Progressive lenses for glasses: what it is, types, benefits and reviews

There are many options for correcting vision. These include glasses, contact lenses, and surgery. If a person has myopia, he can safely take advantage of the first, second, and third options. But everything is not so simple with presbyopia. This anomaly is a visual impairment at short distances, mainly occurs with age. Glasses in this case allow you to read and view small images, but the picture in the distance becomes blurry.

Today, people with farsightedness can come to the aid of progressive lenses for glasses. What this is described below in the article.

Features

Progressive lenses for glasses. What it is? These are optical glasses designed according to the principle of multifocal. They provide a clear image at any distance. There are such types of corrective lenses:

• Single-focal. Provide clarity near or far.
• Bifocal. Provide good vision near and far.
• Multifocal (include and progressive here). Correct visual acuity at any distance.

The latter are particularly unique. They have different optical zones, smoothly transitioning one into another.

Thanks to this design, a person can wear glasses constantly. He will equally clearly see objects located at a distance of several centimeters, meters, tens of meters.

Regular glasses with farsightedness bring a lot of inconvenience. If you need to read something while in transport or in a public place, then you need to get them out, put them on, and then hide them. And so every time. It is also very inconvenient to record something, while looking several meters ahead (for example, on a TV or a board). With age, this situation is getting worse. Then a person can hardly read a newspaper, with difficulty begins to recognize familiar faces among passers-by on the street. The price of progressive lenses for glasses is different, so everyone can choose according to their capabilities.

Design

Each glass has an upper and lower zone, which differ in diopters, between them there is a progression corridor.

1. The upper zone is responsible for visual acuity when viewed directly, at a distance of 5 m or more, located in the upper part of the glass.
2. The lower zone provides comfortable reading. Located at the bottom of the glass, corrects vision when looking down.
3. The progression corridor is a transition between two zones. Designed for use at a distance of 40 cm to 5 m.

Kinds

Distinguish between universal and special progressive lenses. The former are manufactured using standard technology with typical glass curvature. They correct vision at medium distances. The cost of progressive lenses made in Russia (universal) varies from 7000 rubles. up to 10 000 rub. If you choose the production of Germany and France, the price will increase significantly - 10,000 - 19,500 rubles.

With the help of special lenses, you can well recognize small objects that are close and large ones that are located at a long distance. In turn, one and the other are divided into many subspecies. The price of Russian lenses will be approximately 15,000 rubles, and foreign - 24,000 rubles.

Also, manufacturers make optical glasses according to individual parameters. Individual progressive lenses for glasses will have a higher price, respectively. They significantly shorten the period of adaptation and improve visual acuity. European manufacturers set the price in the range of 33,000 - 35,000 rubles., Russian-made lenses will cost slightly cheaper - 25,000 - 27,000 rubles.

Contraindications

There are a number of eye diseases in which progressive lenses cannot be used.

1. Anisometropia In people with this pathology, the visual acuity of the left and right eye differs by more than 2 diopters.
2. Cataract. The clouding of the lens can progress rapidly, so it is not possible to achieve stable vision correction.
3. Strabismus. Eyes are not able to look equally through a certain area of ​​glass, so you should not even try to pick up progressive lenses.
4. Nystagmus. In a person with such a disease, the pupils involuntarily change their size. In this regard, the adaptation period is very difficult.
5. Individual intolerance.

Benefits

The choice of glasses of this type provides many advantages. Firstly, the need to buy two pairs of glasses (for reading and giving) disappears. Secondly, they allow you to clearly see objects that are at an average distance. If a person prefers bifocal lenses, then when you look from an object located close to an object located far away, the so-called “jump” of the picture occurs. It brings discomfort to the eyes. But when choosing multifocal lenses, such problems are not observed.

The selection of points is carried out using a complex computer program. It takes into account not only visual acuity, but also the frequency of use (that is, how a person wears them, what kind of work they are needed for), as well as many other individual parameters. Almost every company produces glass of different thicknesses. Refined progressive lenses are the best in quality. Thicker lenses are therefore cheaper.

disadvantages

Despite all the advantages, progressive lenses still have a number of disadvantages.

1. Difficulties in selection due to the presence of several zones.
2. High price.
3. Not very wide visual stripe. They do not cover the entire field of view of a person, to see something to your left you need to turn your head.
4. Image distortion on both sides of the progression corridor is possible.
5. Have a slightly longer adaptation period.
6. The specifics of the parameters of the frame, the angle of inclination, the distance to the pupil.

How to choose?

The selection of progressive lenses is carried out taking into account the characteristics of the profession, human habits, visual acuity, eye structure, etc. Manufacturing companies are rapidly developing optical glasses. So, today, for example, you can buy lenses made specifically for left-handed people or drivers. The latter correct vision mainly at medium and long distances, thereby making driving as comfortable and safe as possible.

In addition, sunscreen and photochromic glasses have been developed for drivers. They filter the visible spectrum, protecting the eyes from the sun, ultraviolet light, glare and glare. Optical glasses can be partially or completely darkened. With partial dimming, the lower part remains unchanged. Through it, the dashboard will be clearly visible. Since driving is constantly changing lighting, these functions are extremely important.

Advice

For people who have already used progressive lenses before, adapting to new glasses will be easy. But those who have not had such an experience will need a couple of days to get used to. Better to start using them on weekends. You should be especially careful when driving.

Tips to get used to progressive lenses faster:

1. You can not alternate the use of their old glasses and new ones.
2. In a relaxed atmosphere (for about an hour) alternately look from the object in your hands to a more distant object. For example, you can sit in front of the TV and pick up a book. The main thing is that addiction does not occur at work or at the wheel of a car.
3. For half an hour to work up the stairs. In this case, you should try not to lower your eyes very much, but only slightly tilt your head so that you look through the middle zone. This also applies to walking along the street.
4. It should be remembered that there is a blind zone on the sides of each glass . In order to view the object, which is left or right, you need to turn your head. In ordinary glasses, a person could simply look away in the right direction, but with progressive lenses this will not work.
5. You can start driving only after the full adaptation in the everyday environment has passed.

Reviews

Progressive lenses have conflicting reviews. Some people are very satisfied, they say that they are generally invisible in use. Others are not very happy with the purchase. Mainly due to the fact that there is a blind zone on the sides and during walking there may be a feeling of "staying in the tunnel." There can also be an unpleasant feeling of a “jumping picture”, and adaptation takes a rather long time when descending the stairs.

Car enthusiasts most often leave positive reviews about progressive lenses for glasses. It should be noted that the points for driving are slightly wider than the progression corridor. This is explained by the importance of ensuring that the image on the sides is not distorted. Glasses for working at a computer have a narrower corridor, as they provide a good overview of the monitor and keyboard. A bonus for drivers is that the glasses make it darkened and photochromic.

Probably the most important nuance is the individuality of each person. It is difficult to say whether or not such glasses are suitable for any particular person until he personally tries to wear them. Some people are very difficult to adapt to such lenses. Since there is a rather narrow space in the zone of maximum sharpness, the eyes should always be looking straight, and only the head should be rotated. If a person squints his eyes in order to consider something to the left or right of himself, then the picture will “float away”. And it’s very difficult to get used to the fact that with a sharp turn of the head, the image is also instantly blurry. And even when watching TV with a large diagonal, you need to drive your head around the screen. The same goes for the keyboard, monitor, and everything else. When copying material from the board in lessons or in pairs, you need to constantly change focus, looking from the notebook to a long distance, so it is convenient for students and students to use them.

We can conclude that the choice of progressive optical glasses must be done with great responsibility. Such glasses should be bought only for people with presbyopia. They have proven themselves as devices for performing certain tasks, but for everyday life and constant use, they are not suitable for everyone. If a person is firmly convinced that he needs such lenses, you need to contact the best specialists. Saving on vision is not worth it. The selection process itself is quite complex and long, but the final result will justify the time and money spent.