Driving glasses

[Flairy]

Mine are varifocal and no problem.

 

[Lenny HB]

Sorry spare glasses requirement for france parts eu not uk

Legal requirement for most countries apart from the UK.
Since I had a medical to keep my C1 one of the conditions on my licence is I have to wear glasses for driving so amounts to the same thing really.

 

[pappajohn]

I never knew it could be an issue if that is what you are suggesting. Personally I pay more to have Zeiss lenses which are rated the best and assume that they provide the reactolight element as part of the lenses. They are not as strong as sunglasses but quite adequate for my needs

Most modern windscreens block UV light.....
Reactolight lenses, no matter what make or price, need UV light to work.

 

[Puddleduck]

I always have two spare pairs of specs with me having had one pair smashed when on holiday as a child and no spare pair - plus being almost blind without them.

 

[The Wino]

Most modern windscreens block UV light.....
Reactolight lenses, no matter what make or price, need UV light to work.

They will react to some extent but not as much as outdoors they also lose some of the tint when it's hot.

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[Millcourt]

Most modern windscreens block UV light.....
Reactolight lenses, no matter what make or price, need UV light to work.

Yes….. mine work fine outside, but only darken a little inside the MoHo when driving.

Perhaps not the most elegant solution, but I use clip-ons when driving in bright sun. They also easily flip-up when driving through tunnels. I bought these from Amazon….

Amazon product ASIN B092LLGZ52

 

[The Wino]

Yes….. mine work fine outside, but only darken a little inside the MoHo when driving.

Perhaps not the most elegant solution, but I use clip-ons when driving in bright sun. They also easily flip-up when driving through tunnels. I bought these from Amazon….

Amazon product ASIN B092LLGZ52

Go nicely with the knotted hanky if you really want to identify as a brit! But as you say very practical although as they're generally polarised there could be a problem with some LCD displays

 

[Millcourt]

Go nicely with the knotted hanky if you really want to identify as a brit! But as you say very practical although as they're generally polarised there could be a problem with some LCD displays

Only once worn a knotted hanky. About 5 years ago with other MoHo Buddies in Spain, we were sat outside with no shade eating our Menu del Dia. Being rather thin on top and having left my sun hat in the MoHo, I resorted to a knotted hanky. I have never been allowed to forget about it.

 

[The Wino]

Only once worn a knotted hanky. About 5 years ago with other MoHo Buddies in Spain, we were sat outside with no shade eating our Menu del Dia. Being rather thin on top and having left my sun hat in the MoHo, I resorted to a knotted hanky. I have never been allowed to forget about it.

I hope you went for sandals with socks as well!

 

[Millcourt]

I hope you went for sandals with socks as well!

Of course. With 2 bunions I can not wear sandals without socks…..obviously not Aussie style, just short ones!

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[SpeedyDux]

I could not get on with varifocals. They gave me headaches and a stiff neck. For a driving pair, my slightly unorthodox solution is to have one lens for distance viewing for my best eye, while the other eye has a slightly weaker lens correction that makes the clocks on the dashboard and Satnav legible. Sorted!

 

[StephandJohn]

I don't think they should give you eye strain so I'd take them back. I had to go back four times to our local Specsavers with both pairs of new glasses. First they put reading lenses in instead of long distance, then they swapped over the lenses so they were in the wrong eye. The other pair were similar problems.

 

[Minxy]

That is not what jongood said at all! He said he could see the instruments and the end of the lorry clearly but made no comment about his further vision other than to say that the glasses have sharpened things up a bit.

I realise what he said and have no problem with what I said. Whilst he make a specific comment about his further vision, by saying he could only see the closer area clearly without them so the glasses appear to be for his distance vision which was impaired in some way, how much though only he and his optician know. The glasses have sharpened his vision and he has to wear them to stay legal otherwise why would he need them? Hence my comments.

To be fair Mel, Jon didn't actually say that.
Like me, Jon drives 44 Tonne Trucks, and I just know he wouldn't be irresponsible enough to drive them if his eyesight was that bad.
It is only due to a change by DVLA to the HGV/PSV eye test requirements, since Jon's last medical, that he now needed to sort out driving glasses.

See above, I never said his eyesight was so bad that he was being purposely irresponsible, he needs glasses and this is a requirement to keep his licence however if he doesn't use them as required then he shouldn't be driving regardless of how 'safe' he, or anyone else in the same situation, thinks they are. If he didn't need them why was he prescribed them in the first place?

 

[Minxy]

That is not what jongood said at all! He said he could see the instruments and the end of the lorry clearly but made no comment about his further vision other than to say that the glasses have sharpened things up a bit.

Yes I agree - however by finding that they have sharpened his vision and that he has to wear them it implied that his vision was otherwise impaired otherwise why would he need them? Hence my comments.

To be fair Mel, Jon didn't actually say that.
Like me, Jon drives 44 Tonne Trucks, and I just know he wouldn't be irresponsible enough to drive them if his eyesight was that bad.
It is only due to a change by DVLA to the HGV/PSV eye test requirements, since Jon's last medical, that he now needed to sort out driving glasses.

See above, I never said his eyesight was so bad that he shouldn't be driving but if he didn't need them why was he prescribed them in the first place?

No worries Mel. I could see perfectly well before ( although have been using off the shelf for reading for some years) its just the test that has been changed. The guy at the medical did explain to me what the changes were but I was too surprised to take it in, I think its - you ve got to go a couple of lines lower.

I am wearing the glasses for driving the motorhome and lorries but find myself automatically looking over them or pushing them up because I'm more comfortable without them.

Thanks for all the input everyone. The main reason for the post was to see what others experiences have been and whether its normal or not, but I have now had them about 6 months and done a lot of miles with them on so I think first step is back to SS see how I get on?

Jon

Thanks Jon, I'm pleased you see my point of view without taking umbridge. I hate getting new glasses, in fact the first time I got them (for office work) I detested them with a vengeance!

I get my glasses from Asda and have found their opticians to be very, very thorough and the prices are way better than anywhere else as they include bifocals and varifocals at no extra cost as well as anti-glare and anti-scratch coatings - I think they start at £45 a pair at present. My hubby has very poor eyesight and they can even cater for him for the same price!

 

[JockandRita]

See above, I never said his eyesight was so bad that he shouldn't be driving but if he didn't need them why was he prescribed them in the first place?

As good as.

From what you've said if you could only see as far as the end of the vehicle without glasses you shouldn't have been driving so thank goodness you've got some.

Regards,

Jock.

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[The Dotties]

True. It is not a legal requirement to carry a spare pair of prescription glasses (if needed for driving) in the UK, as it is in Spain, for example…..but…..

Recently I took a D4 medical to re-instate my C1 licence under “Grandfather rights” and my new licence shows in Column 12 the code “01” for all vehicle categories. This makes it obligatory for me to wear my prescription glasses for driving. In the event of mislaying them or breaking them, I can not legally drive.

It seems common sense to me to always have a cheap spare pair in the glovebox, especially as I no longer need to wear glasses (after 60+ years of being very short-sighted) following the cataract operations I had last year and the implantation of multi-focus lenses - an expensive choice (not available on the NHS) but I now consider worth every £££. My ”driving glasses” sharpen up the far distance and I find them an asset when driving. They have varifocal lenses so that the dash instruments and sat-nav are clearly in focus and are photochromatic so can double as sunglasses if needed when not driving.



View attachment 739716

I’m about to have cataract surgery, could you give me some idea of cost of varifocal lenses please. NHS op via private eye clinic
Cheers
G

 

[Millcourt]

I’m about to have cataract surgery, could you give me some idea of cost of varifocal lenses please. NHS op via private eye clinic
Cheers
G

Not exactly just a simple choice! No doubt others who are better qualified than me on these matters will correct me if I am wrong.

Issues to consider include obviously the general health of your eyes, the amount of astigmatism (and if this may need to be surgically corrected to use more complex lens implants), how you may be affected by glare (e.g. from oncoming traffic at night), and what you hope to achieve (i.e. no need for glasses, glasses just for reading, glasses just for distance vision). If you see an Ophthalmic Consultant Surgeon as a private patient, you should expect to have a thorough examination and a detailed discussion about all of the possible options which may be suitable for you and given time for you to come to your own decision before proceeding. If you use the NHS, it is likely you will only have the option to have lens implants for distance vision (needing glasses for close work and reading) or lens implants for near vision (needing glasses for distance vision). Either way you are likely to need to wear varifocal glasses for driving so that correction can be made to see clearly both the dash/satnav display and the road further ahead. You might also be able to get on the NHS what is called “mono-vision”. This has one eye with a near vision implant and the other with a distant vision implant. Apparently some folk find this meets all their need, but many find they can not cope and need to wear glasses all the time. I was concerned that risking mono-vision might well result in problems judging distances with the loss of the “stereo” ability we normally have.

I was first told by my Optician that I needed my cataracts removed 7 years ago. I went to see an Ophthalmologist as a private patient at the time and his advice was that he would do it if I wished but if it was him he would defer.…. I deferred!

Like any operation, it is not entirely risk free. I have seen various figures, but probably around 1 in 1000 result in permanent sight loss or serious damage. My view was that eyesight is too precious to take any unnecessary risk and unless you have reached the stage where your vision significantly affects what you want to do (e.g. can’t read small print even with glasses/contact lenses or getting unmanageable glare preventing night-time driving) I would advise you think carefully about proceeding. Obviously it will get worse over time, but should be a no more hazardous an operation at a later stage. I wore wrap-around prescription sunglasses when in the sun (and especially when sailing, which I used to do for several months each year) to minimise UV which apparently accelerates cataract development.

If/when you do go ahead, your first eye for operation will be your worst currently for vision. After this has been done, the Consultant who did mine was adamant that he would not operate on the second for a minimum of 6 weeks, and preferably 8, to ensure all was well with the first eye. It seems things can go wrong in the post-operative stage, including a detached retina if you are really unlucky.

No doubt you will have carried out your own research but an account of my experience may be helpful.

I chose to go privately (not something I was keen on after working in the NHS for some 40 years) as the alternative was an indefinite wait for operation at a time not of my own choosing and (as mentioned above) only being offered either long or short focal length lens implants as an NHS patient. The Consultant to whom I was referred privately had particular experience of multi-focal lens implants.

The choices I was given were:

1. Single focus short-sight, wearing glasses for distance vision ….. in practice all the time, just taking them off to read…… probably the easiest the easiest to adjust to having been very shortsighted from the age of 10.

2. Single focus distance vision…… wearing glasses for reading…… and probably never having them to hand when needed!

3. One eye near, one eye distant vision. Known as “mono-focal”, which can make judging distances difficult and many folk find it very difficult to adapt to and end up wearing glasses full time to correct their vision. (I was sure my brain would be really confused with this option.)

4. Multi-focal lens implants, with the potential of being free from needing to wear anything other than ordinary sunglasses. The snag here is that many people subsequently experience glare, especially with nighttime driving, and if you have any significant astigmatism, corrective surgery to change the shape of your eyeball may be needed. I was not up for any avoidable eye surgery and the inherent risks.

5. Implant newer extended focal length lenses…… either for distance/mid-range (wearing glasses for reading etc), close-up/mid-range (wearing glasses for driving etc), or one of each type for a “blended mono vision”, with both eyes covering the middle range and (probably) improving judgement of distance where most needed.

6. Do nothing unless I was experiencing problems of sight affecting my daily living!

As my friendly Optometrist said…… whatever you decide we can always prescribe glasses to correct any shortcomings!!!

So……. I went for extended focal length lens implants (still do not understand how these work) with one eye mid/distant and the other mid/near. The result is I have notionally got “20-20” vision, exceed the minimum standard required for a Driving Licence (which I now consider to be a rather low threshold to cross), can manage all my day-to-day activities without glasses……. BUT, nothing appears in really sharp focus at any distance and I am not comfortable about driving without glasses to sharpen vision, especially in the distance. So, I have a pair of prescription glasses primarily for driving. These have to be varifocal lenses and not just distance correction, otherwise I would not be able to see the dashboard or satnav clearly.

I am a little under £6,500 poorer (this seems to be the going rate to get both eyes done as a Private Patient, as a friend was also charged the same last year). I still use prescription varifocal glasses (but just when driving), and have bought a cheap over-the-counter pair of reading glasses to make extended periods of close-up work easier (e.g. soldering small connections).

Hope the foregoing lengthy account of my experience may be helpful. Good luck whatever you decide to do. However, for what it is worth….. my advice would be to defer unless your sight is having a noticeable impact on your daily life or has become a requirement to maintain your driving licence.

 

[The Dotties]

Millcourt
Thanks for the reply, far more informative than I was expecting. That’s cleared up some of the questions I had.
My procedure is on the NHS, but through a private clinic and I knew of the short or long lens on the NHS, but only heard anecdotal stories of variofocal lenses.
I only need one eye doing, so will see what the consultant suggests.
Again thanks,
Geoff

 

[Waveski]

Millcourt. I totally agree with all you said, a brilliant summary. I had cataracts sorted 10 years ago and went privately to have multi focus lens implants. They are fabulous.
Back to the OP, I used disposable contact lens with great success prior to the arrival of cataracts, my optician was a specialist in contact lens and it was possible to play with different lens prescriptions dependant on what you were doing. I lot of people are a bit squeamish about putting lens in their eye, not a problem, you will quickly find the benefits Ask your optician to give you a try if your eyes are suitable.

 

[rosalan]

I got glasses for driving and found it unbelievably frustrating when looking at the sat nav and dials that were closer . Probably been sold the wrong glasses but I don’t use them now unless it’s dark .

Perhaps Bi-focal glasses would be a better answer. Giving you long vision and close up for the dash readings.

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[The Wino]

Not exactly just a simple choice! No doubt others who are better qualified than me on these matters will correct me if I am wrong.

Issues to consider include obviously the general health of your eyes, the amount of astigmatism (and if this may need to be surgically corrected to use more complex lens implants), how you may be affected by glare (e.g. from oncoming traffic at night), and what you hope to achieve (i.e. no need for glasses, glasses just for reading, glasses just for distance vision). If you see an Ophthalmic Consultant Surgeon as a private patient, you should expect to have a thorough examination and a detailed discussion about all of the possible options which may be suitable for you and given time for you to come to your own decision before proceeding. If you use the NHS, it is likely you will only have the option to have lens implants for distance vision (needing glasses for close work and reading) or lens implants for near vision (needing glasses for distance vision). Either way you are likely to need to wear varifocal glasses for driving so that correction can be made to see clearly both the dash/satnav display and the road further ahead. You might also be able to get on the NHS what is called “mono-vision”. This has one eye with a near vision implant and the other with a distant vision implant. Apparently some folk find this meets all their need, but many find they can not cope and need to wear glasses all the time. I was concerned that risking mono-vision might well result in problems judging distances with the loss of the “stereo” ability we normally have.

I was first told by my Optician that I needed my cataracts removed 7 years ago. I went to see an Ophthalmologist as a private patient at the time and his advice was that he would do it if I wished but if it was him he would defer.…. I deferred!

Like any operation, it is not entirely risk free. I have seen various figures, but probably around 1 in 1000 result in permanent sight loss or serious damage. My view was that eyesight is too precious to take any unnecessary risk and unless you have reached the stage where your vision significantly affects what you want to do (e.g. can’t read small print even with glasses/contact lenses or getting unmanageable glare preventing night-time driving) I would advise you think carefully about proceeding. Obviously it will get worse over time, but should be a no more hazardous an operation at a later stage. I wore wrap-around prescription sunglasses when in the sun (and especially when sailing, which I used to do for several months each year) to minimise UV which apparently accelerates cataract development.

If/when you do go ahead, your first eye for operation will be your worst currently for vision. After this has been done, the Consultant who did mine was adamant that he would not operate on the second for a minimum of 6 weeks, and preferably 8, to ensure all was well with the first eye. It seems things can go wrong in the post-operative stage, including a detached retina if you are really unlucky.

No doubt you will have carried out your own research but an account of my experience may be helpful.

I chose to go privately (not something I was keen on after working in the NHS for some 40 years) as the alternative was an indefinite wait for operation at a time not of my own choosing and (as mentioned above) only being offered either long or short focal length lens implants as an NHS patient. The Consultant to whom I was referred privately had particular experience of multi-focal lens implants.

The choices I was given were:

1. Single focus short-sight, wearing glasses for distance vision ….. in practice all the time, just taking them off to read…… probably the easiest the easiest to adjust to having been very shortsighted from the age of 10.

2. Single focus distance vision…… wearing glasses for reading…… and probably never having them to hand when needed!

3. One eye near, one eye distant vision. Known as “mono-focal”, which can make judging distances difficult and many folk find it very difficult to adapt to and end up wearing glasses full time to correct their vision. (I was sure my brain would be really confused with this option.)

4. Multi-focal lens implants, with the potential of being free from needing to wear anything other than ordinary sunglasses. The snag here is that many people subsequently experience glare, especially with nighttime driving, and if you have any significant astigmatism, corrective surgery to change the shape of your eyeball may be needed. I was not up for any avoidable eye surgery and the inherent risks.

5. Implant newer extended focal length lenses…… either for distance/mid-range (wearing glasses for reading etc), close-up/mid-range (wearing glasses for driving etc), or one of each type for a “blended mono vision”, with both eyes covering the middle range and (probably) improving judgement of distance where most needed.

6. Do nothing unless I was experiencing problems of sight affecting my daily living!

As my friendly Optometrist said…… whatever you decide we can always prescribe glasses to correct any shortcomings!!!

So……. I went for extended focal length lens implants (still do not understand how these work) with one eye mid/distant and the other mid/near. The result is I have notionally got “20-20” vision, exceed the minimum standard required for a Driving Licence (which I now consider to be a rather low threshold to cross), can manage all my day-to-day activities without glasses……. BUT, nothing appears in really sharp focus at any distance and I am not comfortable about driving without glasses to sharpen vision, especially in the distance. So, I have a pair of prescription glasses primarily for driving. These have to be varifocal lenses and not just distance correction, otherwise I would not be able to see the dashboard or satnav clearly.

I am a little under £6,500 poorer (this seems to be the going rate to get both eyes done as a Private Patient, as a friend was also charged the same last year). I still use prescription varifocal glasses (but just when driving), and have bought a cheap over-the-counter pair of reading glasses to make extended periods of close-up work easier (e.g. soldering small connections).

Hope the foregoing lengthy account of my experience may be helpful. Good luck whatever you decide to do. However, for what it is worth….. my advice would be to defer unless your sight is having a noticeable impact on your daily life or has become a requirement to maintain your driving licence.

That's a really good summary ( speaking a retired optometrist!). I think the big thing with varifocal implants is its not like varifocal specs where you look through one bit for distance which is a distance focus and a different bit for near that's a near focus you look through both bits at once. It's the same to an extent with varifocal contact lenses they're just a lot easier to swap if they don't work. In general I tended to think that if you're more interested in what you look like than what you see like varifocal contacts work great if you're more interested in what you see like they don't. There are a few exceptions!

 

[Minxy]

I’m about to have cataract surgery, could you give me some idea of cost of varifocal lenses please. NHS op via private eye clinic
Cheers
G

Asda ... £45 all in ...

Popular Glasses

 

[jongood]

An update:- I managed to get into Specsavers yesterday afternoon and they have a theory that the distance I'm trying to see for driving is much further than the distance between me and the eye chart and that is causing the strain, so I'm going back for an opticians consult next week to explore changing lenses.

This sounds pretty logical to me but has made me wonder about the relevance of a requirement to be able to read an eye chart 6 metres away.

 

[The Wino]

An update:- I managed to get into Specsavers yesterday afternoon and they have a theory that the distance I'm trying to see for driving is much further than the distance between me and the eye chart and that is causing the strain, so I'm going back for an opticians consult next week to explore changing lenses.

This sounds pretty logical to me but has made me wonder about the relevance of a requirement to be able to read an eye chart 6 metres away.

The difference between 6m and infinity is pretty negligible. Lens power is measured in dioptres. The difference in power between 6m and infinity is 1/6 of a dioptre. The smallest difference you can order in a prescription is 1/4 of a dioptre so they're taken generally to be the same. I used to use a projection chart at just over 3m and modify the prescription by 1/4 dioptre so was out for infinity by just under 1/12 of a dioptre because I'm a fussy beggar!
Everyone gets people who don't get on with the prescription sometimes and has to do a "recheck". As usually everytime you test someone you get a different result you then try a different prescription or modify the fitting of the frame or lens measurements and see if it helps. It's an art not a science!

 

[The Dotties]

Asda ... £45 all in ...

Popular Glasses

Sorry, didn’t make myself clear. You can get implanted varifocal lenses during cataract surgery. Pound to a pinch it’ll be more than £45

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[The Wino]

Sorry, didn’t make myself clear. You can get implanted varifocal lenses during cataract surgery. Pound to a pinch it’ll be more than £45

I've yet to meet an ophthalmologist or retired ophthalmologist with varifocal implants!

 

[The Dotties]

I've yet to meet an ophthalmologist or retired ophthalmologist with varifocal implants!

I stand corrected! I misread Millcourt on post 47

 

[The Wino]

I stand corrected! I misread Millcourt on post 47

I don't mean you posted incorrectly to a previous post just my scepticism on varifocal implants in cataract surgery. That being said I'm pretty sceptical of any unnecessary surgery I always described the consent form as stick or twist!

 

[Speve]

I got glasses for driving and found it unbelievably frustrating when looking at the sat nav and dials that were closer . Probably been sold the wrong glasses but I don’t use them now unless it’s dark .

You need vari vocals they are great once you get used to them

 

[Millcourt]

I've yet to meet an ophthalmologist or retired ophthalmologist with varifocal implants!

Interesting. Would I be correct in thinking that the orientation of such implants may change and require further corrective surgery? Or is there some other possible complication?

About 20 years ago I was sailing out of Sydney Harbour with an Australian friend on his small sailboat. He had recently had his cataracts treated and had gone for multifocal lens implants, which he understood at the time to be a newly available option. He described these (if I remember correctly) as lenses with alternate concentric circles for close and distance vision. He had been warned that if he did not adapt to them they would need to removed and replaced with more conventional implants. He was very enthusiastic about how successful they had proved to be for him. Such lens implants were never mentioned as an option for me when I had my cataracts treated last November.

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