An increasing number of people who are in need of near vision help are turning to the progressive lenses for their vision needs. The need for near vision correction happens when the muscles and the interior lens of the eye begin to loose their elasticity much like a rubber band does as it ages. Progressives is more commonly known as the no line bifocal however it is more than a bifocal or even a trifocal. In actuality, the progressive is a multifocal with many vision areas. The progressive lens gradually increases or decreases in power, much like the eye used to, as you move your eyes up or down the lens.
The progressive lens is not for everyone, however, anyone can learn to wear it. With proper education and instruction, adaption to a progressive lens is easy. The line that is normally on a bifocal is not just zapped off the front of the lens. This lens has a design much like an hourglass. The line that was present on a bifocal lens is blended into the outside or peripheral and the inside or the nasal part of the lens. The space that is created by this blend is the channel or corridor and that is where the intermediate or computer distance power is. This is also where the prescription power gradually changes from distance in the top to the near in the bottom.
A progressive lens is not designed to have clear vision throughout the entire lens. In learning to wear a progressive lens you must remember that like an hourglass the corridor is narrower in the middle than the top and bottom. To use the middle portion you need to use your nose like a pointer and turn your head slightly to look directly at your object to get the full advantage of the intermediate area. If you glance to either side you will run into the blended area and your vision will blur slightly. To adjust the power between the distance and the near you must move you head slowly up or down which changes the power according to how far away the object or reading material is from you. Generally your near distance is measured at about 16 to 18 inches or elbow distance. The intermediate distance is between you elbow and about 6 inches beyond your finger tips. The far vision is anything beyond the ends of your finger tips. When wearing a progressive for the first time you must tilt you chin toward your chest and look over the intermediate blend to see the floor since it is beyond your fingertips.
Now that you have the basics of Progressive lenses and how to use them, enjoy the variety of vision and the freedom you have now gained from the older bifocal lenses.
