Prescription eye glasses: Every optometrist I have been to really doesn't know what they are talking about. Going from the those awful drug store reading glasses to a set of prescription glasses makes a massive difference! To me spending the extra money for the glare coatings was worth every penny! I stare at a computer screen for 8+ hours every day so for me the investment was a no-brainer. The optometrist "prescribed" / highly recommended I get progressive lenses at twice the price. Staring at a computer screen through the narrow focus band of progressive lenses is just nuts! The programmer next to me went to a different optometrist and took their recommendation to get progressive lenses. After a month of fighting them with headaches and neck pain he finally mail ordered prescription reading glasses... he is MUCH happier now!
Perhaps you got the wrong progressive lens. Prescription readers are fine for people whose Rx's fall within certain parameters. (No distance correction needed, don't mind switching glasses for different viewing types, etc.) but for those of us who use our glasses for distance, intermediate, and near vision, switching glasses out constantly is not an option. Progressive lenses of the proper design are great for computer use and reading also. If I'm not on a computer (like now), I'm reading. But I occasionally drive, too, and need glasses for that. (And it is nice to be able to see the dashboard, too.)
There are progressive lenses made that have wide intermediate and reading areas; Nikon's Affinty lens, Zeiss's Experience HD2 are the two I recommend, Seiko also makes a digitally surfaced one similar to these, and there are others.
Ninety percent of progressive non-adapts I see are due to three factors: 1.) Pt. goes cheap, and ends up disappointed in lens. 2.) Optician measures incorrectly. 3. Optician does not correctly explain the lens design, it's advantages, and it's limitations.
Also I might add that you might not have communicated fully to the Dr. and/or the optician your needs; most will work with you to achieve your vision goals. If you are at a computer for 8+ hours a day, glasses made just for that (Intermediate vision glasses) would be a good set to have, though a good set of progressives works for me. There are some independent shops that engage in 'steering' customers towards their 'cash cows', or engage in dubious practices, such as another OD in our town who writes invaid contact Rx's constantly (6 mo. instead of a year, he's near retirement and trying to squeeze all the $$$ he can) but that's not common.
"Every optometrist I have been to really doesn't know what they are talking about."
I hope you can qualify that statement with an MD after your name.
I inspect brass by taking my glasses off and holding the brass about 6" from my eyes, it's where my best detail vision is.
