Thread for Bifocal Wearing Golfers

[stokepoges]

I had very good vision until I hit my forties and had to go to readers. About 2 years ago, I noticed that my distance vision was getting less and less sharp.

I went to the Eye doc and we settled on bifocals for multipurpose but for everyday use and for golf, I use contacts with the same prescription in both eyes.

I can see shots end 200 yards away and also read greens as well as I used to.

Where before, I had .250 readers, now I can use the contacts and read just about anything but newsprint or laptop screen. I use a .125 reader in conjunction with the contacts for fine print.

The bifocals are more for after hours or in the morning before I put in the contacts.

In the hot, humid South, I knew that I couldn't use glasses on the course and the contacts are an awesome solution so that I am not always wiping off sweat off of the glasses. It took about 2-3 weeks to get used to putting them in and taking them out.

Couldn't consider playing without them now.

[DLiver]

[quote name='stokepoges' post='1993117' date='Oct 7 2009, 06:18 PM']In the hot, humid South, I knew that I couldn't use glasses on the course and the contacts are an awesome solution so that I am not always wiping off sweat off of the glasses.[/quote]

Am I reading this right: you can't use glasses because you sweat on them too much?

[stokepoges]

[quote name='DLiver' post='1993146' date='Oct 7 2009, 05:34 PM'][quote name='stokepoges' post='1993117' date='Oct 7 2009, 06:18 PM']In the hot, humid South, I knew that I couldn't use glasses on the course and the contacts are an awesome solution so that I am not always wiping off sweat off of the glasses.[/quote]

Am I reading this right: you can't use glasses because you sweat on them too much?
[/quote]

Yes, unfortunately I sweat a lot in 90 degree heat and the use of glasses is too much of a distracting pain in the a$$. No worries wearing contacts.

I get sweat running off my nose, out of my eyebrows, everywhere.

I tried wearing sunglasses and found that to be a pain as well. Sweat too much.

[Buddyjay]

Unfortunately, I cannot help you with your fat/thin hitting problems other than too wear the glasses you want to wear and then change your stance accordingly.

I too have the same problem as you. I have line-bi-focals and absolutely cannot wear them to play. I use single vision sunglasses that work out well. In fact, they are the green shades and work well even when cloudy. I go into the clubhouse and forget I have them on. I too, lift them off to write/read.

However, even though they work well when cloudy, I would rather NOT wear them, then. Too dark. I wore contact lenses for thirty years but cannot anymore. So like many others have stated, even you, I am going to try and use single vision (non sunglass) glasses. Yes it will be a pain to carry:
Bi-focals
Sunglasses
Single vision

... in fact, the bi-focals can stay in the car while playing. But it's the only solution I can think of.

[Carolina Golfer 2]

[quote name='Buddyjay' post='1994131' date='Oct 8 2009, 05:46 AM']Unfortunately, I cannot help you with your fat/thin hitting problems other than too wear the glasses you want to wear and then change your stance accordingly.

I too have the same problem as you. I have line-bi-focals and absolutely cannot wear them to play. I use single vision sunglasses that work out well. In fact, they are the green shades and work well even when cloudy. I go into the clubhouse and forget I have them on. I too, lift them off to write/read.

However, even though they work well when cloudy, I would rather NOT wear them, then. Too dark. I wore contact lenses for thirty years but cannot anymore. So like many others have stated, even you, I am going to try and use single vision (non sunglass) glasses. Yes it will be a pain to carry:
Bi-focals
Sunglasses
Single vision

... in fact, the bi-focals can stay in the car while playing. But it's the only solution I can think of.[/quote]
Buddy, I think you summed it up pretty well. And in fact after reading this thread and knowing my past experience, that's probably what I'll end up with 3 pairs.

1) progressive transitions for normal everyday use (my current set)
2) std single prescription sunglasses for golf and other outdoor activity
3) std single prescription eyeglasses for backup to No. 1 and golf when sunglasses aren't needed.

[DLiver]

[quote name='Carolina Golfer 2' post='1994212' date='Oct 8 2009, 08:14 AM'][quote name='Buddyjay' post='1994131' date='Oct 8 2009, 05:46 AM']Unfortunately, I cannot help you with your fat/thin hitting problems other than too wear the glasses you want to wear and then change your stance accordingly.

I too have the same problem as you. I have line-bi-focals and absolutely cannot wear them to play. I use single vision sunglasses that work out well. In fact, they are the green shades and work well even when cloudy. I go into the clubhouse and forget I have them on. I too, lift them off to write/read.

However, even though they work well when cloudy, I would rather NOT wear them, then. Too dark. I wore contact lenses for thirty years but cannot anymore. So like many others have stated, even you, I am going to try and use single vision (non sunglass) glasses. Yes it will be a pain to carry:
Bi-focals
Sunglasses
Single vision

... in fact, the bi-focals can stay in the car while playing. But it's the only solution I can think of.[/quote]
Buddy, I think you summed it up pretty well. And in fact after reading this thread and knowing my past experience, that's probably what I'll end up with 3 pairs.

1) progressive transitions for normal everyday use (my current set)
2) std single prescription sunglasses for golf and other outdoor activity
3) std single prescription eyeglasses for backup to No. 1 and golf when sunglasses aren't needed.
[/quote]

Actually I have two pairs of single Rx sunglasses: a dark pair for sunny days, and a light pair for cloudy/dark days. The light pair actually brightens things, so I can see better with them than without them when it is dark.

I also keep a pair of compact readers in my bag and leave my progressives in the car.

[CurtisBen]

Sorry guys I wish I could help more but I only understand things from the optical point of view. I am too young to wear bifocals so it does make it a little harder for me to understand what is going on. But, Dave I will promise I have seen so many variations of adaptation issues that it would not surprise me if that where the problem after all you said that it had been a while since you had changed them.

Ben

[DaveLeeNC]

Current Status ...

Went to the eye doc today. To summarize.

1) My 'near vision' correction changed dramatically (more than I realized)
2) Given #1 it would not be surprising to find someone having difficulty climbing stairs, given the change in #1 (from 2.0 to 2.75, whatever that means).
3) With "the spread" that I now have in near vs. far vision (I am legally blind in far vision without my glasses), playing golf in bifocals that properly correct both far and reading is iffy at best. Some folks can do it and I might be able to do it as well, given enough time.

So I will wait for the single vision glasses and see what happens. I am (more strongly than ever) inclined to take the "bifocal variable" out of this equation, given that I can read (admittedly at very close distances only) without glasses.

dave

[bellken]

One variable being overlooked is the thickness of the glass. the thickness of the glass can be changed by changing the refractive index of the glass (bending light). If you are very near sighted, and want the thinnest lense possible, you will likely get high index lenses, which will have a higher index of refraction. Your vision straight ahead should be normal, but, as you look toward the edges of your glasses, you might notice a bit of distortion (i.e. you should line the putt from behind, because as soon as you get over the putt, your glasses will distort your view of the cup)

It takes me a few days to adapt to new glasses, but, after that, I can switch between new and old pretty easily.

[JoeF]

I too had the problems you all seem to be describing but solved them with Lasik. I actually have mono-vison lasik. One eye for distance the other for closer. The brain sorts out which eye to use automatically. Now being 59 in a few weeks and having presbyopia (sp) I do need to wear readers. And I can buy whatever sunglasses I want.

[DaveLeeNC]

[quote name='bellken' post='1994917' date='Oct 8 2009, 03:32 PM']One variable being overlooked is the thickness of the glass. the thickness of the glass can be changed by changing the refractive index of the glass (bending light). If you are very near sighted, and want the thinnest lense possible, you will likely get high index lenses, which will have a higher index of refraction. Your vision straight ahead should be normal, but, as you look toward the edges of your glasses, you might notice a bit of distortion (i.e. you should line the putt from behind, because as soon as you get over the putt, your glasses will distort your view of the cup)

It takes me a few days to adapt to new glasses, but, after that, I can switch between new and old pretty easily.[/quote]

I'm not sure that I would charactierize this as refractive index being ignored. But it is certainly fair to observe that it is unlikely that it has been optimally factored in.

In the original eye exam and eyeglasses fitting process, the focus was on the proper prescription and establishing the "same transition areas" between the old and new glasses. Refractive Index was pretty much ignored.

On Tuesday (when I had decided that adjusting to these new glasses was doable, but probably quite difficult), I decided to take the bifocal piece "out of the equation" with single vision glasses. And at this point I requested that the new, single vision glasses be made from the identical refractive index as my new bifocals. At this point my assumption was that adjustment to the new glasses was just a matter of time.

After my on the course experience the following day, I was questioning this basic assumption regarding my ability to adjust to the new glasses (or a similar single vision pair).

Time will tell.

dave

[DaveLeeNC]

[quote name='JoeF' post='1994979' date='Oct 8 2009, 04:04 PM']I too had the problems you all seem to be describing but solved them with Lasik. I actually have mono-vison lasik. One eye for distance the other for closer. The brain sorts out which eye to use automatically. Now being 59 in a few weeks and having presbyopia (sp) I do need to wear readers. And I can buy whatever sunglasses I want.[/quote]

I'm curious as to which eye is 'near' vs. 'far' relative to which of your eyes are dominant?

I used to play tennis with a guy who got a similar set of contact lenses (one eye for near and one eye for far vision). These contacts worked well for everything except the volley in tennis. He went from a decent player at the net to totally incompetent. I used to ask "Bill, you wearing your tennis contacts?".

After 5 or 6 matches he quit wearing these contacts (at least when playing tennis).

dave

ps. Several years ago I dug out an old (REALLY old) pair of single vision glasses from my younger days when I didn't need bifocals. I was curious about whether or not the fact that I was wearing bifocals mattered.

These old glasses were "OK" (for distance stuff), although I could tell that they were not totally "right". Not only could I not hit a golf ball (take this literally - a 5 handicapper could not make ball contact with a full swing - we are talking whiffs here), I would literally fall over on my follow-through. Keep in mind that I have a very controlled swing with very good balance. Let me restate this - without "catching myself" with the club used kind of as a cane on my follow-through, I would fall onto the ground. It really was that bad.

My best guess as to what was happening here is that my left eye (with these very old glasses) was very badly corrected vs. the right eye. I am right eye dominant and have a relatively full shoulder turn. I can't see the ball at the top of my backswing through my right eye (my nose is in the way). I decided (don't know how to know for sure) that the issue was that I was mostly looking at the ball through my dominant (right) eye until the top of the swing where my nose would get into the way and things would move to my left. Then on the downswing things switched back really fast, and my balance got all screwed up.

If I am correct then (for me) the same thing could happen with the bifocal correction that you described. But all this is a guess on my part.

[DaveLeeNC]

Just an update. I got new new single vision glasses today. I have not worn single vision glasses since the late 1980's, IIRC.

Truth be told these are really more comfortable than my bifocals when just driving/walking around (more comfortable than either the new or old bifocals). And they are more comfortable when addressing the ball. Of course these single vision glasses do occasionally present problems (e.g., I can't read the date on my digital watch, couldn't read the screen of my laptop on a bet, etc).

My best guess here is that there is going to be an adjustment period of indeterminate length. Today at the range it seemed that the shorter the club, the easier the adjustment. My driver was WAY OFF the toe almost the whole session today.

What I don't know is if wearing my (new) bifocals for non-golf purposes has a negative effect on the adjustment process.

OTOH, my sense of things is that these glasses may well improve my putting immediately. That would be my conclusion based on my practice green time today. I usually start my putting practice with 4 balls, and start with 2 20'ish footers and 2 30'ish footers. I made 3 or 4 of them - I don't recall that ever happening before (and a better sense of direction control seemed to exist in that critical 4' to 8' range). Time will tell.

Have a round scheduled for tomorrow but the forecast (to quote our local weather guy) is for "a day that would be considered crummy in January".

dave

[HackerD]

[quote name='DaveLeeNC' post='1991062' date='Oct 6 2009, 05:29 PM']I was back on the range today. And I found myself adjusting to my new glasses and figured that in another day or two (max) things would be 'back to normal'.

Then I went to the putting green. Short putts were an absolute disaster. I seriously considered taking my glasses off when putting from inside 10'. But I found that moving them down my nose about an inch was a better solution.

But immediately after my practice session I went back to the eyeglasses shop and ordered a pair of single vision (lightly tinted) glasses for golf. I just don't want to be dealing with this variable any longer.

dave[/quote]
+1 putting was my problem with progressive bifocals as well so I can not wear them while playing. My problem is I then have trouble reading a GPS or yardage book.

[DaveLeeNC]

An interesting follow-up to this thread.

A quick summary - I wear progressive bifocals (on the course and off). I recently got a new prescription and had a HORRIBLE time adjusting to the new glasses. I pretty quickly ended up with single vision (distance corection only) glasses that I have been wearing on the course for the past 2 months. That transition to the single vision glasses was quick and painless.

I was at the range today and, just because I forgot, I left my bifocals on. And I had no problems at all. So it would appear that I have adjusted to these new glasses - it just took a good bit of time to achieve that.

I would guess that this adjustment time was around 3-4 weeks. I say this because for the first month or so I had trouble judging how far the right side of my car was from the right side of our 2 car garage when I was pulling in (on the right side). That kind of went away in 3-4 weeks, IIRC.

In retrospect this was very interesting. When it was happening it was damned frustrating.

dave

[atlanta golfer]

[quote name='DaveLeeNC' post='2090303' date='Nov 28 2009, 08:33 PM']An interesting follow-up to this thread.

A quick summary - I wear progressive bifocals (on the course and off). I recently got a new prescription and had a HORRIBLE time adjusting to the new glasses. I pretty quickly ended up with single vision (distance corection only) glasses that I have been wearing on the course for the past 2 months. That transition to the single vision glasses was quick and painless.

I was at the range today and, just because I forgot, I left my bifocals on. And I had no problems at all. So it would appear that I have adjusted to these new glasses - it just took a good bit of time to achieve that.

I would guess that this adjustment time was around 3-4 weeks. I say this because for the first month or so I had trouble judging how far the right side of my car was from the right side of our 2 car garage when I was pulling in (on the right side). That kind of went away in 3-4 weeks, IIRC.

In retrospect this was very interesting. When it was happening it was damned frustrating.

dave[/quote]

I think you've hit the nail on the head. Personally, I've been wearing progressive bifocal glasses to play golf in, for the past three years, with no problems, except an initial period of a couple weeks getting fully used to them, both on and off the course. I think most people get so freaked out with their first few times trying them, they give up forever. The downside on giving up is, now you're stuck with two prescriptions for the next several decades. I think the other thing that happens is, depending on the quality of your eye doctor and the quality of what you choose for lenses and who will fit them for you, a fair number of people simply don't get the correct fitting to start with, which makes everything harder. Progressive bifocals are one of those items where you pretty much get what you pay for, and unfortunately, good ones are darn expensive.

[socalpops]

Hey Dave - Very interesting. I am a 35 y.o. that has been wearing bifocals with no prescription on the bottom since high school when I realized that I couldn't read with my glasses on. I've been golfing for at least a decade and find that in all athletics I always wear single vision glasses. Great to see that you've adjusted - I think I wear the single vision b/c I wore contacts in high school when I played more contact sports and have found that I have adjusted to the single vision lenses during sports - although I usually wear bifocals. I'm not sure that people who don't have this problem can understand it - it's still hard if I walk into the club house with my contacts on and have to put the menu on the other side of the table to read it. Thanks again for the thread - I'll remember this when I'm changing glasses or get a new prescription.

[HackerD]

[quote name='DaveLeeNC' post='2090303' date='Nov 28 2009, 08:33 PM']An interesting follow-up to this thread.

A quick summary - I wear progressive bifocals (on the course and off). I recently got a new prescription and had a HORRIBLE time adjusting to the new glasses. I pretty quickly ended up with single vision (distance corection only) glasses that I have been wearing on the course for the past 2 months. That transition to the single vision glasses was quick and painless.

I was at the range today and, just because I forgot, I left my bifocals on. And I had no problems at all. So it would appear that I have adjusted to these new glasses - it just took a good bit of time to achieve that.

I would guess that this adjustment time was around 3-4 weeks. I say this because for the first month or so I had trouble judging how far the right side of my car was from the right side of our 2 car garage when I was pulling in (on the right side). That kind of went away in 3-4 weeks, IIRC.

In retrospect this was very interesting. When it was happening it was damned frustrating.

dave[/quote]

dave, i was similarly able to adjust to bifocals, except for putting. I saw in an earlier post you had trouble putting. have you also successfully adapted with the putter?

[DaveLeeNC]

[quote name='HackerD ' post='2091024' date='Nov 29 2009, 08:35 AM'][quote name='DaveLeeNC' post='2090303' date='Nov 28 2009, 08:33 PM']An interesting follow-up to this thread.

A quick summary - I wear progressive bifocals (on the course and off). I recently got a new prescription and had a HORRIBLE time adjusting to the new glasses. I pretty quickly ended up with single vision (distance corection only) glasses that I have been wearing on the course for the past 2 months. That transition to the single vision glasses was quick and painless.

I was at the range today and, just because I forgot, I left my bifocals on. And I had no problems at all. So it would appear that I have adjusted to these new glasses - it just took a good bit of time to achieve that.

I would guess that this adjustment time was around 3-4 weeks. I say this because for the first month or so I had trouble judging how far the right side of my car was from the right side of our 2 car garage when I was pulling in (on the right side). That kind of went away in 3-4 weeks, IIRC.

In retrospect this was very interesting. When it was happening it was damned frustrating.

dave[/quote]

dave, i was similarly able to adjust to bifocals, except for putting. I saw in an earlier post you had trouble putting. have you also successfully adapted with the putter?
[/quote]

My practice session was a bit abbreviated yesterday and I was at my "shag area" instead of the course range/practice area. So I haven't tried it yet.

My inclination is still to stick with the single vision glasses for golf.

dave

[sheldonjhacker]

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