What Are Progressive Glasses And How Do They Work?

What Are Progressive Glasses?

Progressive glasses are multifocal lenses (a.k.a. Multifocals) that provide clear vision at multiple distances in one lens, without the visible lines found in traditional bifocal or trifocals. They are designed for people who need help seeing both near and far, most commonly due to age-related changes in vision known as Presbyopia.

How Do Progressive Lenses Work?

A progressive lens has a gradual change in prescription strength from the top of the lens to the bottom.

• Top of the lens: Distance vision (driving, , watching TV, seeing across the room)
• Middle of the lens: Intermediate vision (computer work, reading the car dashboard, shopping)
• Bottom of the lens: Near vision (reading, phones, menus, small writing on boxes)

Rather than having separate sections divided by a visible line, the prescription transitions smoothly between these viewing zones. This allows your eyes to naturally move through the lens depending on what you’re looking at.

Getting Used To Progressive Lenses

Progressive glasses are much more complex than single vision glasses, and they usually take a few hours or even two weeks for your eyes to adapt to using them and training your brain where to look through the lens, especially for first time progressive wearers.

Most people will experience a degree of ‘swimmy-ness’ with their vision when they first put on new progressive glasses. This is normal but it can make you feel like ‘something isn’t right’ whereas all it really needs is a bit of time to allow your eyes (and brain!) to adapt to them.

A Few Tips To Getting Used To Them

• Put the glasses on right from the very start of your day once your eyes and brain have been reset from the night before
• Wear your new glasses in a familiar environment like around your home
• Don’t switch back and forth between your new and old glasses – even though your old glasses will certainly feel more familiar, this action will confuse your brain
• Make a conscious effort to ‘point your nose’ toward whatever you’re look at including when you’re reading
• Let your eyes ‘find’ the perfect vision points, especially for reading and intermediate distances. This will often require moving your head or whatever you are holding, to read
• For computer use, you may need to adjust your screen to wear the vision feels the most comfortable
• Reposition your favourite chair when watching TV! Most people use the distance part of the lens therefore you may need to increase the distance between the TV and chair

Requirements For Perfect Progressives

1. Your Prescription. This must be exactly right for both your distance, near and in some cases, intermediate vision. We rely on your optometrist to do this part of the process.
2. The Fitting. It’s critical that your chosen frames are fitted and measured exactly for your progressive glasses to work. Even a small amount of movement such as wearing your glasses lower down your nose, can reduce the quality of your vision. We will carefully measure and record the optimum vision points based on you wearing the frames.
3. The Correct Lenses. There are several different types of progressive lenses now. It’s important that you are matched to the best possible design that suits your requirements. This could be enhanced near (reading) vision or lenses designed for maximum clarity in an office or workplace environment. We will help you get the best options to suit your requirements.

Common FAQ’s

My peripheral vision is blurry? All progressives have less peripheral clarity than single vision glasses due to the way the lens is formed. To improve this, go for the wide vision design. It won’t be as good as single vision but better than standard progressive design. ‘Pointing your nose’ is another way to overcome this. Whatever you are looking at, point your nose at it. This becomes automatic for most people after a while of wearing progressive lenses.

It’s blurry when I’m reading something on the wall above my head? When trying to ready something up close but above your head, you are looking through the wrong part of your lenses for this. To overcome it, try stepping back a meter or so, or removing your glasses altogether, raising your glasses so you are looking through the lower reading part of the lenses or tilting your head back.

Why is it blurry when I’m looking at the ground or walking up/down stairs? This is because the bottom part of your lenses is intended for reading so the extra distance to your feet makes the vision go out of focus. There is no real fix to this other than to become familiar with the effect and learn to overcome it with extra care, holding handrails etc. Depending on your prescription, you may find removing your glasses improves the vision clarity. Hold your head low so you’re looking through the distance part helps going downstairs are you’ll be looking through the distance part of the lens.

Are Progressive Lenses Right For Me?

If you find yourself holding material to read, further away, struggling to focus up close, or constantly switching between different pairs of glasses, progressive lenses may be an excellent solution. They offer convenient, seamless vision correction and can be customized to suit your prescription, frame choice, and daily visual needs.

Come and see us today!