Eyesight

[DD3]

Does anyone have any information or experience with visual impairment while reading music. My near vision prescription requires me to hold my head at a funny angle, far vision does not bring the music stand into focus. I have heard that some actually have a third prescription for that intermediate distance to the music stand?Don't know if I am being clear but I would appreciate any information Thanks, DD

[Tenorsaxer]

dunno about that, but most sax players wear glasses, and I think it's because they make us read those durn fronts.

[sax rookie]

Look into progressive lenses. Its a seamless, lineless version of the bifocal that has a third, intermediate level. I too have the same problem when reading small print in magazines. I either have to hold it farther away for my glasses to work (but then the print is too small), or take off my glasses and read it very close. The Doc seems to think that progressive lenses would be perfect for this. The other option is Lasik but I have mixed feelings about that.

[sax rookie]

(edit)
Man I gotta watch that 'back' button. Double posted... my bad

[gary]

dunno about that, but most sax players wear glasses, and I think it's because they make us read those durn fronts.
No - it's because in their youth they...oh, never mind.

But DD3, I know exactly what you mean. Try reading music on the lyre that attaches to your horn like I did recently! Uh...the reading part of the glasses is on the bottom but my music was on the upper part of my vision.

Anyway, to answer you question, Here's what I've done: sit down with your horn, and music stand, have someone measure the distance from your eyes to the music and go to an optometrist and tell him/her that you need a prescription for that distance. Also ask that the focus not be overly sharp, as it might be for close-up book reading with bi- trifocals.

[morgan]

I tried progressive lenses and thought they were AWFUL! No peripheral vision, and of course only about 10% of your vertical range would be the right focus depth for your music, so you might as well be looking thru a toilet paper tube.

But if you measure the distance from eye to music (maybe 30 inches?) and go to your eye doc and say "I need glasses for 30 inch focus" you can do quite well. That's what I did for computer use.

This is all based on the guess that you have a bit of presbyopia (aging eyes).

[Razzy]

I've had slight farsightedness and a lazy left eye since I was a child. I wore glasses for about 12 years and then found one day, that I suddenly wasn't seeing very well, but when I took my glasses off, I could see a bit better. This process continued until I found the glasses were only detrimental and my eyes had mostly corrected themselves. I still have traces of those problems but they are minimal. I just keep the stand pretty close or else I'm blind as a bat in terms of the notes on the page, and I do a lot of reading to keep that left eye less lazy than it was :wink:

[jazzbluescat]

I took a sheet of (typical) music to Walmart and laid it on a shelf at about the distance that I read. Then, tried on over-the-counter glasses until I found a pair that work.

[Gandalfe]

Jazz' answer (above) is a common solution that can save you hundreds of dollars. Try it first.

[gary]

LOL!!! Oh man, that's so obvious, I would never have thought of it. I'm going to give it a try.

And we'll all look really great, too, with the pointed pink frames. :shock:

[retread]

Progressive lenses really helped me. But I not only have old goat vision, I'm also terminally myopic. Of course, a brightly lit stand also helps.

[Dr G]

I have a pair of single vision "music glasses" that stay in my gig bag. The rest of the time I wear lineless bifocals. It's a little more difficult setting a reed on the mouthpiece with my music glasses on but I don't have to worry about the music going out of focus halfway down the page. Budget reading glasses can be alright for some but if there is an astigmatism in the mix, you'll have to pay for the "good stuff".

[jazzbluescat]

The only drawback to over-the-counter specs is if one eye is much worse than the other, the corrective lense will blur the good eye. It's really just reaching a happy medium.

Gary, they many styles. I use aviator type frames; very suave and debonaire, I might add......with a hint or rogue. :)

[jp3]

You've reached the trifocal stage of life; welcome to the club. My regular glasses have three separate bands, but I also have one pair made with only the middle range prescription - for reading music and computer screens. I also do a lot of metal work and have another pair with just the close-up Rx for use inside a welding helmet. A nuisance to keep track of, but makes life easier.

[pknight]

I have had progressive lenses for a couple of years, and although they took some getting used to, I got used to them.

I had no problems reading music on a stand with my first pair, but I decided to go a bit more stylish the last time I replaced my frames, and went for a much smaller lens. This pair works fine for everything BUT reading music. The area of focus at that distance is so small that I literally have to move my head up and down and back and forth while playing in order to see the notes well enough to tell an A from a C.

I have been contemplating getting a pair of music-only glasses, but perhaps I'll try the Wal-Mart solution first. Our eyecare insurance only help pay for one set of lenses per year.

[DougR]

If one eye is different from the other then cannibalising two pairs of walmart reading glasses to provide one good pair, can be a viable option.

And as a freebie, you get a spare, similar but useless, pair.

[jazzbluescat]

...or, if you don't mind looking kinda dorky, you can knock out one of the lense. :)

[gary]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[George Briscoe]

I, too have been suffering from this problem for several years, starting with the time just before my "first annual 39th birthday"!
The optometrist tried progressive bifocals and they just didn't work for me. Vertical movement was a bit of a problem, but side to side was downright impossible! Especially since most of my reading gigs are on bari, I'm not able to move the horn side to side very much, so I have to scan my eyes from side to side. That makes progressives useless (for me, anyhow). After explaining this to a second optometrist, she said that i might need "Computer Glasses" for intermediate distance. What we discovered was the biggest help was LIGHTING. When I go on a big band gig now, I take my own SECOND STAND LIGHT and extension cord. By doubling the light and reducing my eye strain, I'm still able to see during the third and fourth sets! You may want to try this yourself.

It is annoying when you get older and have to hold things out at arm's length to adjust and read it. It makes ya look like a darned trombone player!!! ;^)>

Good luck to all of you!!!

[guitarbob]

I wear "Mono vision" contacts where one eye is focused at distance and the other at close up. The eyes kinda work together this way and allow you to see better at all distances. In addition it's less of a pain to find exactly the right position that allows you to see throught the right part of your bi-focals or progressives.

Another solution that's been used for many years is to have a pair of glasses made up for the correct focal distance for reading music. My sax teacher did this way back in the 60's and told me that when I get older to do the same.

[Sigmund451]

I think there is a simple answer to this. Find a really good eye doctor...not just any guy who examines eyes. Not an optomitrist...an eye doctor.

Call and tell them your specific problem. go there...heck bring your sax, your music and a stand...yea it sounds crazy but a good doc will accomidate you. Dont just tell him your problem...show him. A good doc will work until he gets it right. Heck...look at all you have tied up in music...its a small investment. Good luck.

[captorquewrench]

a good eye doctor can h elp you like the previous poster states, or an eyeglass store that would help specialize in occupational glasses. my grampa was acarpenter and wore bifocals/trifocals. This was "back in the day"

They put the reading script in the bottom of the lens. Gramps had a problem with falling off the ladder because of this. What happened was, he'd be up there, and trying to read the ruler on a measurement above his head, tile his head way back to get the angle right, and fall backwards. So he talked about with the people who made his glasses and had a pair made with the script in the TOP of the lens so he could look UP to read.

I agree with the one who said, take your stand, etc so they can see where you need the field of vision placed in the lens.

i just can't wear a lined bifocal. My computer glasses work best for music. They are larger frame, with a deeper, wider lens and antiglare than my others. My driving glasses suck for reading music. The bottom of the frame cuts a line right across about 3/4 of the way down the page, and the bifocal area is smaller than my music glasses. And it is hard to move yourself when you're playing bari, like someone else said.

Good luck. The glasses can be a pain.

[Kenfen]

I used to have a really hard time seeing the music on those big band folding stands. Tried bifocals and that was worse. So, I finally just wore the distance prescription and all was well. I still have trouble, but it's much better. The bifocals drove me crazy.

When I'd have to play Alto on the street, the lyre was too close to my eyes.... I'd be guessing sometimes. My tenor lyre, I bent it so it was really far away. Looked stupid, but I could see really well..

LOL