Those aging eyes.....

Fro

Fro

Experienced
I'm 46, and I've been wearing glasses since I was 6. Bad eyesight is something I'm very familiar with. I can't drive without the glasses, and I can't read set lists without them either. So the glasses never leave me. Now I've finally hit that age where one prescription isn't correcting my sight at all distances. I now need to take the glasses off to read, etc. It's been a couple years since I've been to the eye doctor, and I have an appointment to go tomorrow. I'm fully expecting I'm going to need some complex lenses.

My question is, how do you handle bifocals or similar type glasses when you play guitar and need to glance down to see the pedal board or set lists, etc.? I can't imagine the bottom of the glasses portioned off for reading if I also need to look down at a distance. What do you do?

Thanks!

eyes.jpg
 
I hear you ... no solution but I share your frustration with eyes that are no longer as sharp as they used to be ... makes looking at guitar, charts, and pedal board a disorienting challenge ... one more challenge to deal with ... as if the instrument itself wasn't enough ...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fro
they make "progressives" now that don't have a distinct line separating the top of the glass from the bottom, it's more of a gradual change, but I have a hard time with those too.
 
I'm 52 and recently had to start wearing glasses and bifocals were the best solution for me. I did have to find the deepest/tallest frame I liked and have the bifocal located as far to the bottom of the lense as possible. They typically set them 13-15mm from the bottom of the lense but I was able to get it down to 10mm. Huge difference! I still have to bend my head down a bit further to see my board over the bifocal line but it's not too bad. I will say, it's so nice to see the fret dots again.
 
You might try 'half moon' glasses. I use them all the time. I can see fine over 2-3 feet, but reading is tougher, so I do this thing where I'm looking over the top of these glasses much of the time.

Not sexy on stage, but grow a beard and go for the 'Dumbledore' look.

I just get standard reading glasses at this point, but you can get your prescription too. Reading glasses are MUCH cheaper, and you can keep a pile of them in your gigging gear.

Amazon product ASIN B01DR7QFB0
 
For me the solution is to put the setlist on an iphone on my mic stand. I use BandHelper and SetlistMaker same thing one is subscription the other one time purchase. Just touch the song in the list and it changes my preset on the Axe FX. Light or dark stage doesn't matter you can still see it. Then all I have to look down for is scene changes and expression pedals
 
I use reading glasses on top of my normal glasses as well. Tried graduated lenses once, but the " sweet spot" was so small i had to turn my head to scan a page of music, do-able for guitar but useless for sax/flute which I also play.
Other thing going on is my eyes have been changing over the last 5 years or so, and those graduate lenses are pretty damn expensive!
As for checking setlist...*sigh, just look like an old geezer pfaffing around with his glasses for a bit, then blow the crowd away with a fully righteous guitar solo!!
Works for me!
In my mind...
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Fro
I use progressive lenses and tilt my head when needing to see my pedal baord through the "non-reading distance" portion of the lense.

Once it becomes a habit, you don't notice any issues at all.
 
I started needing reading glasses soon after i tuned 40. I hated glasses, even progressives, for playing guitar. For me the answer is progressive contact lenses.
 
I'm 57, been near sighted my whole life, started needing reading glasses about 10 years ago. I used bifocals for a while, but never liked them. I ended up doing Lasik surgery for mono vision, i.e. My right eye now has great distance vision and my left is good for close. It's not perfect, but without glasses, I can function fine. When I drive, I have some glasses with distance correction for left eye only.

Lasik is not really painful, but it is unpleasant to go through. I could smell my eyeballs burning as they did it. Then it hurts for about 3 hours after. It was about 5 years ago.
 
addedc said:
I'm 57, been near sighted my whole life, started needing reading glasses about 10 years ago. I used bifocals for a while, but never liked them. I ended up doing Lasik surgery for mono vision, i.e. My right eye now has great distance vision and my left is good for close. It's not perfect, but without glasses, I can function fine. When I drive, I have some glasses with distance correction for left eye only.

Lasik is not really painful, but it is unpleasant to go through. I could smell my eyeballs burning as they did it. Then it hurts for about 3 hours after. It was about 5 years ago.
Click to expand...

Did it Lasik 10 year ago, best I ever did, I opted for perfect vision on both eyes and still great, no need for reading glasses (yet). Im 53 this year.
Same un-comfort as you describe it, but way less than going to the dentist ;)
 
I am suffering through vision degradation. There are no answers as far as I can tell.
In the days of our great-great-grandchildren they'll culture new eyeballs for guys like us.
 
Great to "see" so many people here with aging eyes like myself.
I hate the fact that I can't see squat - within 2 feet of my face anymore.
I've complained since it started around 5-6 years ago. Now I've decided to just be happy that I'm able to put a pair of glasses on , ( when I need them ) and can see !

It's another obstacle in life , but at least we have the option. Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom