Last Updated on November 23, 2022 by amy
Progressive lenses have become a much better alternative to bifocals, however for many years bifocals were a primary method of treating several different types of vision disorders and were the best option available. Those who currently wear bifocals are likely very familiar with their shortcomings and the problems that 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 all of the same vision benefits of bifocals and many others. Many people have switched from bifocals to progressive glasses, and making a change may be a good idea if you have had problems with your own 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 would typically carry one pair for viewing near objects and another pair for viewing long distance objects. The invention of bifocals allowed wearers to see near objects with the bottom half of their lenses and further objects with the top half of the lenses without having to switch from one pair to another. Although this made life significantly more convenient, there were still several issues that were not addressed with the original style of bifocals.
As presbyopia progresses, intermediate objects blur
Presbyopia causes near objects to blue, and bifocals and other types of 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 type of glasses that solved this problem, with three different lenses, however many people found that these types of lenses were not easy to use and would often blur the field of vision that was 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 as a solution to the image jump issue as well as the intermediate vision problems that 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 completely eliminate it. They are also much more cosmetically appealing compared to bifocals or trifocals which often have clear lines showing that there are 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, or to try on a pair of frames at Classic Specs, call us today at 1-888-509-5499.
