Tips on Using Progressive Lenses

Using progressive lenses sometimes takes a bit of adjustment if you are new to them. These lenses are not like single lenses or bi-focal lenses. Progressive lenses actually have three different focal distances all in one pair of eyeglasses. Progressive lenses address near, intermediate and distance vision---without a visible, defined line in the lenses.

Stop Wearing Your Old Glasses

• Take your old glasses off and don't put them back on.

  A person's sight is a combination of the eyes and the brain working together to focus on objects at different distances. However, with progressive lenses you will have to retrain your brain and eyes to work together through the prescription of your new lenses. Therefore, to get accustomed to progressive lenses, you must stop wearing your old glasses immediately. Don't switch back and forth between your old and new glasses because you will disturb the retraining process. Retraining your eyes and brain to work with the new glasses may take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Wear your new glasses for the entire day, everyday for at least two weeks. Only after giving your eyes that time-frame should you go back to your eye doctor if you are unable to adjust to the new glasses.

Wear Your Glasses High

• Wear your new glasses as close to your face as possible.

  To give your eyes the greatest amount of corrective lenses surface to view through, it is important to wear progressive lenses high up on the bridge of your nose and as close to your face as possible. This is exactly where your eye doctor should have measured and fitted your glasses for the best correction to your vision. Do not allow the glasses to shift or move on your nose, as this will prevent you from being able to gain focus. If your glasses are moving or shifting, bring them back for a fitting adjustment.

Turning Your Head, Not Your Eyes

• Turn your head instead of your eyes to look at an object.

  The main difference between natural sight and seeing through progressive lenses is that you will need to turn your head to focus on an object instead of moving your eyes from side to side. The corrective portion of your new glasses is in the middle of the lenses and trying to look through the outer portion of the lenses will appear fuzzy and out-of-focus. Therefore, you must look through the middle of the lenses and turn your head to look at objects that are not directly in front of you.

Move Your Head Vertically

• Once you have turned your head to view an object straight on, you must then move your head up and down to bring the object into focus. This allows you to locate the one of three distances in your progressive prescription which will work the best and produce the sharpest image for you. Moving your head in this manner to focus will take some time and practice until it becomes second nature to you.