Can I get progressive lenses that have horizontal regions only?

Question

I bought a pair of glasses with progressive lenses, which I have not tried before. I have used reading glasses for several years but now I also could use some vision correction for distance, particularly in low light. What surprised me about the new lenses, and what makes them hard to get used to, is that the near-vision region is not just the bottom of the lens, as I had expected from seeing old bifocals and trifocals, but is limited to a region mainly on the inside corner of the bottom of the lens. I feel like I have tunnel vision. When reading type as wide as the page of a book or a three-column newspaper photo caption, I have to move my head from side to side to keep the words in focus. A couple of vendors told me all progressives are made this way. If so, why? I expect to have to look through the top of the lens for distance and the bottom for reading, but I should be able to move my eyes rather than my head from side to side. Are there any lenses with wider near-vision regions?

Answer 1

It sounds like they didn't prepare you very well for the problems you would encounter with progressives after wearing reading glasses for a few years.

You have become accustomed to a wide, clear reading area, and it's hard to lose that.

But, that is the way progressives work. The reading area is very small compared to reading glasses. You have to point your nose at what you want to read, that's normal.

Technological limitations can't give a reading area in progressives , even as wide as a regular lined bifocal.

Some people just never get used to progressives because of that. Many people like their progressives for everyday use, but still have reading glasses to use when doing any amount of reading, such as a book, or newspaper.

You will get into the habit of pointing your nose to what you want to read within a couple of weeks, in most cases, and the problems won't be as bad...but it will never be as good as having reading glasses handy.

Most opticals give a 60 or 90 day warranty on progressives , for non-adaptation. So, if you don't get more comfortable with them , you may consider regular lined bifocals instead , for a wider reading area.

But give yourself a couple of weeks to adapt as much as possible. Most of the problems disappear.