What Are Progressive Lenses?
Progressive lenses pack three different prescriptions into a single pair of glasses. This remarkable feature enables you to engage in close - up tasks such as reading a book; mid - distance activities like browsing a website on a computer; and long - distance viewing like driving, all without the hassle of swapping between different pairs of glasses. These lenses are also sometimes referred to as multifocal lenses.
Progressive lenses are classified by function:
👨🏻🦳Ordinary progressive lenses: suitable for general presbyopic patients or people with long, medium and near vision needs, which can help them see objects at different distances clearly in daily life.
🧑🏻💻Computer progressive lenses: also called "near variable focus lenses", mainly designed for people who use computers for a long time every day. This type of lens is optimized for visual correction at medium distances (computer use distance), which can reduce visual fatigue when using computers for a long time.
🪴Anti-fatigue progressive lenses: designed for people who use their eyes at close range for a long time, such as office workers. Through the special design of the lower part of the lens, it can reduce eye fatigue caused by long-term near vision, and relieve various visual fatigue symptoms such as eye soreness, pain, headache, etc.
💁🏼Youth progressive lenses: used to reduce visual fatigue of teenagers and control the speed of myopia development. The principle is to reduce the adjustment of close-range eye use through the lower light under the lens, and relieve the fatigue caused by long-term close-range eye use.
📌Knowing when to get progressive lenses starts with a visit to your local optometrist. At your comprehensive eye exam, the eye doctor will find out if you need prescription eyewear, and if it turns out you do, they may recommend multifocal lenses.
😀Advantages of progressive lenses:
Convenient and comfortable: Just wearing a pair of glasses can meet the different needs of looking into the distance, at the intermediate distance, and up close. It avoids the trouble of frequently changing glasses, thus improving the convenience of daily life.
Aesthetically pleasing: Compared with traditional bifocal lenses, progressive lenses have no obvious dividing line, presenting a more beautiful and natural appearance.
Natural visual transition: The change in the diopter on the lens is a gradual transition. Unlike bifocal lenses, there is no obvious sense of jump between different areas, providing a more comfortable visual experience.
Helps relieve visual fatigue: For people who need to frequently switch their line of sight distances, such as those who often use computers or work in different indoor and outdoor environments, progressive lenses can reduce the accommodation burden on the eyes, thereby alleviating visual fatigue.
🙃Disadvantages of progressive lenses:
Longer adaptation period: Wearers need a certain amount of time to get used to the special optical design of progressive lenses. In the initial stage, discomfort symptoms such as dizziness, eye swelling, and distorted vision may occur. The length of the adaptation period varies from person to person.
Higher price: Compared with ordinary single-vision lenses, the production process of progressive lenses is more complex and requires higher technical standards, so the price is relatively more expensive.
Limited field of view: There may be astigmatism in the peripheral areas of the lens, resulting in a certain degree of limitation of the field of view. Special attention should be paid especially when looking to the sides or going up and down the stairs.
Progressive lenses are suitable for people:
The Population with Presbyopia👓
Age Characteristics: People over 40 years old. Due to the decrease in the elasticity of the lens, they experience blurred near vision (such as when reading or using mobile phones).
Needs: They need to see clearly at far, medium and near distances simultaneously (such as when driving, using a computer, or reading books).
The Population with the Superposition of Myopia and Presbyopia🔍
Scenario: Those who have both myopia and presbyopia need a pair of glasses to solve these two problems at once, so as to avoid frequently changing glasses.
The Population Pursuing Convenience and Aesthetics🪄
Advantage: Progressive lenses have no visible dividing line (traditional bifocal lenses have an obvious dividing line), presenting a more natural appearance.
The Professional Population Needing to Frequently Switch the Viewing Distance👩🏫
For example, teachers (looking at the blackboard and teaching materials), drivers (observing the road conditions and the dashboard), and designers (looking at the screen and blueprints).
