New Glasses - They're Making Me Carsick

I'm certainly no expert (especially since I still have 20/10 eyesight in my 50's), but it sounds to me like they didn't get the areas correct for YOUR eyes.  Maybe the main area needs to be a bit taller so you don't start to see into the next region?

I've had three sets of "general purpose" varifocals. The first two caused me no problems at all, but the current pair are pretty weird.

It's the usual stuff, parallel lines that aren't, circles not round, warped straight lines. Stepping from a plain floor covering on to tiles is like being drunk unless I check my focus first. Stais need some care, and sometimes I don't see dips or rises in the ground at all.

I also have an "office" set which cover reading distance out to around 15 feet. They're pretty useful because they allow me to focus on e.g. a guitar tuner or a synth panel and still have the distance to use the computer screen. They're fine for DAWs but utterly useless for doing Photoshop/Lightroom work on photographs because, again, straight lines aren't etc.

What helps a great deal is if instead of turning just my eyes to one side I turn my head so the relevant varifocal area for the distance is always in the right place. Makes using a screen three or four feet away very tiring though, because I have to keep moving my head around as I only get a small area that's actually in focus.

So I have a fixed focal length set as well, which I use for quite a lot of computer-related stuff.

Varifocal/progressive lenses are very useful indeed, without them I could focus on the road but not the speedometer or vice-versa, with them both are clear because they fall on dofferent focal zones. They're mot the answer to everything though.

Since I started wearing progressives I can't have it any other way. I love em. Did take some getting used to. But not more than a day or so. Hang in there, you'll acclimate.

bitflipper
I generally play with my eyes closed, anyway. (Much to the consternation of my band's lead singer, who complains I often don't see her giving me a frantic "your solo's over, already!" signal.)

All the more reason to keep 'em closed!  LOL!  

In my experience there are inevitable issues with the progressive glasses.
One should have different ones for different purposes - paradox :o/
Now, when it's berry-picking time, one issue is accute:
Hiking in the woods you need to carefully look where you put your feet. The lowest part
of the lenses is for reading, so it won't do. You need to walk pressing your chin against your
chest in order to be able to point the 4-6 feet focus area to where you step. Impossible. Also, the path going up and down every yard makes it even harder. When you kneel down to pick berries, it's a little better.
Driving a car and some tasks at job are the only these progressives are fine for.
 
I still (had them for ten years) can't draw with these progressive glasses on. As Bit described, the drawing gets so skewed it's intolerable. And I have not gotten used to (in many cases) having to move my head instead of my eyes. So, in the woods and gardening, I use cheap +1 or +1.5 glasses, and when drawing, using PC and reading, cheap +2/+2.5 glasses. I have about a dozen of them. For the price of one good pair of progressive glasses you get ten pairs of the cheap, fixed ones. If you get ones with poor lenses, you can afford throwing them away. Of course, you need to have similar sight in both eyes to use the grocery store cheapos.
My wife has used progressives for 40 years, and she still gets seasick/dizzy walking in the woods. And she does have two customized pairs of glasses. She'd need a third pair for the woods.

I suppose it may depend on the relative strength and type of the various zones. I have not experienced most of the issues raised here.

I've been wearing varifocals for about 5 years now, didn't have any problems at all adjusting to them, but my wife had to stop wearing hers as she just could not adapt.
 
As time went on, I realised I needed an additional pair for computer/reading work, so the bills keep on going up & up 

Hi,
 
Because I have had 3 surgeries on my right eye, the "progressives" are not any help, and I still see double. I just have 2 prescriptions. One for computer and the other for distance, and that's it. 

my new glasses do the same thing.  I have 1 set of new glasses which are far vision only and one set of progressives which are for computer distance and reading.  my computer/reading glasses distort the area like you're describing, especially on the edges and bottom.
 
I could not get used to the progressives for far vision and reading.  I tried them for 3 years and just could not seem to get my brain to use them correctly.

Once your prescription is right...I highly recommend www.zenni.com 
They have some of the best frames and lenses at really incredible prices.  All made in China...natch...but all done extremely well.  As an example I paid over $400 smackers for my frames and lenses at my Eye doctor's shop...all top notch (RayBan Clubmasters with Progressive no line Transitional lenses...the ones that darken in the sun).  Basically the same at Zenni would be about $100 bucks.  I actually had no backup glasses at all until my buddy hipped me to Zenni.  Check em out if you're in the market for some new specs or just need a backup pair.  
 

Thanks, ol' pal. I got these at Costco, $220 with tax. I thought that was a pretty good deal, as I was expecting it to be $400+. I'll definitely check out zenni.com.
 
My eyes have always been over-sensitive to bright light (see my avatar). So I got the auto-darken option. Still deciding whether that was a good choice. They don't get dark enough to not need sunglasses when driving, but I'm hoping they'll help with stage lighting. I think it looks cheesy to wear sunglasses on stage, although I've long been tempted to because I am blinded by stage lights. On the bright side, I never know whether there's an audience out there or not.

yorolpal
Once your prescription is right...I highly recommend www.zenni.com 
They have some of the best frames and lenses at really incredible prices.  All made in China...natch...but all done extremely well.  As an example I paid over $400 smackers for my frames and lenses at my Eye doctor's shop...all top notch (RayBan Clubmasters with Progressive no line Transitional lenses...the ones that darken in the sun).  Basically the same at Zenni would be about $100 bucks.  I actually had no backup glasses at all until my buddy hipped me to Zenni.  Check em out if you're in the market for some new specs or just need a backup pair.  
 

I am going to have to check this out Ol' Pal.  I just paid close to $700 for a pair of top of the line glasses from Lens Crafters.  I could use a back up, set.  

bitflipper
I think it looks cheesy to wear sunglasses on stage, although I've long been tempted to because I am blinded by stage lights. On the bright side, I never know whether there's an audience out there or not.

Keyboard players and saxophone blow monkeys are completely allowed to wear shades on stage Dave. 

Have any of you ever tried to simply fix your eyes yourself?  They are muscles that need to be exercised and glasses are actually detrimental (your eyes get lazy and start to rely on them making them even worse).  Both of my parents required glasses at an early age but I had read about ways to strengthen your eyes and tried that instead.  Besides some simple exercises you can do, I also have glasses with pin holes in them that force you to really focus to see through them making your eyes stronger.  Between all of this I still have 20/10 vision when I'm not tired (and I'm in my 50's now!).  Too much staring at my monitor (something I've done since monitors first came out) and reading those extremely fine prints in tech. books can make my eyes tired and blurry, so I'll sometimes wear a set of cheap reading glasses if I have to continue (very rare) but, even there, a little break and a couple of exercises helps a lot.
 
Just sayin'!!!
 

 
This girl has the right idea.  Not exactly sure where the number 36 comes from, but I've used all of these exercises before.  The first one feels great on your eyes when they're stressed and tired (when I was taught it originally we always used to say "Ahhhhhhhh..." while covering our eyes - heh).  Give them a try, you should be able to tell that they can't hurt ya.
 
I also have a little rectangular eye covering (made by a friend's wife) that's soft fabric filled with little beads and softly scented with lavender.  Lay back and put it over your eyes for a few minutes and they work magic.

craigb
Have any of you ever tried to simply fix your eyes yourself?  They are muscles that need to be exercised and glasses are actually detrimental (your eyes get lazy and start to rely on them making them even worse).  

I wish that I would have tried that when I was 46 when just started needing glasses.  I wore none at all until I was 46.  My distance is still really good and I do not require glasses to drive.  What I can't see is the dash board.  Pretty much everything within 20 feet of me is now blurry.  For me, I simply would not be able to function or do my job with out some sort of glasses.  Going glasses full time was much easier than constantly putting them on and taking them off.  
 
Next, I have to deal with some hearing loss.