Question about playing with bifocals

Apologies if this isn't the correct forum.

My girl has a heavy prescription with bifocals. Up to this point it hasn't been a problem. She's about to turn 9 and suddenly she's struggling to make contact. My concern is that the bifocals are interfering with her vision as the game is speeding up.

So I'm looking into sports glasses for her. Im wondering if the bifocal is necessary for softball. It's my understanding that it's needed to keep her eyes aligned for up close reading. I can't think of any case where that is needed during a game, but someone at her Dr's office insisted that she needed them at all times.

She's told me that the ball changes shape when it passes into the lense and while I think it has been an advantage for her, moving her head more to see the ball... I'm afraid she is going to struggle as the speed picks up more.. any thoughts?

No experience with this but it seems to me bifocals would be hard to play with. DD doesn't even wear her glasses during games, she needs to wear them for up close things.

DD and DS used sports glasses until HS. When they switched to contacts both wished they’d done it years before. There’s no need for bifocals all the time. I’ve worn them for 30+ years and they only help with reading. God I’m old lol

Both of my girls benefited from switching to contacts - I think they were about 10. You'll know if she's responsible enough to take care of them.

Just can't see a need either you are not doing anything that would require them except maybe read the line card. Instead of trusting "someone" at the doctors office I would talk to the doctor.

Are contacts an option?

Contacts might be same Issue, they have bifocal contacts.

I know that if I try to hit a pitched ball or one off the machine, I "lose" the ball when it gets to the bifocal point. It makes it very disorienting to me. My eye doctor told me that if I were actually playing a sport, I should get prescription sports goggles/glasses/contacts without the bifocal. Since I just coach, I haven't seen the need.

djcarter1966 said:

Just can't see a need either you are not doing anything that would require them except maybe read the line card. Instead of trusting "someone" at the doctors office I would talk to the doctor.

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Haven't had a chance to speak with him yet. The person I spoke to does the fitting and adjustments so I'm not sure if she's correct or not. Im going to ask her doctor as well.

I was curious if anyone here has had any experience with this. Seems like the concensus is she probably doesn't need them.

I know when I first got bifocals, I would almost bust my butt going down stairs... So, I would imagine they will have an impact on batting to some degree or another... You need to ask the eye doctor about it...

Funny story though... I coached a young lady that was a heck of a player, great kid... She was a sure thing at the plate... after the summer season, she shows up to practice in the fall with glasses and cannot hit the ball for anything... so, I ask her dad after practice "hey, why did yall change from contacts to glasses, it seems to be having an affect on her batting..."... her dad looks at me and says "she never had contacts OR glasses but she was blind as a bat"... she adjusted and got back to form but I never figured out how she managed to hit the ball when she supposedly couldn't see that well without glasses... her dad and I still laugh about it...