How do progressives lenses work

The prescription changes little by little across the lens surface, providing a gentle transition. This may be especially useful to people who wear single-vision eyeglasses for distance due to nearsightedness , farsightedness or astigmatism in addition to reading glasses for near work due to presbyopia.

Bifocal and trifocal lenses have two or three different magnification levels, separated by a visible line. Progressives lack these telltale transition lines. In fact, many people prefer progressives because they do away with the old-fashioned lines found on bi- and trifocals.

This is where objects abruptly change in clarity and apparent position as your eyes move across the prescriptions in the lens. People who do a lot of computer work may benefit from computer glasses, a subset of progressives that devote more space on the lens to intermediate distances.

Computer glasses have a correction specifically designed for focusing on computer screens , which are usually positioned about 20 to 26 inches away from the face. Computer glasses can help reduce eyestrain and eye fatigue and allow you to more easily switch your focus between whiteboards, printed pages and computer screens. If you think you could benefit from bifocal or trifocal glasses, but do not like the way they look, progressive lenses offer a better-looking, sleek alternative.

It can take anywhere from a week to a couple of months to adjust to progressives lenses. To reduce the adjustment period it is important to wear them often, but if you are experiencing discomfort it is ok to take a break from wearing them. If you are curious about trying progressive lenses, contact your optometrist and book an appointment for an eye exam and a fitting. San Diego, CA Request Appointment. What are Progressive Lenses? How do Progressive Lenses Work? What is Presbyopia? Some of the symptoms of presbyopia include: A tendency to hold reading material farther away to make the letters clearer.

Blurred vision at a normal reading distance. A digital surfacing lens ensures the most precise prescription based on the shape of your face, how you prefer to wear your frame, and the position of your eyes. Digital progressive lenses have a wider area for distortion-free reading and sharp distance visio n.

An additional benefit of getting the digital progressive lenses is gaining a high clarity vision in the intermediate distance area between reading and distance. This increased vision is very useful for computer use and other everyday activities. O ur p rogressive l enses are developed with Digital Freeform technology — the most advanced on the market — and our laboratory is equipped to handle all types of prescriptions and produce the most accurate true digital free-form progressive lenses.

Alas, the inevitable progressive lenses vs bifocal debate. Fortunately, it can be broken down in a simple way. Bifocal lenses provide a distinct distance and near viewing area, but no intermediate area 0 feet away. These viewing areas are separated by a noticeable line that can be awkward, abrupt, and frustrating to the wearer. Progressive lenses have no lines and no image jump. This allows for a continuous field of vision. Conventional bifocals tend to be more of an alternate or second-best option.

Trifocals are similar in design to bifocals except that they have 3 areas of focus distance, intermediate, and near instead of 2 areas distance and near in bifocals. Trifocals and bifocals have similar disadvantages and are not prescribed as often as progressives.

There is also a lens known as a blended bifocal. They correct distance and near, but not intermediate. To the naked eye, progressive lenses look like most other lenses. A trained eye care professional will be able to identify them.

If your vision is blurry when focusing on different distances , PALs could be what you need. It comes down to whether you need sight correction for distance, intermediate or near, and what you do. Why have several pairs of glasses for different activities — reading, computer use, distance, television watching, when you can have progressive glasses?

We will also say that progressives are the most popular multifocal option for a reason. Many people over 40 prefer progressives over regular reading glasses, because you can have the reading prescription at the bottom and a neutral prescription at the top.

Having the intermediate section is the biggest advantage of getting progressive lenses. Many everyday activities, such as using a computer or looking at things on a grocery shelf, require intermediate vision. To get help figuring out the best lens for your needs, we suggest contacting an optician. And to read more about the difference between bifocals and progressives, check out our post delving into the pros and cons of each.

Need progressive prescription lenses? An answer to all your questions is at your fingertips, and if you want to chat with an expert, Contact Us. Ditch risky online shopping with the See Better Guarantee. Try your glasses for 45 days. Get a full refund, exchange, or credit towards a better pair.