Over the last year or so, I have noticed a definite decline in my eyesight. I’ve been short-sighted since childhood but I’ve now reached the point where regular glasses make things a bit blurred when close-up too. Increasingly, I have to lift my glasses up to read things like the fine print on ingredient lists. It is a particularly pain when trying to read music; in a band situation, I ideally need to see both the dots, which are close to me, and the conductor, who is far away.

A good solution has turned out to be clip on lenses. They can boost close-up vision better than just lifting the glasses up and more conveniently than switching to an alternative set of reading specs. I’ve also found that, at band, I can see my music clearly but, by dint of peering over the top of the clip-ons but still through my regular lenses, I can also get a good view of the conductor when I need it mid-song.

It holds off the day when I need to switch to bifocals or varifocals. The biggest downside is that, light as they are, the clip-ons add a level of extra weight. I wouldn’t want to wear them all the time. What I’m hunting for is some half-moon clip ons, so I can get the benefits but half the weight (or perhaps just some small lenses I can 3D print a suitable clip on holder for?).