How do you do stuff like shave with progressive bifocals?

Question

So I had cataract surgery so I need bifocals. What do I do when I want to see something really close up like when I'm shaving, or clipping my fingernails or being intimate with a girl(i know, i know)? Would very powerful reading glasses help me see things that are really close to me?

Answer 1

Most of my patients get a good shaving morror that has some magnification in it and put their progressives on the shelf while they are shaving.  The bifocal part is just too far down to get a good shave. You should be able to clip your nails with them . Kissing women, I have not a clue. I would suggest taking them off and turn the lights down and light a candle. You do not need to see for that! LOL!

Answer 2

Great question and one that I had to personally address as I suspect all men who are not near sighted and over 40 years old would.  It's very obvious that help is need when patches of a man's unshave face are next to cleanly shaved areas.  The problem is that the bifocal or the lower part of the progressive lens lines up with a very limited in-focus area as you look into a mirror.  A magnification mirror works but gets in the way if you are using an electric shaver, an few men have wall-mounted magnification mirrors mounted high enough to be useful for the task.

The solution is to have a pair of glasses fabricated that has your reading prescription in the whole diameter of the lens, and choose a frame that is large even if it is dated and out of style.  You're in the bathroom, so there's no need to dress up for a photo shoot.  You will find it amazing how much you're missing  in the upper portions of your face, on your neck and around your ears.  Nothing says "I can't see what I'm doing" more that a hedge row growing out of your ears.

Ditto on the suggestion about intimacy.  Did you really think one of us was going to prescribe a pair of glasses for that?