Like any other prescription lens you would have in your glasses, progressive lenses look the same. However, they each have a secret ability that gives them different prescriptions or “powers.”
Progressive lenses can probably satisfy all of your vision needs in a single pair of glasses, even if you require multiple eye prescriptions to see effectively at various distances. They let you to perform tasks that call for close-up, intermediate, and distance vision without changing frames or removing your glasses.
These glasses offer a seamless increase in power from the top to the bottom of the lens, allowing you to wear just one pair of glasses to see clearly at all distances. The top of the lens is used to focus on far objects, the center on objects in the middle distance, and the bottom on close-up objects. A subtle transition is provided over the lens surface as the prescription gradually changes.
You don’t have to switch between your regular glasses and your reading glasses. One pair of glasses is all you need either to see near or far. Progressive lenses can also make vision look natural. You won’t experience a “jump” while switching between viewing something up close and something far away like you would with bifocals or trifocals. Therefore, looking at your dashboard, the road, or a sign in the distance while driving allows for a seamless transition.
It takes time to adjust to these all-in-one glasses. You’ll have to train yourself to look out of the correct portion of the lens for the task at hand without a visible line to guide you. You can experience lightheadedness and nausea while learning because you’re looking through the wrong part of the lens. Cost is another factor to take into account. Progressive lenses are $100 or more expensive than conventional bifocals.
To adjust and learn the proper method to look through the lens, it could take anywhere from a week to a few months. Wear your lenses as frequently as you can and stop wearing your other glasses to speed up the adjustment process. Make sure they are fitted and personalized by a qualified ophthalmologist or optometrist. When focusing, point your nose in the direction of the subject and move your chin up or down until the subject is clear.
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Source: American Academy of Ophthalmology