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Progressive or bifocal lenses: which suits me?

After about 40, most people need one power to see across the room and another to read. You can carry two pairs of spectacles, or have both powers in one lens. The two common one-lens choices are bifocals and progressives. Both work well for the right person. This guide sets out the differences honestly so that you can choose with the eye hospital team.

How bifocal lenses work

A bifocal lens has your distance power in the main part and a reading segment at the bottom, usually shaped like a flat-topped half circle or a small round window. You look straight ahead through the top to see far, and drop your eyes to read. The reading area is wide and steady. There is no power for middle distances, such as a computer screen, a shop counter or a car dashboard, and as your eyes cross the line the image jumps.

How progressive lenses work

A progressive lens has no line. The power changes smoothly down a narrow channel in the lens: distance at the top, middle distance in the centre, and reading near the bottom. To keep the change smooth, the areas on either side of this channel are softer in focus. You learn to point your nose at what you want to see and to turn your head rather than your eyes. Progressive lenses are also called varifocals or multifocals.

Side by side

Bifocal lenses

• Wide, steady reading area and wide distance area.
• Quick to get used to for most people.
• No middle zone, so computer screens and dashboards can be blurred.
• Visible line, and an image jump when you move between the two parts.

Progressive lenses

• Clear vision at distance, middle and near in one lens.
• No visible line, and no image jump.
• Narrower reading and middle zones, with softer focus at the sides.
• A period of getting used to them, and careful measurement is needed for a good fit.

Getting used to progressive lenses

• Wear your new spectacles all day for the first few days instead of switching back to an old pair.
• Point your nose at what you want to look at; turn your head, not just your eyes, to see to the side.
• To read, keep your head level and lower your eyes. Hold the phone or book a little lower and closer to the centre.
• On steps and stairs, tilt your head down so that you look through the distance part of the lens, and use the handrail.
• Most people feel comfortable within a few days to two weeks. People in their early 40s, who need only a small reading power, usually adapt most easily.

If you still feel dizzy, or one zone seems to be in the wrong place after about two weeks, come back. The cause is often a fitting or frame adjustment, or a power that needs checking, and it can usually be put right. A small number of people never feel comfortable in progressive lenses and do better with bifocals or two pairs.

Who may do well with progressive lenses?

• People who keep switching between distances: teachers, shopkeepers, office workers, drivers who check a dashboard.
• People who use a computer for part of the day and do not want a separate pair.
• People who dislike the look of a bifocal line.
• First-time wearers in their 40s, who adapt more easily while the reading power is still low.

Who may prefer bifocals or separate pairs?

• Long-time bifocal wearers who are happy with them.
• People who need a wide reading area for long periods, such as for accounts, tailoring or fine work.
• People who felt dizzy or unsteady in progressive lenses before.
• People who read only now and then, for whom simple reading glasses may be enough.
• People who spend long hours at a computer, who may want office lenses as a second pair.

Steps, stairs and falls

With any lens that has reading power at the bottom, the ground just in front of your feet can look blurred when you look down, which can make kerbs and steps harder to judge. This matters most for older people. In a study of older people who spent a lot of time outdoors, wearing single-vision distance spectacles for walking outside reduced falls outdoors. If you are older, walk a lot or have had a fall, ask whether a separate pair of distance spectacles for walking would be safer for you.

The fitting matters

A progressive lens only works if its channel lines up with your pupils. The Vision Correction Centre measures the distance from each pupil to the centre of your nose and the height of your pupils in the frame you have chosen, with the frame adjusted to sit as you will wear it. The frame needs enough depth to fit the reading zone; very narrow frames can cut it off. See our guide to spectacle frames, and types of spectacle lenses for materials and coatings.

What to tell the Vision Correction Centre

• What you do most in a day, and at what distance: reading, phone, computer, counter work, driving, sewing.
• Whether you have worn bifocals or progressives before, and how you got on.
• Whether you have had any falls or feel unsteady on steps.
• Whether you would rather have one pair for everything or are happy with two.

The first step is an accurate eye test for glasses, which measures both your distance and reading powers. At ReNew Vision Eye Hospital in Vaddem, Vasco, the test and the choice of lenses happen in the same building. The eye OPD is open Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm. See the Vision Correction Centre page, or call or WhatsApp 072489 88039.

Questions patients ask

How long does it take to get used to progressive lenses?

Most people feel comfortable within a few days to two weeks of wearing them all day. If you still feel dizzy or cannot find the reading area after about two weeks, return so that the fitting and power can be checked.

Why is the side of my progressive lens blurry?

That is how progressive lenses are made: the smooth change of power down the centre leaves softer focus at the sides. Turn your head towards what you want to see instead of moving only your eyes.

Are progressive lenses worth it?

For people who switch between distance, screen and reading many times a day, they are often very convenient. For people who mostly read, or who feel unsteady in them, bifocals or separate pairs may suit better. It depends on your day.

Can I switch from bifocals to progressive lenses?

Yes, many people do. Long-time bifocal wearers sometimes need a little longer to adapt. Tell the Vision Correction Centre about your old lenses so that the new ones are fitted with this in mind.

Are progressive lenses safe on stairs?

They are safe with care. Tilt your head down to look through the distance part of the lens and use the handrail. Older people who walk outdoors a lot may be safer with a separate pair of distance spectacles for walking.

This page is general eye-health information, not personal medical advice. Your eye doctor advises you after examining your eyes.