Offering a much more natural and seamless progression than traditional bifocals or trifocals, progressive lenses offer multiple focal points for almost any visual need. Also known as multifocals, progressive lenses offer clear vision from distance to near vision, with an intermediate vision area in between.
Progressives offer the ability to finally look up and see across the room or down the street while driving. You can likewise look ahead at your PC or a friend sitting at the table through the middle vision area. Then, when you look down to read the fine print, you will see it all comfortably and clearly through the bottom of the progressive lens.
There is a passage that runs vertically down the center of the lens and measurements are taken of the patient in order to fit the lens passage in the correct place so you will be able to access all powers easily and comfortably.
With progressives “image jump” is not an issue at all. Image jump occurs in bifocals and trifocals when the lines on the lenses make a sudden change in power which causes pictures to seem to jump as you move from distance to close up vision. Progressives make a smooth, more agreeable move from distance to close up and back.
The most up to date, state of the art progressive lenses offered today provide the closest thing to natural clear vision that is possible for a person with presbyopia. Although the price of progressive lenses is generally higher than traditional bi or trifocals, most people find the higher price a small price to pay for the ease of transition from near to far vision, and back again, as well as the much sought after no-line and youthful appearance of the progressive lenses.
Overall, progressive lenses give a continuous, seamless view with a gentle and progressive change in focus from far to near, and everything in the middle, without the conventional bifocal line and jump, that is so unseemly to most people. Ask your optometrist about progressive lens options today!