Corrective lenses are an easy and effective way to correct your eyesight. However, where should you start with so many types of frames and lenses out there? It would help if you first understood that there are two main types of prescriptions. These are progressive lens prescriptions and single-vision lens prescriptions.

Most Common Vision Issues

Prescription lenses aim to restore one or more common vision problems, including:

• Myopia: Nearsightedness is when distant objects appear blurry while things nearby are clear. Nearsightedness occurs from an eyeball longer than usual or an excessively rounded cornea.
• Hyperopia: Farsightedness is when distant objects appear clear while those nearby are blurry. It usually occurs when the cornea is flat or the eyeball is shorter than usual.
• Astigmatism: General overall blurriness from different distances characterizes this vision problem. It results from an irregularly shaped lens or cornea.
• Presbyopia: is an age-related sight issue that typically affects those over 40 years. It occurs when the lens loses its elasticity.

Different lenses address these visual problems, including single vision and multifocal lenses. However, most multifocal lenses have a visible line separating the prescription zones. If you are looking for no-line multifocal lenses, progressive lenses are an excellent option.

Single Vision Vs. Progressive Lenses

Single Vision Lenses

Single vision lenses have one prescription, providing the most extensive field of view. They are generally cheaper than progressive lenses. That is because they have only one prescription for myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. Most prescription glasses have single-vision lenses.

Those designed for nearsightedness are thicker at the edges. Those for farsightedness are thicker at the center. Generally, single vision lenses range between three and four millimeters in thickness. However, that varies depending on the lens material and frame size.

Progressive Lenses

Progressive lenses have multiple prescriptions, one for reading and another for distance vision. They have restricted fields of sight, but you do not have to switch glasses to read or see into the distance.

The need for progressive lenses usually increases with age. By 40, many people have trouble focusing on nearby objects. To address this problem, some of them have two pairs of glasses. While that approach can work, progressive glasses provide a more convenient and straightforward solution to age-related vision problems like presbyopia.

Benefits of Single Vision Lenses

The reading zones in progressive lenses are often in the lower half of the lens. In contrast, it is in the entire lens for single vision lenses. So, progressive lenses are not ideal if you need to see small details on something above your head.

Single vision lenses are cheaper than progressive lenses. The price differences often increase as you age. Furthermore, they hold fewer distortions in the periphery.

Benefits of Progressive Lenses

Besides correcting myopia and hyperopia, progressive lenses can also correct astigmatism. Other advantages include:

• You do not need to have two pairs of glasses. Progressive lenses provide clear vision at different distances.
• They do not have an unsightly bifocal line.

Conclusion

Consult your optician if you are trying to determine the best corrective lenses. They will tell you the pros and cons of both options tailored to your case.

For more on single-vision and progressive lenses, visit Premier Eye Care at our Fort Worth, Texas office. Call (817) 428-2020 to schedule an appointment today.