I'm in the "varifocals have really changed my life for the better" camp. Specsavers et al don't do my weird prescription, I get mine from a local one man band optometrist (well he used to be local, but now I've moved 200 miles away!) and I usually get frames at around £120-150, and pay a total of around £600. He is VERY thorough, and I refuse to compromise in the hope of saving a few bob, those are the only set of eyes I have, and my life depends on them.
They have been a revelation to me, and I wear them for everything, and the learning process only took a day or so. I drove away from the optician thinking "hey, this is good, I can see the outside world, AND the instruments!"
I actually had to wear my sunglasses ones last week, but then it was effing sunny on No2 beach in Sierra Leone! I'm currently suffering from sunburn due to poorly applied sunscreen, in a bungalow in Wales, surrounded by snow...