

[enhite]

I've also used cheap drugstore 1.5X reading glasses for music reading. (I keep a pair in my instrument case should I forget my prescription music reading glasses.) Due to the low cost, it's worth a giving this a try. My problem is they don't compensate for astigmatism or differences between vision in each eye. The conductor is somewhat blurry with either solution, but conductors claim that we never watch them anyway

[Snake Charmer]

When the need for music reading glasses started I had some bifocals made. It works very well, unless ... there is more than a single page to play (with the tuba I can not move around enough so the vision field of the bifocals is too small) ... or I play trombone (for getting the slide under the stand the sheets are to high or the bifocals). So I use now cheap reading glasses, focussed or a medium range between 1 and 5m. It worked well until the big-distance-settings due to Covid regulations. Normally the conductor is 3-4m (wind band) or max 5-6m away (symphonic orchestra), but on our last wind band gig it was 15m...

[timothy42b]

The multipage problem can be solved by a combination of single vision glasses and a tablet.

Tablets come in various sizes and some of the flip chromebook solutions are pretty reasonable. If your eyes are good enough the 11 inch iPad is reasonable.

It depends a bit on the type of group you're playing in whether this would be seen as a copyright problem. Most music has to be scanned to get it on the tablet, and in most cases we don't have permission to do that. That may or may not be an issue for you locally. (unfortunately it's a topic that tends to generate some contentious discussion. Start your own thread. )

[iiipopes]

Yes. I have had progressives for several years. I told my optometrist that I do a lot of computer work and read music as a tuba player in a community band, and please adjust the middle section accordingly. I have had good luck with my progressives at both work and rehearsal as a result.

[lornix]

I will cast an additional vote for the fixed focal length music reading glasses. I got a pair with my last prescription update because I had been having more and more trouble with my standard daily-use progressive scan lenses when trying to read music AND we found that my insurance would cover one complete set of glasses (frames, lenses of almost any type) PLUS one set of fixed focal length lenses (which could be installed in my old frames). I may get "computer" glasses at some point - but the music glasses have worked very well for me with both trombone and tuba. If you have coverage for corrective lenses in your insurance plan, make sure you check out all of the coverage.

[Yane]

Reading glasses are likely a good solution, you can get several strengths for $1 each at dollar stores so experimentation is cheap. I notice my profile picture shows my progressive glasses, which work for me holding a marching size flip folder, not so much for sitting and using a stand.

[peter birch]

I have been in varifocal glasses for 15 years or so, I never got bifocals and only ever had a single pair . The critical thing is to let your optician and dispenser know that you are a tuba player and take a music stand and music with you so that the lenses can be set to where you need them.