What is a "Progressive" lens and do I need one?

A quick explanation and background of a progressive addition lens is necessary in order to understand the importance of choosing the proper lens for your needs.

A progressive lens gives people an array of prescriptions - placed in the proper positions throughout the lens - to best imitate normal vision. Imagine having the precise correction needed to see a television screen more than 15 feet from you, while reading this article on your desktop computer, and then looking down at your keyboard in order to start entering the address to your favorite website. This, in a nutshell, is exactly what the progressive lens is ideally capable of accomplishing with one pair of glasses.

Having the least amount of peripheral distortion, and one of the wider ranges in both distance power, astigmatism, prism, and add power availability, we find this lens to be very versatile. The most important thing to you is that this product feels very natural in front of your eye. For first-time progressive lens wearers, there is a stigma that it takes a bit of time to adjust to a lens that holds multiple prescriptions. This is often still an issue if places use old technology lenses or don’t take careful measurements to assure the proper placement on the lens in the frame. However, with modern technology, the use of computers to fine tune this amazing product, and careful measurements and lens positioning by your optician, this lens does the best job we have seen in mimicking perfect 20/20 vision at all focal lengths.

Along with the progressive lens itself, there are other additional treatments, or “add-ons” that can immensely improve one’s experience with their glasses. These products will be touched upon in future articles in more depth, but options such as Transition Photochromic application, Anti-Reflective Coatings, and choosing a Polycarbonate scratch-resistant lens are just a few of the more popular choices.

So when making a decision for your next pair of eyeglasses, please understand this: Vision is an incredibly important aspect of daily life, and it should be treated with the utmost care and importance. Along with keeping up with your yearly examinations, make sure you are treating your eyes properly when it comes to your decisions for corrective lenses.

Article contributed by Richard Striffolino Jr.

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