As Sandra said, we call them multifocals here in Oz. I'm shortsighted and only need glasses for long distance. My close-up vision is brilliant. A few years ago, when I needed some new glasses, I got one of those two-for-the-price-of-one deals, and was persuaded to make one of my pairs multifocals, while the other pair was standard.

Well, I tried them, and persevered with them for a few weeks. When I turned my head from side to side the room swam and I felt seasick. Because there was only a narrow band that was right for middle distance, I found myself having to turn my head back and forth to follow things I was doing with my hands, like ironing - or have my view in and out of focus all the time if I didn't. I felt that my peripheral vision for driving - particularly when reversing, was bad enough to be dangerous, because the sides weren't right, and when I wanted to read a street directory or something close up, I found having to look down my nose a big strain and I could feel a headache coming on, so I would take them off, same as I used to do before I had them. Eventually I gave up, put them away, and went on using the standard pair.

All was well until a couple of years later, the frame of my standard pair got a crack, and the lens fell out, smashing on the floor of the supermarket I was in at the time. So I was forced to go back to the multifocals as I couldn't afford more glasses.

Now, a couple more years on, I have sorta got used to them, to the point where I don't think about what I am doing with them, but I still take them off for close work, and find sometimes I am wagging my head about to get the best focus for the computer screen, which is thankfully in a good low position. Occasionally I have had to do something on John's computer - his screen is much higher because it sits on his box (it's a pretty old computer), and his chair is low. Fortunately I don't have to spend much time on it - it would drive me nuts if I had to - it really is a strain on my neck, even for a short time. I will adjust where the monitor points sometimes, which helps a bit, and adjust it back up again when I leave. It's not worth trying to change anything else because it seems to suit him as it is.

I suspect that when I finally buy myself some new glasses (and they will be the standard kind for short sight), I will be so delighted with the change that I will wonder how I put up with these ##%**@#& multifocals for so long!