In article <33705369.60E8@simmons.swmed.edu>, walberg@simmons.swmed.edu says...
>MCrouch999 wrote:

>> I have been using an FE since 1982 and have been very pleased with its
>> performance. I want to buy a new body this summer and am looking for
>> comments, suggestions, experiences from Nikon users who wear bifocals(mine
>> are progressive). I am considering used F3HP, N70 or N90. Auto-focus has
>> attraction because of my doubts of my continuing visual acuity! My usage
>> is family, landscape, Nature and Mexico. All help will be greatly
>> appreciated.
>> Thanx

>Take a good look at an F3HP. The finder is much easier to see than the
>FE when wearing glasses. You won't have to relearn anything either. It
>is definitely easier to manual focus than N90.
> There are different kinds of progressive lenses. I got progressive
>lenses a year and a half ago. I found that 1) peripheral vision was
>always blurry, and 2) to focus my camera I was always looking out of the
>very top of the lens of my "progressive" glasses. Last month, I asked
>my optician about this and I got a new pair (eyes getting a bit worse)
>with a different kind of progressive lenses. The new ones have
>TREMENDOUSLY improved peripheral vision. Also, I have more useable area
>of the glasses that works for focusing. So, ask your optician about
>this.
> Also, I asked for a pair to use that would be dedicated for camera
>use. The optician (who also does photography) gave me a pair of single
>vision glasses (in other words, not progressive) set for distance
>vision. These are, for me, slightly better for focusing. With these
>glasses, I can see everything in focus from about just over 2 ft to
>infinity. Reading at distances closer than 2 ft is better without these
>glasses. However, they are really great for focusing the camera.
> So, my advice is to get an F3HP with a B or E screen (or better yet a
>D screen if you don't use wideangle lenses), and the new progressive
>glasses with better peripheral vision (or better yet, a pair of single
>vision glasses set mainly for distance vision such that the finder
>image, usually at an effective distance of about a meter, is in focus).
>Be sure to tell your optician what is important to you.
> -Mark Walberg walberg@simmons.swmed.edu

I agree with the above - but found my own answer for glasses for
both photo and general use, described in an article on my web page at:
http://www.fcinet.com/ruether
"I have myopia combined with astigmatism and age-related inability to
focus. I had a pair of glasses made that corrected for four distances by
alternating corrections with main lenses and bifocals - which has worked
very well (infinity correction for non-camera eye, camera VF distance
[about 4'] for the camera eye, next closest distance for the non-camera
eye bifocal [set low and small - 25mm flat-tops], and the closest distance
set for the camera eye bifocal). It took about 2 weeks to feel comfortable
with night driving and movie watching, but for everything now, continuous
sharp focus has been restored, and I can see the camera VF very sharply
again."
I did not like progressive-type bifocals for the reasons you gave - I
LIKE using my peripheral vision, and it is quite good with my current
glasses (large lenses, with small inset flat-top bifocals, all set for
4 different distances). I also think both the FE and F3 are noticeably
easier to focus manually than the N90 (and the F3 finder is near 100%
coverage, very easy to see with glasses, and without the distortion and
edge softness that the FE and N90 finders can show).
"Hope This Helps", "Bob Neuman", David Ruether