At Providence Eye & Laser Specialists, many patients ask, “What is the difference between progressive lenses and bifocals, and is one better than the other? Are there surgical options like LASIK eye surgery that can get rid of them altogether?” Bifocals, trifocals, progressives… aren’t they all the same?”
The answer to this last question is both yes and no. They all work to help improve the reading or near vision that typically becomes blurred for most people after they hit their mid-40s, but every person’s eyes are different, so one option may work better for you than another.
Glasses that have a visible line on them can be either bifocals or trifocals. A bifocal has just one line separating the top part, or the distance area, from the bottom part, also called the reading area. A large disadvantage of bifocals is that there is not an intermediate or mid-range area that will focus on certain distances (i.e. computer distance). A trifocal has two visible lines, as these kinds of glasses allow for not only the distance and near portion of the lens, but also an intermediate part to use as well.
The main advantage of having lined bifocals is that typically there is a larger viewing area for the given distance you are trying to see. Additionally, there is also less distortion off to the sides of the lenses, further improving vision. With a trifocal, the viewing area through each portion of the lens becomes smaller and less “user friendly”. Another disadvantage of lined bifocals/trifocals is that cosmetically, they don’t look as appealing as “no-line” bifocals.
A progressive lens design incorporates the ability to focus on near, far, and intermediate distances. A key advantage of this lens type is the absence of that undesirable line. Few people are aware there are hundreds of progressive optical lens designs, some of which are much better and easier to adapt to than others.
Due to the optics of how a progressive lens is designed, there is typically some peripheral lens distortion on lens edges. So, it does take some getting used to, but after several weeks of wearing progressive lenses, most people learn tricks for adjusting, such as moving your head to see something on your right or left versus only moving your eyes to the edge of the lens.
Another hurdle is learning to tilt your head down when going downstairs versus looking through the edges of the lenses themselves. Measurements are incredibly important when getting fit for progressive lenses. Even if the numbers are off by 0.25mm, that can throw off the entire viewing area of the lens, making it more difficult to adjust to progressive lenses.
Ultimately, most people can adjust to a progressive lens and can benefit both cosmetically and functionally. You will spend more on a progressive lens design than lined bifocals or trifocals. When comparing different progressive lens designs, patients can expect to pay a higher price for better optical progressive lens quality.
Even though there are no surgical options to mimic a progressive, trifocal, or bifocal lens design, the option of monovision LASIK (where one eye is set for distance and one eye is set for near vision) allows many patients the ability to live everyday life while reducing in not eliminating the dependency on glasses and/or contacts. Monovision can be accomplished with either contacts or with LASIK eye surgery.
However, before deciding to move forward with LASIK, it is strongly recommended that you “test drive” it first with contact lenses for one to two weeks to ensure your brain can adapt and that you are satisfied with the vision. Monovision contacts will mimic the results of your monovision LASIK!
If you are interested in “test driving” Monovision LASIK with contact lenses to see if laser vision correction might be right for you, contact us or call (704)-540-9595 to learn more and schedule your LASIK consultation today at Providence Eye & Laser Specialists.
