@Butrflynet,
That is what happened when I tried bifocals, probably for different reasons. I tried bifocals long before I had cataracts. I went ahead with getting trifocals.
Now those are a pain in the patoot re finding the right frames, but they worked best for me and still do.
I am extremely nearsighted, which means that the range for the lenses must vary for me to see way across a large room clearly (or outdoors distance); to see middle distance, say a dozen feet to a bookshelf or to read some signs; and finally, the bottom lens to see what I can already see pretty well, a drawing I'm hand drafting or my computer screen,
but so, when driving, to see the numbers on my car dashboard without taking my glasses off to do that.
At home, I just take my glasses off when I go in the door as my rooms are fairly small and I can see ok, and I spend a lot of my time on the computer, reading, or cooking, all close work.
I've long been told that people find trifocals difficult (I didn't, I thought they were 'miracles' at work, a large room of something like 50 x 50 feet when I had my drafting desk along with other architects spaced around the room). The bigger problem is that many places don't provide trifocals and when they do, there is a wait to get them. Further, they're quite expensive. I did find a place in Albuquerque that gave me two pairs for the price of one, one being prescription trifocal sunglasses.
------- In Dale's situation, I think it likely that the prescription is off relative to the vision he needs.