SINGLE VISION, BIFOCALS OR PROGRESSIVE LENSES: WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU GET?
Eyeglasses are an accessible and affordable way to correct refractive errors.
Refractive errors mean you may have any or a combination of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. You experience blurred vision because it could be that the shape of your eyeball is unusually long or short, your cornea (the clear surface layer of the eye) is not smoothly shaped, or that your natural lens has lost its focusing ability.
Nearsightedness is when you can see objects up close but can’t see objects at a distance; farsightedness is when you have to exert effort to see distant objects clearly; astigmatism is when the images you see are distorted or blurred at all distances; and presbyopia is when you’re over the age of 40 and the nearby objects are blurry. So it’s difficult to read restaurant menus, text messages or newspapers.
One of the major considerations in purchasing eyeglasses is choosing the prescription lenses that come with it. Prescription lenses come in a variety of types, and these include single vision, bifocals or progressive lenses.
- Single vision lenses: The most common type of prescription lens, single vision lenses are used to correct vision for a single eye grade.
- Bifocals: These lenses are for people over 40 years old, who are suffering from presbyopia, and do not want to carry multiple pairs of eyeglasses. These usually have a line at the center, which splits the two sections – one to accommodate near vision, the other one for far vision. Other bifocal lenses have a half-moon shape at the lower part of the lenses.
- Progressive lenses: These are also ideal for people aged 40 and above and do not want to wear separate glasses for doing their daily tasks like driving and reading. Unlike bifocals, these lenses have no visible line at the center. At first, they may look like single vision lenses, but they allow you to see at all distances – near, far and intermediate. These are basically single vision lenses and reading glasses rolled into one.
To make sure that you enjoy clear and comfortable vision based on your needs, consult with your eye doctor. They will know which prescription lenses are suitable for your age, lifestyle and visual needs. Check out the prescription lenses that Asian Eye Shop offers. Got questions? Talk to us via the Chatbot or email us at [email protected].
