Are Progressive Lenses Good for Driving?

The concept of progressive lenses still appears to confuse, confound, a portion of the general public. Indeed some find the idea of lenses that work to resolve multiple corrective vision issues in one pair spectacles to be inconceivable, but take it from us, they do indeed produce the type of results required.

A version of progressive lenses, initially launched by Varilux, has existed since the last 1960s and were the brainchild of Bernard Maitenaz. Different iterations of the idea have been in production ever since but the use of a type of progressive lense began to gain significant recognition in the 1990s and the growth of the concept has continued ever since.

In simple terms progressive lenses work to help you see both into the distance as well as nearby. They are also called multifocals and effectively do three jobs at once.

They work for close up tasks, like reading a book. They are also effective for middle-distance viewing, such as when you are using a desktop computer. Finally they are also ideal for long-distance viewing, such as when you might be driving a vehicle.

Progressive lenses are typically worn by people over the age of 40 who suffer with farsightedness. People who suffer with this condition usually see close up items in a blurred manner.

They are also used by children to prevent myopia, nearsightedness, and are a growing portion of the glass wearing public demographic.

The answer to this common question is a resounding yes. In many ways progressive lenses are ideally suited for this activity above all others. 

If you are new to wearing progressive lenses there can be an adjustment period. During the first week of adjusting to progressive lenses, only wear them driving if you are comfortable.

Because of the ill-inclusive nature of progressive lenses, they are perfect for the act of driving and have the added benefit of a wearer not having to have a second pair of glasses to hand when they are planning a road trip or just commuting to work.

Progressive glasses are very much a specialist item and as such you should do the relevant research before buying and wearing them.  Always check with your trusted optometrist before switching to progressive lenses and most importantly ‘grow’ into wearing them.

By this we mean you should wear them an hour or two a day, while on foot, to get used to wearing them as they can take a while to get used to. You shouldn’t switch to them and automatically get behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Once you feel you have mastered the wearing of progressive lenses take them for a short spin and bring you more commonly worn glasses as a back-up. Do this a few times before committing to using them on a full-time basis.

Now that the market for progressive lenses has become so popular the prices of these items have started to decrease and this can work to your benefit. A good pair of progressive lenses are now competitively priced as they are no longer a luxury item for a small niche of users. When buying online, many customers take advantage of holiday prices and zero interest programs such as buy now and pay later.

Additionally the benefit of wearing progressive glasses is the fact they look no different to traditional spectacles and as such there will be no residual stigma from the viewing public.

An obvious benefit, as referenced before, is the fact you won’t need to bring along additional pairs of glasses on any given trip and of course you’ll have to spend less on one pair, as opposed to two or three, whenever you shop for a new set and if you are in the market for progressive lenses then we’d advise you take a good look here for all the best deals.

While it’s true that wearing progressive lenses takes some getting used to the fact is that those who elect to follow this path, never look back. 

Those who wear glasses are perhaps the toughest market to open to new ideas, down chiefly to the fact that those who regularly wear glasses get very used to what they trust and as such a new set of glasses, or ideas, can appear to be a big obstacle to overcome. 

However once the benefits of progressive lenses are tested by a wearer then the world that has been opened up to them becomes clearer by the day.