I wear specs for close work and can't function without them For distance, I'm better without glasses so these are on and off a thousand times a day. Vary rarely, I venture into a lab, an operating theatre or clean room suite where safety specs are mandatory and it can be difficult for me to manage. I bought varifocals years ago and in the opticians they seemed OK. I was warned that they take a lot of getting used to. My own specs had a 2 week trial period that I was led to understand was standard with all varifocals rather than something specific to a particular optician chain and, since I fell over my feet no sooner than walking out of their store, and several times thereafter, they did go back at no cost to me and I never tried again. I was at the optician again last week - I'm developing cataracts - and varifocals were again mentioned as an option. Standards warnings included the difficulty in training (my eyes) and getting used to the lenses, headaches, dizziness etc. These are apparently quite common problems. I've no idea where you stand if all you want to do is avoid spending money. If you value the colleague and their input to your organisation you might bite the bullet and help them. Get them to see the optician for help - mine were very helpful though I just couldn't manage varifocals. Inquire about the possibility that the specs might be returned at no cost under the trial period agreement.

As said by Ian, it is common for some people to have problems getting used to varifocals, and in most cases it is just that: getting used to them (rather than the glasses being the wrong prescription or the lenses not being graded correctly). In normal circumstances the wearer goes back to their optician, explains the difficulties they are having and the opticians will generally offer alternatives as well as re-checking the vision. If the problem is just headaches then I would suggest asking the person to persevere for another week or two to see if he gets used to them and the headaches go away. If on the other hand he has told you he can't see properly with them there are potential safety issues (eg misjudging position of treads on stairs and falling at work) then the issue is more complicated! It could be argued that you allowed him to carry on with his tasks even though you knew he was potentially at risk as his vision was compromised.