Maddox rod testing

Hi
I have two questions that I am hoping someone can answer.

1. I have a pair of prescription reading glasses that don't seem to
work too well for reading. I asked to have the optical centers marked
and the pupil distance measured. The frames are regular frames that
sit on the bridge of my nose and I look downward to read. The optical
centers are more or less centered vertically and set for my reading
pupil distance. The doctor said that in single vision lenses the
optical center is somehow translated downward so that I should be able
to read just fine. Is this true? Also, I asked him if bifocals would
be a better choice but he said that fitting bifocals is difficult and
wouln't work well. Is that true?

2. He did a Maddox rod test. The first time, the red line was to the
left of the white light. Then he changed something over the left eye
and asked me if I could see the light and the red line now. I could
but the line was not vertical or horizontal. On the right side it was
lower than the light and then ran upwards, through the light, ending
up higher then the light on the left hand side. He did this twice and
then said he didn't know what that meant, that he would have to
research it. So, do any of you know what it means and what can be done
about it, if it means there is a problem?

Well, that is really three questions but any help would be wonderful.

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