Went in for new glasses last month and was told I needed to get progressive lenses already to correct age-related presbyopia (i.e. having trouble reading small text close up). Apparently this is common once you get past 40 years old.

It wasn't too bad with the older glasses, but they said if I get the higher adjustment for the nearsightedness correction (the "S" column in the below image), then it would get worse, so I needed the adjustment already. This meant this year's glasses cost a bit more than it used to.

The new eyeglasses came in last week. So far they seem fine? I was told there would be a bit of an adjustment period but I didn't have too much trouble, though my eyes easily got tired for a while. The progressive lenses have a "viewing window" where I have to look straight ahead for a 100% clear view; looking peripherally or to the side introduces a slight bluriness. It's not too bad; I need to consciously try it in order to notice.

It's always great having new glasses because suddenly the world looks much, much clearer than it used to be. During my walks this past week I found myself reading a lot of the shop signs I passed by, including the smaller texts.

I think I've been using eyeglasses for around 25 years now. I got my first prescription back when I was college. I still remember realizing my eyes were getting bad when I had trouble reading the signboards off jeepneys when it was late at night at Philcoa as I was commuting home.

It's a bit weird because my brothers didn't need to get corrective lenses that early in life. I would suspect it's because I had the most computer use among us. In Filipino parlance, "kaka-kompyuter mo yan", though I'm sure there's some genetics tossed in there too, as poor eyesight is prevalent on my mother's side. Maybe I got the short end of the genetic lottery.

I don't have a conclusion for this post. It's just random glasses thoughts and an observance of how I'm getting old.

Related: My Eyeglasses Belong to the Sea (2005), Breaking my glasses while on a foreign trip (2015)

(Click photos to view full-size)

So it looks like I got increased nearsightedness and the ADD for the presbyopia

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New glasses are thicker-rimmed than the older ones. I wanted the added protection for the lenses because the last ones had some chipping on the side. Also: I kept so many of the old eyeglasses and cases lol

20230209_232141.jpg Feb. 11, 2023, 3:04 p.m. Close