Should I Try Progressive Lenses?

"Hello, we have a question about Progressive lenses"

We sometimes hear negative reviews about progressive lenses. Mostly people have this reaction because they have not been correctly measured or have not adapted to the lenses.

At Ratas Optical we have a very good success rate - you should not fear progressive lenses! They come with a 3 month adaptation warranty, which means that if you do happen to be a person who truly cannot wear them, they can always be replaced with what works better for you. 

Read your paper! See across the street! No more leaning in to read the labels in the grocery store! All in one lens!

Here is a great write up on adapting to progressives by Gary Heiting, OD, and master optician Mark Mattison-Shupnick:

Adapting To Your Progressive Lenses

"When you are fitted with your first pair of progressive lenses, you may need a short adaptation period to become fully comfortable using the lenses. This might take only a few minutes, or it could take a few days.

This is because blending lens powers in progressive lenses lets you see clearly at all distances, but also causes minor aberrations in the peripheral part of the lenses, to the left and right of the progressive power corridor (see diagram).

If you glance to the far right or left, especially when looking down, you might notice your vision is slightly blurred. Peripheral aberrations also might cause you to experience a sensation of "swim" when you make quick head movements.

Over the last several years, progressive lens designs have been continually improved to reduce peripheral aberrations. Today, most first-time wearers are comfortable with progressive lenses almost immediately.

If you experience any peripheral blur or "swim" when wearing progressive lenses, you usually can eliminate the problem by learning to make slight head movements to look more directly at objects. But most peripheral vision problems caused by progressive lenses typically are mild and temporary, and disappear as you adapt to the lenses.

If you have a lot of hyperopia, adapting to progressive lenses may take a bit longer than if you are only mildly farsighted or are nearsighted. But with today's lens designs, nearly everyone can wear progressive lenses successfully.

To make sure you get the best value in progressive lenses, talk to a professional optician, who will be able to recommend a customized progressive lens solution for your specific needs and give you helpful tips on adapting to and caring for your new lenses." 

You can read the entire article here and please do come visit us at Ratas Optical to discuss the best options for your vision needs!