Compared with traditional reading glasses, bifocal glasses or trifocals, presbyopic patients always expect more visual enjoyment from progressive bifocal reading glasses. The seeing difficulty caused by presbyopia has bothered and will continue to bother a lot of people, especially the elderly. With today’s lens designs and manufacturing techniques, nearly all presbyopic patients can wear progressive glasses successfully and get the wanted visual aids. An appropriate pair of progressive reading glasses will provide visual help in near, intermediate and distance ranges. But another point is that nearly all patients who are firstly fitted with a pair of progressive glasses need an adaption period ranging from several minutes to a couple of days.
This adaption period is needed by a new user because progressive lenses have a completely different design from bifocal or trifocal lenses. It is absolutely true that progressive have been developed with blending lens powers for presbyopic individuals to see clearly at all distances. But it is also a fact that progressive lenses cause minor aberrations in the peripheral part. In this case, progressive bifocal reading glasses may cause blurriness when a new user glances to the far right to left. It is easier to understand that blurry vision will occur when the wearer sees through progressive lenses’ peripheral zones. In addition, a sensation of “swim” may be experienced if a wearer makes quick head movements. This can be quite uncomfortable. Furthermore, patients with a large amount of presbyopia will even get headache or dizziness during this adaption period. And these need more time to get themselves adapted to progressive glasses.
It is advisable for new users to make slight and slow head movements and look more directly at objects during the adaption period of using progressive bifocal reading glasses. Most of the patients can get used to progressive reading glasses when the problems resulted from peripheral vision disappear.
Progressive bifocal reading glasses may require news users to experience a period of adaption because of minor aberrations in the peripheral lens part. These people are advised to make slight head movements during this period.