I say for driving but who knows maybe I don’t really realize how much I CAN"T see now. Since my eyesight has never been normal, I settle for less than perfect!
Can anyone share a ball park for progressives? Or progressives from someplace like Costco?
My other option is to just get single vision glasses for now and reevaluate in a year if I want to take the progressive dive.
When I was first having trouble adapting (and really having a hard time doing parallel parking) I also bought a pair of single distance driving glasses, thinking they would solve my problem. They didn’t.
The problem with single vision distance glasses for driving is that when driving, all the things you need to see are not at the same distance. Not just the dashboard-- street signs and highway signs, too. It turns out there are many distances we need to focus on.
As mentioned above, less than $200 a pair at Costco, a little more than 18 months ago. Including frames, and the non-reflective coating that @CTmom2018 mentioned. I want to say $180ish give or take. I bought more than one pair.
My husband used to get his at BJ’s, paying several hundred. But he found the frames they had were too short (from top to bottom) to allow space for all the progressive segments. Maybe they have taller frames now, or at Costco.
One consideration about waiting: the “add” tends to increase as we get older. Mine is now +2.75. This makes adapting harder as time goes on.
Honestly in your place I think I might try trifocals.
Many opticians will let you get trifocals or bifocals at no extra cost if you fail to adapt to progressives. I’d ask about this, if you really want to try progressives. But ask before you buy the progressives!
Another thing…the material used for the lens. I get CR-39 because it’s of its high optical clarity. I can’t stand polycarbonate lenses-- they give me a “fun house” feeling (distortion).
Not everyone is sensitive to polycarbonate this way. My husband has no problem with it. Also people who play sports should get polycarbonate for its impact resistance.
I guess mine are bifocals (no line). The problem is that I need reading glasses to see my computer screen but the reading part of the bifocal is the bottom. The top RX which is for distance didn’t feel right at my computer. So I stick with my CVS readers in the house.
A person with a true lazy eye would never be able to get their brain to do one lens is for close and one is for far. My one eye is doing all the work all the time, and the other one is just sleeping on the job so to speak.
Before these bifocals I had gotten a pair of glasses just for distance. I just never wore them. Probably because in the car they didn’t help with close at all. If you think about it when you drive you need distance for the road but close for the dashboard.
Thank you @doschicos my one eye didn’t absorb that price figure earlier. 
I’ll probably make an appt at the optician at my eye doctor and just at least hear what they recommend or comment on as far as my situation. I also have a follow up retina appt in a couple weeks so maybe I’ll get that out of the way too before making a firm decision.
So are bifocals without the line a thing now too?
There are all sorts of progressives. Bifocals without a line are progressives.
When blending different focal zones without a line, there has to be an area that is blurred, along the sides. This is one reason why some people have trouble adapting.
Here is an article that may help:
https://www.allaboutvision.com/lenses/progressives.htm
And more articles, including one about various kinds of lined glasses:
https://www.allaboutvision.com/eyeglass-lenses/
Here’s the thing: if your add is as high as +2.50, you surely need help in the intermediate zone also. Which means either trifocals, or progressives.
Progressive lenses only are probably about $300 list price from opticians sourcing from Essilor. Then add on premium features (thinner/lighter/break-resistant lens materials, UV coatings if needed for the lens material, anti-glare coating, etc.) and frames to add another few hundred dollars.
Costco and other discounters will be much less expensive.
OMG I need to get a Costco membership. My progressives were $750!
NOOOO…!!! … mine were like $150, maybe with all the stuff above included!! I got Emporio/ Armani frames that I saw at another store list for over $400 and Costco had the exact frames for $125.00… Plus gas is almost $. 25 cents cheaper/gallon. then the suburbs.
The optician from the Lincoln Park Costco used to work in a place in like River North… They give a very long /detailed exam and it’s cheap… Now you know why people join Costco… Lol ?
I think mine from costco were about $200. They have frames that range from about $49 to about $125. If you buy two pairs, the second is 40% off.
I wear progressives and thought I’d try bifocals as I just wanted sunglasses to read in outside and then to walk or drive (I can see really far without glasses so that part of the prescription is light. It was awful. I could see the lines and didn’t like it at all. I took them back to costco and they replaces them with progressive sunglasses lenses. I just had to pay the upgrade to progressives.
I actually see better driving at night without the glasses. So glad I passed the DMV eye test so I’m not required to wear them while driving.
I love my progressive lenses, had them for years. I put them on, no adjustment period from the get go. H hates his, often looking above or below the lenses.
Since my cataract surgery, I can look below the lenses when doing stairs; before I had to bend my neck. That was probably the biggest challenge in adjustment.
I had no trouble adjusting to my progressives. Stairs are no problem either. I do find myself lifting them slightly to read things at eye level in front of me (as opposed to book level). This is my second pair. I have a pair of progressive prescription sunglasses too.
Do you use your readers now for maps in the car?
I’ve had progressives for years. Like them. But do be careful on the stairs when you first get them. It only took a couple days for me to get used to them. I got my new glasses a few months ago online from Zenni. Much cheaper than past ones even with insurance. Mine were only $85ish including shipping vs $250ish out of pocket at the store. My H also got his progressives from Zenni and our son got his single vision glasses from another online company, Eyebuydirect. I didn’t get the cheapest lenses, either. I need ultra thin/light because my prescription is very unbalanced–one eye quite nearsighted and the other only a bit. (I was asked if I had Lasik–I have natural monovision). I was a bit anxious about the quality of the online glasses, but I was pleasantly surprised. Good quality, great price.
It took me about 30 seconds to adjust to progressives. Get them on Zenni Optical.com to try them inexpensively. I use progressives for work and I used to use them for shopping or dining out or rehearsal but of course don’t do any of those things anymore. I prefer readersof various powers at home depending on whether I’m reading or doing needlepoint etc.
Bottom line, get some progressives on Zenni to try them inexpensively. But if you like them, why would you pay more?
As you can see some adjust quickly to progressive and some take time. Comes down to your personal prescription vs mine per se. By the time I walked around Costco for a bit and left I was done adjusting. My prescription is not that intense. Can’t imagine Not having progressive lenses anymore. I don’t even realize the progression.
@colorado_mom was your question directed to me? If I’m driving now and have my phone on Maps and propped up on my dash I don’t usually have my readers on - I can manage because the print is bigger - but it would be helpful and not a strain to look at Maps with readers - but I don’t want to drive with readers on!!