reading glasses and computers

I hate to say it, but my $5.00 pair of reading glasses from the
pharmacy -- which are great for reading books -- just don't focus at
my lap top screen which is about two and a half feet in front of me.

On May 18, 7:12*pm, Ian wrote:
I hate to say it, but my $5.00 pair of reading glasses from the
pharmacy -- which are great for reading books -- just don't focus at
my lap top screen which is about two and a half feet in front of me.

In my own case, I find that I need to use drug store reading glasses
for the computer that are much less powerful than those I use for
reading print.

\Paul A

On May 18, 8:01*pm, palsing wrote:
On May 18, 7:12*pm, Ian wrote:

I hate to say it, but my $5.00 pair of reading glasses from the
pharmacy -- which are great for reading books -- just don't focus at
my lap top screen which is about two and a half feet in front of me.

In my own case, I find that I need to use drug store reading glasses
for the computer that are much less powerful than those I use for
reading print.

\Paul A

I am currently using 1.75, but I will have to toy with other strengths
and use two separate pairs. I would like to have it all in one pair,
because while writing quotes from a book I look down at the book, then
up at the computer. I would think they would make bifocal reading
glasses where the lower half focuses at the book, the top half at the
computer. Kind of like the bifocal reading/driving glasses.

"Ian" wrote in message
...
|I hate to say it, but my $5.00 pair of reading glasses from the
| pharmacy -- which are great for reading books -- just don't focus at
| my lap top screen which is about two and a half feet in front of me.
|
Put your nose as close to the screen as you put a book to your nose.
When I went to the optician she gave me some text which I held at
arm's length.
She said "You don't read a book at arm's length, do you?"
I replied "I look at a computer screen at arm's length".
I have one pair of varifocals for driving and reading, and one
pair fixed focal plane for the computer.

On May 19, 12:16*am, "Androcles" .
2011 wrote:
"Ian" wrote in message

...
|I hate to say it, but my $5.00 pair of reading glasses from the
| pharmacy -- which are great for reading books -- just don't focus at
| my lap top screen which is about two and a half feet in front of me.
|
Put your nose as close to the screen as you put a book to your nose.
When I went to the optician she gave me some text which I held at
arm's length.
She said "You don't read a book at arm's length, do you?"
I replied "I look at a computer screen at arm's length".
I have one pair of varifocals for driving and reading, and one
pair fixed focal plane for the computer.

That is what I want, a pair fixed for the focal plane of a computer. I
don't think I will find them at the drugstore, though. I will have to
get a prescription pair. That is okay, I am tired of looking through
plastic lenses, they are a little murky.

In article ,
Ian writes:
I am currently using 1.75, but I will have to toy with other strengths
and use two separate pairs.

It may help you to know that "diopters" are the reciprocal of focal
length in meters. If your eyes are corrected for distant vision, the
computer screen at 1 meter distance needs about 1 diopter of
correction, and printed material at half a meter needs about 2
diopters. (Feel free to put in your own preferred distances and do
the arithmetic.) Bifocals work well for me.

--
Help keep our newsgroup healthy; please don't feed the trolls.
Steve Willner Phone 617-495-7123
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA

On May 19, 11:05*am, (Steve Willner) wrote:
In article ,

*Ian writes:
I am currently using 1.75, but I will have to toy with other strengths
and use two separate pairs.

It may help you to know that "diopters" are the reciprocal of focal
length in meters. *If your eyes are corrected for distant vision, the
computer screen at 1 meter distance needs about 1 diopter of
correction, and printed material at half a meter needs about 2
diopters. *(Feel free to put in your own preferred distances and do
the arithmetic.) *Bifocals work well for me.

--
Help keep our newsgroup healthy; please don't feed the trolls.
Steve Willner * * * * * *Phone 617-495-7123 * *
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA * * * * * * * *

I see, so that number written on drugstore glasses, are diopters not
multiples of magnification. That does help. Thanks.

Ian wrote:
I hate to say it, but my $5.00 pair of reading glasses from the
pharmacy -- which are great for reading books -- just don't focus at
my lap top screen which is about two and a half feet in front of me.

You probably hold books closer than 2.5 feet. Get a slightly weaker pair
just for computer screen use, so that the focus is at screen distance
(usually further away than a book).

My wife complained recently that her neck was aching. I watched her using
the computer, and it was obvious that she was tilting her head back to use
the varifocal reading segment. I told her to go to the opticians to get a
pair of reading glasses optimised for computer work (they would know what to
do in terms of diopter strength) and presto, that worked perfectly and she
is a happy bunny now.

The only downside is needing to carry two pairs of glasses instead of one.

The diopter strength (as Steve Willner says) is the inverse focal length in
metres. So what you need is probably something like the reading strength -
0.25.

You are lucky if both eyes have the same prescription, mine sure don't.

--
Mike Dworetsky

(Remove pants sp*mbl*ck to reply)

On May 20, 7:48*am, "Mike Dworetsky"
wrote:
Ian wrote:
I hate to say it, but my $5.00 pair of reading glasses from the
pharmacy -- which are great for reading books -- just don't focus at
my lap top screen which is about two and a half feet in front of me.

You probably hold books closer than 2.5 feet. *Get a slightly weaker pair
just for computer screen use, so that the focus is at screen distance
(usually further away than a book).

My wife complained recently that her neck was aching. *I watched her using
the computer, and it was obvious that she was tilting her head back to use
the varifocal reading segment. *I told her to go to the opticians to get a
pair of reading glasses optimised for computer work (they would know what to
do in terms of diopter strength) and presto, that worked perfectly and she
is a happy bunny now.

The only downside is needing to carry two pairs of glasses instead of one..

The diopter strength (as Steve Willner says) is the inverse focal length in
metres. *So what you need is probably something like the reading strength -
0.25.

You are lucky if both eyes have the same prescription, mine sure don't.

--
Mike Dworetsky

(Remove pants sp*mbl*ck to reply)

Thanks, I will try that. It is good to know, I will get some drugstore
glasses as extra pairs, but I think I am read for a prescription set,
too, adjusted for the computer because the drugstore glasses have
plastic lenses, a little murky, I am ready to look through glass.

Ian wrote:
On May 20, 7:48 am, "Mike Dworetsky"
wrote:
Ian wrote:
I hate to say it, but my $5.00 pair of reading glasses from the
pharmacy -- which are great for reading books -- just don't focus at
my lap top screen which is about two and a half feet in front of me.

You probably hold books closer than 2.5 feet. Get a slightly weaker
pair just for computer screen use, so that the focus is at screen
distance (usually further away than a book).

My wife complained recently that her neck was aching. I watched her
using the computer, and it was obvious that she was tilting her head
back to use the varifocal reading segment. I told her to go to the
opticians to get a pair of reading glasses optimised for computer
work (they would know what to do in terms of diopter strength) and
presto, that worked perfectly and she is a happy bunny now.

The only downside is needing to carry two pairs of glasses instead
of one.

The diopter strength (as Steve Willner says) is the inverse focal
length in metres. So what you need is probably something like the
reading strength -
0.25.

You are lucky if both eyes have the same prescription, mine sure
don't.

--
Mike Dworetsky

(Remove pants sp*mbl*ck to reply)

Thanks, I will try that. It is good to know, I will get some drugstore
glasses as extra pairs, but I think I am read for a prescription set,
too, adjusted for the computer because the drugstore glasses have
plastic lenses, a little murky, I am ready to look through glass.

The optician can also check you for astigmatism, which can cause blurred
vision. Even a little bit, that you might not notice every day because you
are used to it, can be corrected and you may be surprised how much things
improve.

Modern spectacles are made with special shatterproof plastic, not glass, for
safety reasons. I don't find any problems with the quality of the lenses.

--
Mike Dworetsky

(Remove pants sp*mbl*ck to reply)