natenaaron Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 It has happened. I have to get bifocals or progressives. Anyone have trouble welding with bifocals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Olson Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Get the progressives. You can change your focal length which helps alot. If I'm welding something on the the bench its good. But welding at eye level or higher (car on a lift and doin exhaust work) i can't get my glasses up high enough or tilt my head back far enough. Its not fun at all welding with bifocals. I wish you luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Literally a pain in the neck trying to align eye, lens, mask window and weld pool! The best solution I have found so far is one of the magnifying lenses that fit inside the mask...ask your welding supplies place. You can get them in various dioptres. When coupled with varifocals it is fine for most positions. Really awkward TIG stuff I swap the prescription varifocal safety glasses for a pair of cheap reading glasses...but the mask magnifier is the key... Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natenaaron Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 Mozied to the local welding shop and had the guy help me find a set of cheaters. I took my new helmet with me. After a little modification of the width they fit right in and WOW! Between the new helmet and the cheaters I can see what the heck I'm doing. Maybe I'll get some grandpa glasses and forgo the bifocals all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackdawg Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Progressives are the way to go. I have no issues with them. Although I will admit my reading script is the lowest you can get, I need coke bottles to see distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 3 hours ago, natenaaron said: Mozied to the local welding shop and had the guy help me find a set of cheaters. I took my new helmet with me. After a little modification of the width they fit right in and WOW! Between the new helmet and the cheaters I can see what the heck I'm doing. Maybe I'll get some grandpa glasses and forgo the bifocals all together. Glad that solved your problem as well...The only disadvantage I have found with the mask magnifying lenses is that I no longer have an excuse for a wobbly bead! Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natenaaron Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 On 9/10/2016 at 4:26 PM, Alan Evans said: Glad that solved your problem as well...The only disadvantage I have found with the mask magnifying lenses is that I no longer have an excuse for a wobbly bead! Alan And it is an auto darkening helmet so now I really have no excuse . Ran several beads and some lap joints. So far so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 You can get full reader safety glasses too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Talk to your optometrist about monofocal lenses for the distance you need for work. My wife is a musician, and she got lenses that were the right distance for seeing the music on the stand. Made all the difference. (She was playing Bach; everyone else was playing Shostakovich.) If you go to an online optician, you can get away with spending barely more than a set of drugstore reading glasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozzy Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 With both bifocals and progressives, I found that I was cocking my head too much when welding and it didn't work well for me. Cheap readers were the best solution for most of my work, even though I look like Gramps when times come to lower them on my nose and look over them. 95% of work is done with one diopter but I do have a slightly stronger and slightly lesser available so that the oddball job at a different focus can be done also. I did order prescription safety glasses with progressives for the times when I actually need the safety and don't have secondary protection like the welding mask or face shield (ordered on the internet because they are $$$$$ locally). Obviously people's eyes vary so my solution is not going to work for everyone: YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 On 13 September 2016 at 5:47 PM, Kozzy said: With both bifocals and progressives, I found that I was cocking my head too much when welding and it didn't work well for me. Cheap readers were the best solution for most of my work I went through the same sequence....Do try one of the mask fitted magnifiers, for a minimal outlay you will find the return well worth it. You can always use it as a bench mounted lens if you need it for fine detailing.... Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natenaaron Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 Waiting to order new glasses until my follow up. Eye doc called (one of the cool things about a small town) and said I needed to see him again, The pressure in my left eye was too high and he said he was just not comfortable with what he saw of my optic nerve. I thought he spent too much time shining the second xxxxxxx sun into that eye. I get to go in for Glaucoma tests. He said if it is the start of glaucoma we are catching it real early and should be able to drastically slow it down. I like seeing things. Kinda bummed. Don't like waiting. Weird thing is no one in the family going back for several generations had glaucoma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Nate, A doctor can determine all sorts of things by careful examination of our eyes. The eye is the only place where a doctor can see a nerve and an artery without cutting us open. A careful eye study can detect certain types of kidney cancer, hardening of the arteries and a host of other diseases. That is why he spent time peering into your eyes. You can actually little beads of plaque on the artery wall.(they are kinda cute). The optic nerve is a large one and abnormalities show up prominently there. Glaucoma can be treated by medication to get the pressure down. (e.g. beta blockers) and, also, other medical procedures. (e.g. eye drops, and oral medication). Sometimes, but not often, surgery . It sounds like he caught the problems in good time. (regular medical check-ups really do pay off). Stick with this guy, he sounds very capable Regards, SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WL smith Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 My wife talked me into regular use progressive lenses. Hated them. Couldn't see what I shouldn't at Walmart without turning my head! Now I have bifocals again and have peripheral vision again so I can see what and old man should not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.