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Progressive Lenses for Kids

A progressive lens is a type of bifocal lens that does not have the characteristic dividing line that older styles of bifocal glasses have. Bifocals enable the wearer to focus vision better in the distance as well as up close. Progressive lenses do not have the obvious look of bifocal lenses, and they allow wearers to look through any part of the gradient between the two lenses, offering a better range of vision. Progressive lenses are becoming popular for children, especially because they provide a more natural vision correction than traditional bifocal glasses.

  1. Uses in Children

    • Progressive lenses can be especially useful for children. Many young children's eye-focusing musciles are not yet developed, and focusing can be especially difficult during an extended period of time, such as during the school day. Progressive lenses can help a child train his eyes to focus on objects both far away and close up. Some children will only need progressive lenses for a few years, until they are better able to control the focusing of their eyes.

    Delaying Nearsightedness

    • Progressive lenses can also slow the progression of nearsightedness in children whose parents are also nearsighted, according to a recent study by the Correction of Myopia Evaluation Trial (COMET). Researchers found that myopic children who wore progressive lenses had a significant decrease in myopia progression during the first year, but not during the second or third years of the study. This use of progressive lenses is presumed to work by undercorrecting the myopia and reducing the strain on the eyes as the lenses retrain the eyes to focus.

    Lens Structure

    • Bifocal lenses are restricted to two different lenses, with a stark difference between the two lenses that can be bothersome to people. Progressive lenses have eliminated this abrupt change in the field of vision by providing a smooth transition between the two ends of the spectrum -- distance vision and close vision. Progressive lenses are about as close to natural sight as you can get with glasses, since the transition in focus resembles the natural focusing of the eye.

    Adjustment

    • Some find it difficult to adjust to progressive lenses for the first few hours or days, especially if they previously wore traditional bifocals. The wearer often needs time to determine which part of the lens she needs to use to see at various distances. Progressive lenses are a good choice for children because, while their eyes may be slower to focus, their brains are much more flexible, and they become comfortable quickly with the process of using progressive lenses to simulate natural focusing.

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