Prescription Glasses & Trucking

I have spoken to eye dr's that have never driven a truck about concerns with getting my first pair of trifocals, or progressive lenses as I am to understand they are called.

I tried to explain my concerns that I need distance clarity due to the extremely long distance to slow or stop a rig.

I tried to explain that I need to look at many gauges every few seconds and how I can wait for eyes to adjust.

I tried to explain how I need to be able to look in to several different styles of side mirrors for backing and depth perception to manuever 53' trailer within an inch of objects was critical.

Everyone "Professional" I spoke to for reassurance that trifocal progressive lenses will be safe for trucking was giving me plausable denieability answers. "Practice at home first". "Take it slow". "If things don't seem right then come back to us". Clearly these folks have no clue what we as truckers do, and once our 80K missles are hurdling down the interstate , the last thing the motoring public needs is a driver becoming aware there is delay time with his/her glasses focusing.

With that explained, I would like to get some "Professional driver" input from drivers that use trifocal progressive glasses. Are they safe, do they in anyway impede the ability to make critical decisions when driving. Is backing perception affected?

Thanks to those that respond in advance!

You may not like this answer, but it depends on the individual and how your eyes adjust to progressive lenses. I have worn progressive lenses and loved them. They never hindered my driving career. I have a friend who claimed they made him feel drunk all the time. I asked my eye doctor about my friends experience and he told me that was a common complaint. Apparently some people just do better with traditional tri-focals. I had no problems with the progressive lenses. My eyes adapted to them and I learned very quickly how to tilt my head just right to get the vision I was needing for the various things like reading gauges and seeing long distances. I think that is why they told you to...

"Practice at home first". "Take it slow". "If things don't seem right then come back to us".

Using progressive lenses seems to work for some folks and not for others. It is amazing how much our vision is affected by our brain. I am suffering some vision issues unrelated to this discussion, but my brain takes over at times and makes my good eye be the dominant vision that I experience. It is completely different from the way things used to work for me. I have always had a strong dominant right eye, but now that my right eye is damaged my brain reads the signals from my left eye. That is pretty much what I see even though my right eye's vision is very poor. I think the same kind of thing goes on when people transition to progressive lenses. For some of us the brain makes an easy transition of it, while others suffer through a time of adjustment.

The progressive lenses are expensive. I loved them when I was wearing them. Others hate them and can't seem to adjust to them. I actually had no problems or issues. My eyes and brain took to them like they were old friends and it all worked very well for me.

I havent done it with eyeglasses yet, but I tried progressive contact lenses for a while. I really disliked the sacrifice in long range sight with them. The doctor told me there is always a sacrifice of both, It was unacceptable to me. They were really difficult at night as well. I tried to get her to bump up the power for long range, but she said she couldnt. I ultimately went back to standard torric contact lenses (In addition to being myopic, I have a stigmatism). They are pretty good at gauges and small items up close but I have to have readers for paperwork etc. Not everyone wants to wear contact lenses though, they are difficult to put in and take out, and they do make your eyes less sensitive to dust while being worn, but at the same time, if you do get something in your eye, its far more agitating and critical than it is without them on. Ive tried bi focals and just cant do em. They make me dizzy. Im guessing the progressives would be the same.

I wear progressive bifocals ever since I began driving. These have been normal lenses, Transition lenses, and dark , polarized sunglasses. I have never had any problems.

I don't know if mine are bi or tri. The only problems I have is when it rains, my glasses get wet when I get out of the truck.

At 68 I still can pass the DOT exam without glasses. I don't have the eyeglass restriction on my CDL but I have prescription glasses that I use at my discretion. I prefer the "keep it simple" method. My glasses are single vision, only for distance vision as I think it helps, much like you would use binoculars for specific situations but not all the time.

For reading, I definitely use non-prescription glasses for the close ups.

My mother is 92 and still doesn't use glasses. She drinks straight from the bottle. LOL

Let us know how you adjust to progressives. Last February I got new glasses and decided against progressives bc my nearsightedness was not that bad. 2 months after that I couldn't see a thing clearly up close. It came on hard and fast. It's a struggle to see my phone now without taking my glasses off.

Thank you everyone for your responses!

Old School, Davy A. Pack Rat, Big Scott, Bruce K, Realdiehl.

I have attempted to use the progressive tri-focals and NO success for me. Eyes did adjust over time, but there are some annoying limitations.

The reading glass range is very narrow indeed, and I find my head having to move left to right just to read a page. (Which is why pop-up books are so much better!)

The Computer screen section has same problem, I have to keep raising and lifting my head to move around the screen. (Make me feel like my own bubble head!)

The long distance part is great, but it's at the top of the glasses, and again, I have to remember to lift head just so to get the accuracy. Considering that almost every single road in America is a constant bouncy house (with exception of Chicago) I can't keep my head steady enough to prevent eye strain. (Now Chicago, I think I figured out the issue. The MASSIVE POT HOLES, I think are where bodies were dumped into the concrete back at the factory, and over time, the bodies decompose in the concrete, and whalla,, MASSIVE POT HOLES! How else can you explain pot holes the size of fat Italians?

To be politically correct for the moderators, please select any mafia origin you like, I just picked Italians.

Thank you everyone for your responses!

Old School, Davy A. Pack Rat, Big Scott, Bruce K, Realdiehl.

I have attempted to use the progressive tri-focals and NO success for me. Eyes did adjust over time, but there are some annoying limitations.

The reading glass range is very narrow indeed, and I find my head having to move left to right just to read a page. (Which is why pop-up books are so much better!)

The Computer screen section has same problem, I have to keep raising and lifting my head to move around the screen. (Make me feel like my own bubble head!)

The long distance part is great, but it's at the top of the glasses, and again, I have to remember to lift head just so to get the accuracy. Considering that almost every single road in America is a constant bouncy house (with exception of Chicago) I can't keep my head steady enough to prevent eye strain. (Now Chicago, I think I figured out the issue. The MASSIVE POT HOLES, I think are where bodies were dumped into the concrete back at the factory, and over time, the bodies decompose in the concrete, and whalla,, MASSIVE POT HOLES! How else can you explain pot holes the size of fat Italians?

To be politically correct for the moderators, please select any mafia origin you like, I just picked Italians.

To be politically correct, I'm WAY Italian, and WAY not fat. Same with FAB Express, right in your hometown!

Oh, and the OWNER of this site ... is one of the most 'fit as a Fiddle' Eye'tal'ians you'll ever find, haha!

All in good fun, sir. I'm not a moderator. Nor, related to Jimmy Hoffa. (Just the Valachis!)

These guys, haha! The Valachi Papers, circa '72

~ Anne ~

ps: On the 'ORIGINAL' topic; glad you are working out the trifocals. I struggled with the 'Bi's' ... so went back to single, and just take my spec's off to read, LoL.. Other half, also. Best wishes!

I’ve never had any issues with my trifocals when it comes to driving. I guess I’m another one where I compensate subconsciously. I’ve been driving big rigs, motor coaches, and passenger buses for over 5 years with progressives. Thanks to Zoom, I have recently learned I sometimes tilt my head when on the computer. I guess something’s off with the way my glasses fit.