Varifocals and hill walking

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 Rob Exile Ward 06 May 2021

Well, it finally happened. Although I've been wearing varis for 20+years I've never  needed to wear them walking or climbing. I've started in the last year or so, and have been very unsettled, especially on rough descents.

Yesterday I had my first tumble, walking down the path from Cautley Spout. A momentary lapse of concentration, for sure, but I'm also convinced that wearing varis didn't help... At a step in the path I went to put my foot down and suddenly the ground was further away than I'd expected and over I went, head over heels and into a stream! It could have been an MR job but other than a few bruises and hurt pride I got away with it.

Food for thought - I'll be more careful wearing varis in the future,  and suggest that others might consider similar - maybe your/our unsteadiness isn't simply old age?

 Tim Davies 06 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

I too wear varifocals. At first my foot placements were a bit more sketchy. Until I saw your post I hadn’t thought about it recently. Guess I’ve got used to it ! 

 GrahamD 06 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

I wear varis, but never for hill walking.  As you found, pretty disconcerting. If i needed glasses for walking I'd probably get some inexpensive long vision ones.

 Ridge 06 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

I had to start with varifocals a few years ago, initially for work.

I found them disconcerting at first, particularly when driving. However I now wear them constantly, including for walking and fell running (except when its raining, when I have one contect lens for distance work and use my uncorrected eye for closeup), and have no issues whatsoever.

You brain fairly quickly learns to sort out the disorientation issues if you persevere.

Post edited at 17:53
 Welsh Kate 06 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

Glad the injuries were slight! I have to concentrate walking down stairs in my varifocals and really make sure I tip my head to look properly. I wear contacts in the outdoors so avoid the problem, but if contacts aren't your cup of tea a cheapo pair of plain distances lenses would work as long as you don't mind carrying a reading pair as well for those need to look at the map moments.

 Sl@te Head 06 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

I used bifocal sunglasses for the first time when paragliding the other week (so that I could see my altimeter). It was a surreal experience coming into land, looking down everything below me was blurred!

 Pedro50 06 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

I guess it depends on how strong the lower reading bit needs to be. When I first started wearing them my rock climbing footwork was a bit sketchy but now I have no problems walking or climbing. 

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

Bear with it. Took me about six weeks to get the hang of them. At first I kept moving my head up and down to help me focus. Once I got my eyes trained it became a lot easier. I didn't have any falls but did experience stair rearing up at me and feeling a bit unsure at first going downhill.

 Doug 06 May 2021
In reply to Welsh Kate:

I remember all but falling down the stairs leaving my office on one of the first days of wearing my varifocals & thought I'd never adapt. But I did in a few weeks.

Oddly I've had to wear sunglasses a bit recently & only have a pair with 'ordinary' lenses & they seemed odd after so many years of varifocals.

 Marek 06 May 2021
In reply to Welsh Kate:

I think it's a mistake to swap from varifocals to non. The brain will fairly quicky learn to cope with varifocal distortion, but if you keep swapping you're just making it more difficult.

I had trouble going downstairs in varifocals the first day I got them, but after a week they were no problem. The only thing I do find, though is if I'm running is the dark (wide open iris -> worst case focus), the path ahead is in the 'reading' part of my field of view and hence blurred. I can dip my head, but that's a pain after a while.

 Billhook 06 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

It happened to me at first.  You soon adjust and get used to them and your foo tplacement will get back to normal.

 wercat 08 May 2021
In reply to Billhook:

you need a pair with one of those loud autopilot voices that says things like "Pull Up, Pull Up" or "Terrain, Terrain" or "Proximity Alert "

 Pete Pozman 08 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

What were you saying about me being reduced to hillwalking only? Sounds like that's quite enough excitement.

Without my varifocals I'd starve to death as I wouldn't be able to find the fridge. You'll get used to 'em. 

 Sean Kelly 09 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

Now what is tricky, is climbing on a hard route with very spaced gear and one of my varifocal optics dropped out...like climbing by Braile!

 wercat 09 May 2021
In reply to Pete Pozman:

I don't think I'd get on at all well with them.  As I like to do stuff with small things and hot solder I find myself becoming more and more like prof. Branestawm - specs for far things, specs for near things, spare specs lying about, specs for searching for specs that I've lost .... On occasion having watch makers magnifier in each eye ..

Post edited at 17:39
 brianjcooper 09 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

I can still walk and climb without glasses. But have bi-focals with long and near focus for driving, reading etc. With Vari-focals I could only read a few words of a line in a book and had to constantly move my head left to right. I was like a noddy-dog!  

Post edited at 19:48
 HB1 09 May 2021
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:.

> Food for thought - I'll be more careful wearing varis in the future,  and suggest that others might consider similar - maybe your/our unsteadiness isn't simply old age?

I'm old, but I have no trouble whatsoever with varifocals. I had a pal who did. His glasses were very narrow, so not so much room for the change. Mine are a little bigger and so the change is more gradual. Having said that, although I've worn glasses all my life (astigmatism) I never wear them when I'm off-road running


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