Bifocal and Trifocal Lenses

Around age 40, most adults begin to develop presbyopia, or the inability to see close objects and printed text clearly. If you already wear corrective lenses, you’ll need to get bifocal, trifocal or progressive lenses to be able to see clearly at all distances. These multifocal lenses include two or more lens powers to provide clear distance and near vision.

While many people chose the progressive lenses described below, traditional bifocal or trifocal lenses have some advantages over progressives. The greatest advantage is that each lens zone has a wider area, making it easier to read or do certain kinds of work. The size of each area can be personalized to suit your individual needs. While these lenses have visible lines between each zone, most people easily adjust to their presence.

Progressive Lenses

Progressive lenses are multifocal lenses that gradually change in power from top to bottom. There are no visible lines between lens powers—a feature that makes them appealing to most people. This seamless progression through multiple lens powers helps wearers see clearly at all distances.

One drawback to progressive lenses is that it takes time to get used to wearing them. The lens powers don’t extend the entire width of the lens. Instead, there are “blank” areas on each side of the lens that are very obvious at first. It can make you feel like you only have a tiny area of clear vision. However, the eye is remarkably adjustable and most people grow to love their progressive lenses within a few weeks.

Photochromatic Lenses

Photochromatic lenses eliminate the need to own a separate pair of prescription sunglasses. These lenses darken automatically when exposed to sunlight’s UV rays and high-energy visible (HEV) light rays. When you go back indoors, they quickly fade back to clear, or almost-clear, lenses. They are also helpful for people who have trouble adjusting to bright lights in any environment.

Photochromatic lenses go by other names, including “variable tint lenses,” light-adaptive lenses,” “light intelligent” lenses or “transitional” lenses. They are improved by adding an anti-reflective coating. This type of coating reduces sunlight glare and improves light transmission through the lenses at night. Photochromatic lenses also protect your eyes from potentially harmful blue light.

Sports Lenses

Many different types of sports eyeglasses or goggles are available to improve your vision and protect your eyes while enjoying your favorite sport. Wearing sports glasses instead of regular eyeglasses can actually improve your performance. Special sports frame designs exist for every sport imaginable. If you are a professional athlete, or regularly engage in recreational sports, talk to your eye doctor about which sports lens options exist for you.

Types of Lens Coating

Several types of coatings can be placed on your prescription lenses. Some may be necessary for your line of work, while others might not make much of a difference to you personally. Here are some of the most common types of lens coating:

• Scratch resistant lens coating does exactly what it says: helps keep your lenses from getting scratched. Hard glass lenses are naturally scratch resistant, but are not entirely scratch-proof. The majority of today’s lenses are made from lightweight, softer plastics that are prone to abrasions. A scratch-resistant coating can make them almost as durable as lenses made from glass. Children’s eyeglasses especially benefit from a scratch-resistant coating.
• Anti-reflective coating can be helpful for most eyeglass wearers. They significantly reduce lens reflections that show up in photographs. More importantly, these reflections can reduce clarity and contrast, especially at night. Therefore, blocking them with anti-reflective coating improves your vision.
• Anti-fog coating is a great add-on if you frequently go in and out of areas with drastically different temperatures. Wearing a mask to protect against germ transmission can also cause foggy glasses when your warm breath rises onto your cool lenses. Anti-fog coating can help eliminate the annoying—and possibly dangerous—problem of foggy lenses.
• UV Coating is vital for most people, especially eyeglass wearers who don’t wear sunglasses outdoors. Because cumulative exposure to UV rays can contribute to macular degeneration, cataract formation and even corneal sunburn, UV lenses are worth the investment. Note that many lenses available today block UV rays without a special coating, including polycarbonate lenses.

Blue Light Blocking Lenses

Computers, tablets, phones and TVs all emit bright, short-wavelength blue light. Overexposure to blue light strains the eyes and interferes with the body’s natural sleep cycles. Blue light blocking glasses have lenses that filter this high-energy light, thus cutting down on its negative influence on the body.

If you spend most of the day and evening on various devices, you may benefit from wearing blue light blocking lenses while you’re online. People who wear these glasses report less eye discomfort and better sleep than those who don’t.

How many pairs of glasses should one person have?

This is a personal decision, but many people find it easiest to own multiple pairs of eyeglasses. It’s wise to have at minimum, one backup pair of your ordinary prescription. If you’re an athlete, it can be helpful to invest in a separate pair of glasses designed to endure the challenges of your sport. If you spend a lot of time online, you might want a pair of blue light blockers to wear at night. People who drive a lot or spend a great deal of time outdoors need photochromatic lenses or a pair of prescription sunglasses. At Allied Eye, we have a full service optical shop providing contact lenses and quality frames utilizing the latest in lens technology. Call our Allied Optical Shop today to find out which eyeglasses option is right for you! (423) 855-8522.