[Otto Nobedder]

If we could find a way to put every skill on this forum together in one place, I'll bet we could turn the prosthetics industry on it's head...

[Superiorwelding]

If we could find a way to put every skill on this forum together in one place, I'll bet we could turn the prosthetics industry on it's head...

I second that!!!
-Jonathan

[AKweldshop]

Third.

[GreinTime]

Obviously, I'll be the guinea pig lol. Unless the rest of you are holding out!

--Sam

[mbmalone]

I was wondering of anyone had tried the Multifocal Hybrid Contact Lens from SynergEyes which came out in 2008. I called the company which explained how the bifocal is centered on the contact which allows you to see clearly when looking overhead and off to either side, without having to search for the bifocal. I told them I wanted to wear them while welding and there were not any welding-related issues beyond those normally encountered with soft contacts. The lens is a combination of soft and hard lens and I am told will give you phenomenal vision, compared with glasses.

You have to locate a local eye-doctor which can specifically prescribe SynergEyes Multifocals. I think you're looking at approx 4x the cost of regular contact lenses, but they are custom fitted and larger than normal contacts. I don't know if it's worth it, but they might be.

http://www.synergeyes.com/consumer/duet ... multifocal

[Bill Beauregard]

about 14 years ago I was in my early forties. I started noticing that glasses I had been wearing since childhood weren't giving perfect focus unless I looked through the center of the lens. Doctors explained that the plastic they were made from were not as good as optical glass. To make them from glass would be very heavy, (slide down my nose), and risk shatter. The only solution would be contact lenses. With astigmatism, (eye not spherical) they must be weighted on bottom to stay right side up. Each visit to the doctor he adjusts by 5 degrees never perfecting stability. Sometimes it's perfect, sometimes I need to adjust with my finger.
Lately I've needed reading glasses too. I haven't found safety glasses in magnifier, except the ones with a half disc at the very bottom. They aren't functional at all. I use cheap Chinese Albus Dumbledor glasses from Ocean State Job Lots. It works out OK, but welding is challenging. I'm very interested. I live in a very rural area. They aren't available nearby, lots of travel to try!

[RichardH]

General commentary… I've always been a stickler for glass lenses, and fortunate that my prescription hasn't been too strong. Mostly, I like glass because I'm not kind to my lenses, cleaning them on anything from a shirt to a Kleenex, but never the proper glass rags.

However, I've also found that getting a fresh set of lenses makes a world of difference, even if you don't change your prescription. I recently went through 3 rounds of tweaks, and ultimately settled back on my original prescription - but, man, the new lenses were so much sharper!

Point being, don't hesitate to get your lenses updated, even if your prescription hasn't changed. And plastic / polycarbonate may benefit even more from fresh lenses. If you're on a vision plan, you're probably entitled to new lenses every year - use them.


Now that I've got my prescription ironed out, my next mission is to find good safety frames. Something with wrap-around protection, preferably clear on the sides for better peripheral vision. Trouble is, the online stores won't do vision plans, and want $300 for the lenses in a $100 frame - my optometrist says they can order the frames if I find a style I like, then get the lenses filled for a sane price (and charge to my vision plan).

And for finer work, I picked up a +3.00 cheater lens at my LWS for about $6. Snaps into my helmet and works great!

Cheers,
Richard