Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Vision is getting to be a problem

I wear progressive lens glasses, but cannot see the music without over arching my neck and that's a problem because I have a 3 level cervical fusion. I picked up reading glasses that help some, but not great. When I picked them out I held up a sheet with writing about where the music would be and they were ok, but not perfect.

I either need to get prescription glasses for piano music or I need to find larger print music. Is there such a thing? I really think if I could see better, I could sight read better. Getting old sucks!!!

If you get your music as a PDF file you can print it at any size that you need, from miniscule to huge. If you have printed sheets, get a scanner and scan it to an image, then print that at whatever size you want it to be. You can even use the camera on your smartphone as a rudimentary scanner, then upload the photo to your computer from that.

I also wear progressive bifocals and I've been thinking about getting single-vision lens glasses for sitting in front of my computer. Since I sit in front of my piano at approximately the same distance, glasses like that would be perfect for both uses.

Haven't got around to that yet, though.

I wear varifocals, progressive glasses, but just bought single vision glasses for piano and computer. Good move and should have done it ages ago. Make sure you get the focal distance optimal for intended use.

Can't read music with my progressive lens either. As spanishbuddha says, single vision (or bifocal with a large mid-range) glasses for piano and computer, are the way to go. Talk to your optician. You can get a discontinued frame to save money and single vision lens are much less expensive than progressives. It's less of a pain in the neck to have two pair of glasses. I really can't read music well without mine.

Good luck.

Many printers can now xerox. I copy all my music at 125%.

I don't want to start the old print vs. electronic debate but for music stored, for instance, on an iPad you can zoom as much as you like.

I use a special pair of glasses for reading music (and working at the computer). Just tell the eye doctor what you want and they can fix you up easily. I've been doing this for years now. It's the only way I can see the music.

I use straight line bifocals for this, since there is no need for progressive lenses. No odd tilting of the head is needed with straight line bifocals, and they are considerably cheaper.

And don't neglect the value of strong light on the music - it gets more and more important as we age.

Sam

I just purchased a fixed distance pair of glasses for the piano, and they are wonderful! No more squinting to figure out the notes and no more tilting the head back. I am really pleased with them. As others have said, I should have done this long ago. Sight reading is so much easier!

I couldn't get along without my indoor glasses They're progressive, but with a much wider area for piano/computer use. The truth is I can't see the clock across the room with them (well, maybe, if I duck my head and it's a big clock), but they are terrific for computer work every day and piano playing every night.

I can actually read with my outdoor glasses (the ones with more distance for driving) by just putting the book/newspaper (remember those?) lower and not ducking my head, but the mid-range like computer and piano are difficult.

But I've two pair of glasses for a long time. So I 14th the above posts - piano glasses FTW!

I have three pairs of glasses : one progressive, one for reading and one for computer/piano. Got them online at a much better price.

I did exactly the same thing two months ago when I had a bad vertigo attack while playing piano, repeated the next night -- again while playing piano.

I wear trifocal lenses at work, and my theory is that quick, darting glances from the music to the keyboard and back -- through all three levels of the eyeglass lenses -- was bringing on the problem.

Since I got over-sized single focus lenses (for piano playing only), "centered" as to focus at the right focal length, the vertigo problem has gone away and I read better at the piano.

A somewhat related point -- for me, it's impossible to get too much good lighting on the keyboard and the music desk. The need for more light grows as my eyes age.

Good luck!

I wear bifocals normally, but for computer, piano, and flute work I have single vision glasses (all with the same prescription, as it happens). I actually have three pairs: 1 at work for the computer, 1 at home on the piano, and 1 that swaps back and forth between my piano bag and my flute bag for lessons. (It was sort of an oversight on my part that led to me buying that 3rd pair, but it's so convenient that now I want a 4th pair so I don't have to remember to swap it between lesson bags...)

When I got them, I measured precisely from the bridge of my nose to the computer screen and piano music. Isabelle, you said you held the music up approximately where the music would be, but I have found trying to estimate like that is quite difficult for me.

If you move closer or further away from the piano music, does it improve how the reading glasses are working for you? Obviously you don't want to play at other than the optimal distance, but that would suggest the problem is not in the principle of wearing single vision lenses, but in the focal length, and an optometrist could make you a prescription at the proper focal length.

That said, I have to say that having larger print can be utterly delightful: for example I have found that the reading part of my bifocals works fine with regular print books, but it's even more relaxing to read large-print books with them...

Good luck finding the right solution.

I wear progressive eye glasses, but when playing the piano and also when using a computer I take them off. I would have acquired single strength glasses for piano playing if this had been necessary.

Anyhow I prefer good and clear music sheets. Henle editions are usually excellent and if possible I always buy Henle sheets.

Thanks so much for all your responses. Will be looking into single vision for the piano.

Chiming in late. But, single vision piano glasses are definitely the way to go. Don't be afraid to get a larger lense size either. You can see more of the page at one time. I've had a dedicated piano pair of glasses for years.

Dynam, I definitely plan on large lenses. Thanks

I love my oversized piano glasses.

I'd wear prescription goggles if my wife would let me.

I have the same type of problem, but somewhat different. I can see at home as I practice fine--I have a Kawai K-5 and the music rack is close. I just started lessons with a new teacher and I go to her. She has a grand piano and the music rack seems as though it is about a mile away. I asked her about adjustment but she said that is as close as she can get it. I have lots of trouble seeing at lessons as my glasses (also progressives) don't work as well at that distance. I am not sure what to do--I feel as though I need field glasses!

I have similar problems at my lesson, the music is too far and there's not enough light. I think I will have to get a separate pair of lesson glasses. I already have glasses optimized for my upright, but they are not good enough for my lessons. I guess it's time to get one more pair...

The change from an upright to a grand is what necessitated piano glasses for me. At the upright, I could look through the bottom part of my progressive lenses just fine. But, at a grand, I looked through the top part of the lens when looking at music. That was the distance portion of the prescription. So, I'd have to tilt my head back to look through the lower portion of the lens. Now, upright or grand, I wear the same mid/close piano lens.