Varifocals ot two pairs of glasses?

A few years ago my optician persuaded me to try varifocals but I had to return them after a few days as they made me feel almost sea sick. I now have 3 pairs of glasses. Distance for driving - and reading questions on Pointless / subtitles, Intermediates for working on the computer / cooking and a pair of Readers. I also keep a pair of prescription sunglasses in the car. There's also a pair or two of old readers that I keep in my bag for when I go shopping. It drives my DH to distraction when he sees me wandering around looking for my glasses and I won't go into the stash of previous glasses which can be used as a back up.....

Have had varifocals for 30 odd years, and never had any problems; they are easy to get used to. I have the reactolite ones, so they go dark in the sunshine. I also have prescription sunglasses as well.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 same here.
I have the varilux lenses with the widest field of vision at the bottom. I like the fact that I don't need to change my glasses to do anything during the day.

I do have a separate pair of sunglasses though, same prescription.
I tried reactolite lenses but as I'm long sighted my lenses are thicker in the middle, take longer to clear and seemed to be dark when they didn't need to be. I found that claustrophobic and depressing.

I've never bought online.
The staff at Boots spend ages measuring the new frames, pinpointing exactly where my pupils will be and always get a second person to confirm.
This makes sure the three zones of vision are in exactly the right place. Don't know how I'd get that online?

Boots give a 20% clubcard discount for over 60s which is very helpful 🤓

When I first had varifocals I was warned it would take a couple of weeks for my brain to adjust to them.
I had to hold the banister and walk very carefully downstairs, fortunately I didn't fall. That must be frightening.
When I turned round in the kitchen the worktop seemed to undulate, that was weird!
Didn't last though.

It seems that some people find it easier to adjust to varifocals than others. My DH couldn't get on with them at all despite giving it a really good try.

Unfortunately, there is really only one (expensive) way to find out.

I have tried varifocals several times, including the most expensive, but I can't get on with them, especially for laptop use. I therefore have bi-focals which are perfect in all situations.

The price of taking a chance on the different options is high admittedly.

I always keep a pair of driving glasses on the dashboard of my car so I remember to put them on [even then I sometimes drive off and forget and have to pull over]. Given that the driving glasses are the most inportant for insurance reasons perhaps get a pair of normal anti glare driving glasses for the car but some varifocals for reading and in the house so you can get used to them. Or does it confuse your vision if you try to use both types?

Thank you for all these replies. If I have varifocals but don’t wear them all day long does my brain have to readjust to the varifocals all the time - eg going up and down some stairs maybe with them on or maybe off. Or is it effortless either way once used to the varifocals? Sorry to be a pain, you have all been so helpful but I just can’t decide!

I’ve only just realised that there are vari focals and bifocals!

I couldn't get on with varifocals, always felt like the floor was coming up to smack me in the face..I had labyrinthitis twice in the past so don't know if that's anything to do with it,am happy with two pairs

It seems that they sometimes take some getting used to and age can be a problem. If it's your first ever adventure with varifocals, I was told that it's better not to consider this once you're a long-established Grandparent! However fit and stable one's balance and walking, some don't get used to them so that money is wasted or accidents occur.

Or, as my Optician put it when I suggested I tried some varifocals similar to my Husband's glasses, "ooh no, think you're too old". Fortunately he was (and remains) a friend!!

He pointed out that stairs and steps and uneven ground, pavement edges etc., are all traps for the unwary even without eyesight difficulties. Once you feel that the floor might be coming up 'to smack you in the face', that's really uncomfortable and worrying. Past bouts of Vertigo would also have had some bearing on my getting used to such new glasses, so I stuck to 2 pairs. Not a huge inconvenience for excellent eyesight and no worries about where I was putting my feet.

I’ve had both varifocals plus reading glasses for many years. Even after having a cataract removed, when they replace your own lens with a distance vision artificial one, I was told I would always need separate close-up glasses. I change glasses constantly all day long and they’re always smeary.
I also have varifocal sun glasses and magnifying glasses for embroidery!

I have been wearing them for years now. However for me it depends on the brand of lense.
I buy a pair at least every 2 years,( I'm a glasses fan) but my last pair there was only a year between. As I particularly liked the frames but I wanted them in a diffrent colour. However my normal lense "Nikon" had changed the format and was about another £150 extra, the Optician recommended "Zeiss" as it was, she said the practically the same as my older lense. I went with that but couldn't get on with them at all.
Luckily, they changed my lenses back to Nikon, and surprisingly they didn't change me.
To add.. I wanted new Mau jim Sunglasses this summer, as mine are starting to look a bit tatty... With my prescription lenses, the Glasses I picked over £ 800.. I have passed for this year.

I would much prefer 2 different pairs. I always keep both in my bag so don’t forget them and if Im not driving/ tele/ reading all the rest of the day I’m not wearing any at all.

My friend couldn’t get used to the change in perspective with varifocals she’s said they made her feel dizzy and lose her spatial awareness, probably not usual but something to be aware of maybe?

I tried varifocals several times over the years, all to no avail.

I then found a fantastic optician who suggested contact lenses for long distance/middle distance , for driving, tv etc, plus reading glasses on top for occasional use.
The perfect solution for me.

I need prescription glasses for everyday use, and also reading/computer, etc/ I tried varifocals several years ago, couldn't get on with them - they made me feel dizzy, nauseous and off-balance. I asked about bifocals last year, but the optician said the difference between my long sight and short sight is too great, so she recommended I stick with 2 pairs. I've got 2 pairs of each.

I was one who just couldn't get on with varifocals. I now have 3 pairs of glasses - one for close-up reading, one for working on my PC and one for driving, TV-watching.

It is a pain keeping track of them all but better than feeling dizzy and nauseous with varifocals.

Thank you everyone am still not sure what to do but will have to decide soon as driving license will run out!

I’m 69, like you I’ve used reading glasses for years and have cheap 2.5 strength pairs all around the house and in the car. I was finding it harder to read the tv menu, and sometimes getting woozy reading in the evening, so I had an eye test in June. Advice was to have varifocals, that I needed them for driving and watching tv, and to wear them all day, every day as I’d need to get used to them.

I agree they are needed for tv and I do wear them for driving, but I can’t comfortably read with them - books or my phone - and I feel wobbly when I walk in them. They’re ok from the car to the supermarket, but not walking the dogs through the woods and definitely feel hazardous trying to go downstairs in them. A disappointing £220 and I wish I’d just given up trying to watch tv at all.

I prefer to have quite small reading glasses with thin frames so I can read with them but then walk round the house peering over the top of them but larger glasses with thicker frames for driving.

I've had my varifocals for 6 weeks, previously I was a reading-glasses only case.
I love them, they didn't take much getting used to & I do have a couple of bouts of vertigo in my history.
I think it's because I used to walk around (eg to get the washing in if I was in the middle of a book) with my reading glasses on so I couldn't really see, so any distortion with varifocals is minimal compared to that.
Specsavers are doing a 90 day trial of varifocals at the moment, refund if you don't get on with them.
If you are very organised, 2 different pairs might work but I am just too scatty for that. I don't likke needing them but it's a joy to have clear distance vision again.

One more follow up
Still dithering even after reading all your helpful comments. I think might be worth my while trying varifocals as I need my reading glasses for quite a lot indoors particularly eg iPad , peeling veg , any reading etc and then I need long distance for driving and tv but I wondered if I didn’t wear them all the time eg I don’t really need for gardening, walking the dog, generally socialising, can you leave them off or does your brain just get addled? Or, if you wear constantly till you get used to them does your brain then just readjust according to whether glasses on or off? Think I am just a bit resistant to the idea of wearing glasses all the time. As am in mid seventies a bit silly, but thats me. Thank you!

I wore varifocals all day everyday for decades and loved them. Post cataracts surgery I no longer wear glasses , except for a cheap pair of readers for screen and books.

If you go for varifocals you need to have them precribed and fitted by a really good optometrist. It's vitally important that your face holds your spec frames in the right place so that your eye is looking through the right part of the varifocal lens.
Some lens depths won't accommodate vf prescription.

So the optometrist needs to tell you which frames will and wont work for the lens you need. Then having chosen the right frame. they need to put it on your face and mark the lens to show the lens maker where your pupil sits.

None of the above can be DIY'd by you buying specs online. And as far as I can see from friends unsatisfactory varifocals Specsavers customers don't get that level of service.

I used to go for the thinnest swiss lenses I could afford. Expensive but so worth it.

Twinsgranny , I am in exactly the sane situation as you and not sure about going down the varifocal route. I have prescription distance glasses for driving, theatre and tv. Also prescription reading glasses but I also buy ready readers online.
I asked my optician about this and she told me ready readers will not damage my eyes. I do get a bit fed up messing about with two pairs! but like you I dont want to have glasses on all the time. I am also in my mid 70s . Its a dilemma!!

Twinsgranny have you thought about contact lenses plus readers for occasional use? It’s the perfect solution for me.

I don’t need wear the lenses every day, it depends on what I’m doing.