Last Updated on April 24, 2023 by amy
Progressive lenses have become a much better alternative to bifocals. However, bifocals were the primary method of treating several different types of vision disorders and were the best option available for many years. Those who currently wear bifocals are likely familiar with their shortcomings and the problems they can lead to, both with the “image jump” issue and even cosmetic disadvantages compared to other types of lenses. Although modern bifocals are far different from the original style of bifocals, they still have many disadvantages compared to progressive lenses, which offer the same vision benefits as bifocals and many others. Many people have switched from bifocals to progressive glasses, and changing may be a good idea if you have had problems with your bifocals.
Bifocals eliminated the need to carry multiple pairs of glasses
The main reason why bifocals were invented was to eliminate the need to carry multiple pairs of glasses. Before bifocals, eyeglasses wearers typically carried one pair for viewing near objects and another for viewing long-distance objects. The invention of bifocals allowed wearers to see up-close with the bottom half of their lenses and further away with the top half without switching from one pair to another. Although this made life significantly more convenient, several issues were still not addressed with the original style of bifocals.
As presbyopia progresses, intermediate objects blur
Presbyopia causes near objects to blur, and bifocals and other glasses treat this problem. However, as one gets older, presbyopia tends to worsen. As presbyopia becomes worse, intermediate objects start to blur as well. Bifocals do not correct this issue because one lens is designed for near objects, with the other lens designed for distant objects. Trifocals were the next glasses category that solved this problem with three different lenses. However, many people found that these lenses were not easy to use and would often blur the field of vision used the most often. There was also the issue of “image jump” when using bifocals or trifocals, which essentially is the image distortion that occurs when changing vision from one lens to another.
Progressive glasses are a popular lens choice that solves these problems
Progressive glasses were recently developed to solve the image jump issue and the intermediate vision problems wearers of bifocals and trifocals experienced. The lenses on progressive glasses are designed to smooth the transitions between different fields of vision to reduce the amount of image jump or eliminate it. They are also more cosmetically appealing than bifocals or trifocals, which often have clear lines showing multiple lenses in the glasses. They do not cost much more than many other types of prescription glasses, and they can be purchased at Classic Specs at a significant discount compared to most other eyeglasses stores. To learn more about progressive glasses and their benefits compared to bifocals at Classic Specs, call us today at 1-800-896-2561.
