New eyeglass wearer seeking advice

[hotlantaman]

I'm 43, vision still good, but noticing eye strain/fatigue as the day progresses at work. I had my eyes examined, and my optometrist is recommending a progressive lens to wear some, if not all of the day to reduce the eye strain. He also gave me a single vision RX if I want something just for reading/computer use. The prescription is relatively minor:
Sphere Cyl Axis Add
OD -0.75 -0.50 180 +1.25
OS -0.25 -0.25 13 +1.25

My optometrist recommended Panamic/CR39 lenses. Of course, as I tend to do, I had to start researching different makes of lenses, benefits/drawbacks, etc.; probably just causing more work for myself than necessary. A few questions for you in the know:

1. Is the Panamic a good choice for a partial to all day use, some of that being in front of a computer (side by side 18" flat panel monitors)? Are there others to consider?

2. At this level of prescription, how noticeable would the differences be between the Panamic, the Zeiss, and others?

3. Surprising myself, I am drawn to an Oakley frame. Any feedback on their frames? What about their lenses? Is it best to have the lenses made locally, or have Oakley make them?

I appreciate your feedback.

[hcjilson]

Suggest you try our search engine for comparative opinions on different brands. Also try looking around the product review forum for lens reviews.
Oakley makes an outstanding product, but expect to pay dearly for the lenses if they are processed by Oakley.

[spartus]

The Panamic is being phased out in favor of the new Physio, so you may want to go in that direction. However, there is no CR39 Physio quite yet--probably another 6 weeks or so until it'll be available. It's available now in polycarbonate, which will cost more. The other caveat is that there are some who have trouble adapting to wearing poly, but that's a person-by-person situation.

Oakley frames are very good quality, by and large, and the styles are getting better and better. There are some dogs still in the line, but they're doing an admirable job of starting to make stuff adults will wear.

As for Oakley making the lenses for you, two things: Panamic is their primary progressive for the time being, and they only offer it in polycarb. The only ophthalmic frames I would recommend sending direct to Oakley are the drill-mounted frames, and that's not even a requirement. It's nicer, but not strictly necessary.

And Harry, maybe I'm used to higher prices, but Oakley's suggested retail is not much higher than we'd charge a patient for an equivalent job through our regular lab.

[Judy Canty]

I'm 43, vision still good, but noticing eye strain/fatigue as the day progresses at work. I had my eyes examined, and my optometrist is recommending a progressive lens to wear some, if not all of the day to reduce the eye strain. He also gave me a single vision RX if I want something just for reading/computer use. The prescription is relatively minor:
Sphere Cyl Axis Add
OD -0.75 -0.50 180 +1.25
OS -0.25 -0.25 13 +1.25

My optometrist recommended Panamic/CR39 lenses. Of course, as I tend to do, I had to start researching different makes of lenses, benefits/drawbacks, etc.; probably just causing more work for myself than necessary. A few questions for you in the know:

1. Is the Panamic a good choice for a partial to all day use, some of that being in front of a computer (side by side 18" flat panel monitors)? Are there others to consider?

2. At this level of prescription, how noticeable would the differences be between the Panamic, the Zeiss, and others?

3. Surprising myself, I am drawn to an Oakley frame. Any feedback on their frames? What about their lenses? Is it best to have the lenses made locally, or have Oakley make them?

I appreciate your feedback.

Consumers are allowed to post on the Board, as long as the posts concern general eyecare related topics. However please be aware that any questions that involve diagnosing specific eyecare and eyewear problems are not appropriate for an online discussion forum. These kinds of questions should be discussed with a qualified eyecare professional who has examined you and is familiar with your situation. Posts asking for diagnostic help will be closed or removed.

[mneblung]

Hi Hotlantaman,

I'm just a consumer also, so I guess it's OK for me to answer questions. You sound like me in the research of what you are getting and trying to gain knowledge and make sure you get the right thing. I've worn glasses since I was young, but at 45 I was told it was time to get progressives. I knew it was coming as the eye strain was getting to me too.

I would agree with the suggestion made regarding the Physio and maybe you should look at the Physio 360. I read the propaganda and the 360 says it give you wider corridors then the physio and is optimized for an office enviroment. I figured with some of the stories I've heard about making the adjustment to progressives, I would get all the help I could in making the transition. I can't tell you if I made the right choice yet as they messed up the lenses and got the height and PD wrong. Talk about eyestrain while trying them out.....

What Oakley frame did you like? I looked at and like the "Why 4" frame, but in the end opted for the Silhouette Min Art frames. They had problems getting Oakley's in.

Go back and read some of the old posts here, as there is alot of help and ideas. This board has seemed to crack down in the last week on some consumer questions as you saw in one of your replies, but the old posts are helpful.

I will say that I am glad I found the board to help me research when I was in the same position as you are about a month ago.

Good Luck,

Mark

[spartus]

Consumers are allowed to post on the Board, as long as the posts concern general eyecare related topics. However please be aware that any questions that involve diagnosing specific eyecare and eyewear problems are not appropriate for an online discussion forum. These kinds of questions should be discussed with a qualified eyecare professional who has examined you and is familiar with your situation. Posts asking for diagnostic help will be closed or removed.

If that's directed at me, I made a conscious effort to pass on only factual knowledge and not specifically recommend a given course for the poster.

What I said is basically true and extremely general: Panamic is being discontinued, Oakley frames are pretty good quality, and, while it costs more, some people have problems with poly. If there's a problem with being that general, hoo boy.

[hotlantaman]

Consumers are allowed to post on the Board, as long as the posts concern general eyecare related topics. However please be aware that any questions that involve diagnosing specific eyecare and eyewear problems are not appropriate for an online discussion forum. These kinds of questions should be discussed with a qualified eyecare professional who has examined you and is familiar with your situation. Posts asking for diagnostic help will be closed or removed.

Apologies if I did anything incorrect. I did see an optometrist, received a prescription and have no plans to do anything different without discussing it with him. However, after doing a little research, I now have questions that I did not know to ask when I had my eyes examined (I did not do any research before the exam, not knowing that I was going to need glasses). I found this board and thought this might be a good sounding board to see if I have legitimate questions to take back to my optometrist. In my mind, I am not asking anyone to diagnose anything; just trying to determine whether or not I should have a further discussion about my diagnosis with the doctor who provided me with it.

[fjpod]

I don't know...maybe it is just me,,,but, has anyone else noticed that the "informed" consumers here lately all present their "case" much like a person involved in the optical industry, and they all use the same grammar, syntax, spelling and sentence structure? It's remarkable.

[hcjilson]

I agree and am closing this thread. A question for the new member, why didn't you follow the advice given in my earlier post?? All you had to do was use the search engine.