Home Progressive Lenses?

[oobiecoo]

Some of you may remember my post about night blindness and how I was going to the doc. Well, he found that I have an astigmatism and also my vision has gotten slightly worse. He recommended bifocals and the guy who helped me order glasses talked me into the progressive lenses instead of the bifocal lenses with a line through the middle. He said that he''ll help me get adjusted to wearing them but if I try and end up totally hating them, I won''t be stuck with those lenses.

He said progressive lenses have a kind of hourglass shape in them where I will be able to see and that the edges will be fuzzy because they have to move the unnecessary parts of the lens out of the way... or something like that.

I''m very worried that I won''t adjust well to them... especially since I RARELY wear the glasses I have now. Does anyone have experience with these or any tips? I won''t get them for another week and a half or so.

 

[somethingshiny]

I worked in the optometric field for several years so I know a lot about the Progressive lenses.

Firstly, they are more attractive and generally easier to get used to than a lined bifocal. They look just like a single vision lens to everyone but the wearer.

There is no need to remove them because what you essentially have is a trifocal. The top of the lens is for distance, the central portion is for around arm''s length (like a computer) and the bottom is for reading. The edges are fuzzy because of the way the lenses are blended together. Any one who wears glasses (or those who have for a while at least) point their nose at what they''re looking at, so the outer edges don''t really matter. If you''ve never worn glasses, you''ll notice it more, but you should get used to it after about a week of solid wear. You''ll learn to move your eyes up and down and hold your head still. The lenses will be measured exactly for your eyes but will be adjusted to give you the most visual comfort.

That being said, and this being my opinion, I''m not sure why they are recommending progressive lenses at all. There are many contact lens options that would be appropriate for you. If they just want you in a lens with anti-reflective coatings,( which are a great help in reducing glare esp. at night), you could just get a single vision (with correction for your astigmatism) lens. They are much less expensive, easy to get used to, etc.

The contact lens options for a "bifocal" are:
1)bifocal contact lenses. These are basically encircling rings of varying corrections to accommodate your needs. Your pupils dilate differently when looking far away versus near so your eye uses the proper correction as it adjusts. These are expensive lenses but most people are happy with them. There are always some who can''t adjust to them.

2)monovision. This is a very common, cost effective, easy to adjust, type of way to get your bifocal. One lens is used for distance, the other lens is used for near vision. One eye will take over as "leader" for looking far away or close up. These lenses are much cheaper than bifocal contacts. This option has mixed reviews for intermediate focus. Some people have a very definite near vision and far vision with nothing in between, but many report being able to see at all distances. This could also vary depending on the correction for the reading dominant eye. If you under-correct that near vision, you''re essentially creating a correction for an intermediate distance.

3)contacts AND glasses. The contacts are generally the distance correction (because that''s what most people need most of the time), then wear "reading glasses" over the contacts when that need occurs. With this option, you don''t have a correction specifically for intermediate distances. You either have to put your monitor close enough to use the "readers" or far enough to just use the contacts.

If you have any questions, I''ll be glad to answer.

 

[oobiecoo]

Wow SomethingShiny! Thank you for all of the information!

The way you explained the progressive lens is basically what the guy told me. Contacts weren''t an option for a couple of reasons... one is that I didn''t have the "contact exam"... just the "eyeglass exam". Also, I have never worn them before and didn''t really consider it an option for right now.

If the glasses end up just not working out, the distance contact with reading glasses sounds like it may be an option. I don''t know that I''ll really miss having an "intermediate" correction with that option since my prescription is low anyway. I think it was .50 in one eye and .75 in another eye plus the astigmatism.

Also, if the progressive lenses don''t work out... would JUST distance glasses work for all the time? Would it just be slightly less effective for reading or not effective at all?

 

[VRBeauty]

Oobiecoo:

I have progressive lenses, and wore contacts with bifocal correction before that. I wore contacts pretty much all the time until about three years ago, when I developed a problem in one eye that occasionally flares up and makes wearing a contact in that eye uncomfortable.

I'm still not used to having to wear glasses (although I'm getting there) but I love my progressive lenses. The biggest factor is the convenience of having everything I need in a single pair of glasses -- no more misplacing the reading glasses, or having to get them out of my purse just to read a label in the store. I have seen some friends who have problems, especially with close work, even with bifocals of progressives however. I think a lot of it depends on getting a good prescription from a good optomitrist, and then getting a real good optician to fill the prescription. Both my optomitrist and my dispensing optician are perfectionists who will work with me until everything is just right. The first day I wear a new pair of glasses I usually find myself being real careful around steps etc. as I get used to the curvature of the lenses. I don't notice it at all after that.

But I agree with somethingshiny that there are other options that might work as well or not better for you. My contacts were perfect... one contact was single vision with the distance slighty over-corrected (great for driving!) and the other was bifocal with normal distance vision. They fit really well and it was almost like having normal eyesight! My contacts were gas-permeable rigid lenses; I wasn't satisfied with the distance correction I got with soft contacts. BTW your mind has no problems switching from one eye to the other as the circumstances dictate.

My mother wears a single soft lense for near-vision correction, and thank goodness for that! She used to have reading glasses all over the house, but it seems like we'd all have to drop everything and find a pair for her at least once during every visit!

I now have three pairs of prescription glasses, and I recently gave up the denial and bought myself a pair of prescripton sunglasses. I swear, with all the cool frames available now, glasses can become just as addictive as collecting designer shoes or colored gemstones or something

-- and just as expensive, if not more so!


Aside to somethingshiny: it was epischleritis that got me

. Thank you for explaining how and why I adjust to new glasses!

 

[pinkstars]

I don''t have any real input to your thread, but I''m wondering why they would suggest those kind of lenses.
I''ve been wearing glasses for almost 20 years (not quite in my mid twenties yet) and I do have astigmatism and have never been offered those kind of lenses. Actually, regular lenses have worked perfectly fine for me. I''m just curious, so I''m interested in seeing how this turns out for you. I hope it all goes well! I hate getting new glasses.

 

[oobiecoo]

Date: 9/30/2008 3:51:57 AM
Author: pinkstars
I don''t have any real input to your thread, but I''m wondering why they would suggest those kind of lenses.

I''ve been wearing glasses for almost 20 years (not quite in my mid twenties yet) and I do have astigmatism and have never been offered those kind of lenses. Actually, regular lenses have worked perfectly fine for me. I''m just curious, so I''m interested in seeing how this turns out for you. I hope it all goes well! I hate getting new glasses.

I think the progressive lenses are more because I have trouble seeing both distance AND up close. I don''t think they are really to help the astigmatism. I *think* for an astigmatism, they do something else special to the lenses.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Hi! I have been wearing progressive trifocals for several years and have never had any trouble with them. They don''t take much getting used to - there''s nothing to worry about.

 

[Catmom]

I just switched to progressives this year from contacts and "readers" and I had no problems at all adjusting to them.

 

[somethingshiny]

Date: 9/30/2008 1:55:44 AM
Author: oobiecoo


Also, if the progressive lenses don''t work out... would JUST distance glasses work for all the time? Would it just be slightly less effective for reading or not effective at all?

Your distance correction is very low, so I''m assuming that you have enough astigmatism correction needed to validate expensive lenses. Your spherical (the -.50 and -.75) correction is not even necessary to pass a driver''s eye test. However, if you have a reasonable amount of astigmatism, that would be the reason for needing to wear glasses/contacts all the time. btw-astigmatic correction is a correction that is placed along a precise axis in the lens. If you rotate a lens with astigmatic correction in front of your eye, you''ll notice where the correction is. The second number in your prescription is the astigmatic power of correction, the third number is the axis where it is placed.

All manufacturers carry a warranty or a guarantee on their progressive lenses. There are many different kinds. The newer progressives require very little room to accommodate the the three sections of correction, whereas the older ones had to have giant frames to work. The new designs are so varied as to achieve the most visual comfort for the wearer. So, if you do a lot of driving there''s a lens for that, on computers all day there''s a lens for that, etc.

For your question above, if you wear just distance correction glasses you would see clearly at a distance, and probably intermediate. You may see better for reading with your glasses off, but that would depend on how high your astigmatism is. If your astigmatism is high enough that YOU require correction 24/7, you may just need to wear them and push your reading material a bit further away than normal. This is actually what I do. I have a significant correction for distance and have to wear glasses all the time. (I couldn''t see my hand in front of my face or recognize my husband without them) But recently, well 2-3 years ago, I''ve noticed quite a change in my reading. Instead of getting any kind of bifocal (at 2, I just hold my book further away. It''s no big deal for me.


VRBeauty--glad you referenced your old name--blech to the epischleritis! I had to quit wearing contacts for around 3 years because of that, too. I got back into them by going to rgp and then back into soft. but, what a pain! literally!!


oh, and progressive lenses are just a bifocal/trifocal. Astigmatic correction can be added to any lens and is entirely separate from the need of a bifocal.

 

[oobiecoo]

SomethingShiny- I read your reply to my men''s sun glass post. Its so weird that I''ve never really paid attention to men wearing sunglasses.

I was wondering if you know anything about www.39dollarglasses.com
I know its not a good choice for something like my glasses because I''ll probably need to go see the optician a couple of times to get used to my progressive lenses, but do you think it would be safe to order hubby some prescription sunglasses from their website? He has a pretty simple prescription. Do you see any negatives to this other than getting frames that fit and look right? I don''t know anything about their quality.

 

[JulieN]

Date: 9/30/2008 4:21:25 AM
Author: oobiecoo

Date: 9/30/2008 3:51:57 AM
Author: pinkstars
I don't have any real input to your thread, but I'm wondering why they would suggest those kind of lenses.

I've been wearing glasses for almost 20 years (not quite in my mid twenties yet) and I do have astigmatism and have never been offered those kind of lenses. Actually, regular lenses have worked perfectly fine for me. I'm just curious, so I'm interested in seeing how this turns out for you. I hope it all goes well! I hate getting new glasses.

I think the progressive lenses are more because I have trouble seeing both distance AND up close. I don't think they are really to help the astigmatism. I *think* for an astigmatism, they do something else special to the lenses.

You have trouble seeing near and close because of the astigmatism. Progressives would correct your astigmatism at all distances.

Glasses are pretty cheap. You can definitely get them for $39. They'll probably be really basic, though.

 

[iluvcarats]

Hi oobie!
I have progressive lenses and prism in my glasses. The bifocals are relatively new, and they are great. I didn''t have any trouble adjusting. Good luck!

 

[somethingshiny]

oobiecoo~ I've never heard of that site. In just perusing the site, this is what I think.

Glasses of a simple RX are easily made for $39 when using an inexpensive frame. Many frames aren't over $10 cost. And, frankly, there are hundreds of frames for under $5. Of course, these aren't the best quality or best looking, but they certainly do the job.

The lenses that they use for standard eyeglasses are polycarbonate 1.59. This is a thinner lens than a standard plastic, but not as thin as you would usually go with at an optometrist's office. Most prefer to go with poly 1.0 which is thinner. However, to achieve and retain a dark color suitable for sunglasses, plastic is the best. It absorbs the color better than the polycarbonate lenses by leaps and bounds.

As far as ordering online, if they use the same technical info as an optometrist's office, I would think it's fine. Many optometrist's offices send out for their RXs and use the phone or internet to place the order. Each frame has a pattern number that is referenced to achieve the correct sizing. Each lens is specified by RX. If they send you a form to take to your optician/optometrist to give them all the info, I'd say it may be worth a try. The information they SHOULD need to make the glasses is: prescription (verified or written by doctor), PD (pupilary distance, or the distance between the eyes so the RX can be centered accordingly), and possibly a base curve (the curvature of the lens, some people are extremely sensitive to any changes in the curve). I'm assuming they will have all of the frame info.

If this is what you want to try, I'd take your husband into an optometrist's office and try on glasses (regular frames or sunglasses). When you find ones that fit well, write down the info on the inside of the frame. You'll see a manufacturer, model, color, and size. The size will be listed either on the inside of the bridge (on the nose) or the inside of the temple. (example: 52-20, that is the millimeter measurements of the lens and bridge. Then you will see another number down towards the back of the temple, probably 145. That is the length of the temple.) You can use that info to try to gain a better fit with the online site. If he tries on a flat front frame, and then chooses a wrap around style online the numbers will not match up at all because a wrap is always bigger to accommodate the style.

He'll need them fit to his face when they arrive. He should be able to go into any office and have that done. I've never heard of an optician who wouldn't adjust glasses just because they weren't purchased there. I would also ask the optician to verify the RX.

If you haven't already, I'd do a search for reviews of this place just to give you some more info.


eta-another measurement you should get off of glasses is the vertical lens measurement. The optician will know what you want and provide it to you. It looks like the site calls it lens height. So, if your DH is comfortable with a 35, DON'T go with a 25 or he will have too much light coming in.


eta2-if you want to list the prescription (for you or your DH) I can help you more. I can tell where the thickest part of the lens is and if it's too high to go in a particular frame.

 

[oobiecoo]

Thank you so much for all of your help SomethingShiny!!

Some of these online eyeglass websites state that for progressive lenses, all I need is my prescription and pupil distance measurement for the lenses to be 100% accurate for me due to this new technique or something. Is that true?? I didn''t think it was quite that easy.

Is it accurate enough for hubby and I to measure each other''s pupil distance or does that need to be professionally done?

 

[somethingshiny]

Measuring your own PD is fairly easy, but depending on your RX, it needs to be spot on. With just a -.5o type RX, you can be off my 5 millimeters and still be fine. Once you get into astigmatism, higher RX, and bifocals, it''s necessary to have accurate measurements. (again this is something I could guide you more with an approximate RX).

I would have the PD professionally taken. It shouldn''t cost anything and only takes about a minute. The ruler is the old method. If your eyes or DH''s eyes aren''t exactly centered, the total PD will not be accurate as individual PD (basically the measurement from the center of your nose to the center of your pupil on each side), which is how they''ll cut the lens. And, the instruction they''re giving isn''t quite right.

IF you do take it yourself, hold a mm ruler across the bridge of his nose. Put your face straight in front of him by about 6 or 8". Have him look at your left eye and line up the 0 on the ruler at the inside rim of his right pupil (toward the nose). Then, without moving the ruler, have him look at your other eye and measure to the outside rim of that pupil. Then, check your measurement. If he''s a big guy, he''ll measure around 62-64 (probably). You''ll measure closer to 59-61 most likely.

Your measurements need to be very precise for a progressive or any kind of bifocal. If you''re able to go to an optometrist to have them made, I definitely would. The PDs should be individual PDs instead of a total distance. Many people are off center by 1-2 mm. With a high astigmatic or bifocal correction, that can cause problems. For the height or placement of the bifocal, they will measure from the bottom of your pupil to the bottom of the frame. This mm measurement indicates how to cut the lens and the placement. Frames can be adjusted slightly to provide the most visual comfort after they''re made, but that measurement is pretty much the determining factor on whether you''ll be comfortable wearing the lenses. Each frame will provide a different measurement because the height is specifically measured for it, so it''s not just a number that will work for every pair of glasses. Their "new" way is most likely the old standby of "drop by 3". They will find the center of the frame and drop it down 3 mm to find an approximate area to put the bifocal. We use that when we cannot see a patient, over seas military has to use it a lot as well as the homebound.

If you would rather buy online, here''s how you measure (approximately) your own progressive lens height. (I used to write manuals on this stuff so I''m confident in my explanations and descriptions, but if you''re unsure PLEASE ask me or go to a professional to help you.)

Have your DH measure your PD. (list this specifically as a "distance" PD, they will subtract 3 from that measurement to find your "near" PD.) Put on a pair of glasses and get out a Sharpie (don''t worry, it washes off with rubbing alcohol). Have your DH do the same "look at my left eye" thing that you did for the PD, but this time, have him dot the lens in the center of your pupil. Then "look at my right eye" and dot that lens. He has to be at the exact same eye level with you, so you''d probably be best sitting on a bar stool type height. After you mark the PD''s (which you can again measure to verify the distance you found with the ruler), have him mark the bottom of your pupil in the same way. (make a line this time as opposed to a dot. Have the top of the line border the outer lower rim of your pupil for easier measuring). You can then measure the "drop". Measure from the center of the dot to the top of the line. You''ll probably have somewhere in the range of 2.5 to 4.5 mm. On your ordering form, list a progressive lens height as " X below center".

Normally, we measure the wearer in the frame they''re purchasing so we measure from the bottom up to get an overall height. The above way won''t be as accurate because you''re going from center down. You also need to make sure to try on glasses and mark down measurements like I posted above. This will ensure that you''re choosing the right size frame and make the lenses more accurate to your eyes.

NOTE- Inexpensive progressive lenses require a lot of room in the frame. They require at least 21 mm below your eye to accommodate the levels of correction. This makes for a large pair of glasses. So, check to see WHAT lens they use and what is the lowest required measurement.

Oh, and use normal lighting conditions. If you''re staring into a direct light, your pupils will obviously be smaller and give a different measurement for height.

 

[somethingshiny]

sorry for the novel!!