How does this work?!
February 12, 2015 3:22 PM

How do you read with progressive anti fatigue lenses? Please show me how.

Today I got a new pair of glasses with some anti fatigue lenses from Shamir, which are meant to have a +0.65 diopter boost at the bottom for close work (which, I think might need adjusted.. anyway..)

What is the best way to read through progressive lenses? I can't seem to get this right. I am looking through the bottom and things still seem off? A little help please. My eyes are sore from them and so are my arms.
posted by Wontly to Health & Fitness (6 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
Clearly each case will be unique, so take this as one example only.

The term "anti-fatigue" lenses sounds like marketing hype. What is this supposed to be? All glasses should be "anti-fatigue" if you have the right prescription.

I have progressives with a very small reading area at the bottom. While they're fine for restaurant menus, theater programs, etc., they wouldn't be comfortable at all for substantial reading. Too much head movement, strange neck angle, most everything is blurry except for one word, etc.

Instead, I have separate reading glasses with a much larger reading zone for this kind of reading.

(BTW, check out the lenses sold under the Access brand, which are basically bifocals with a very large reading zone at the bottom, and the top half is for medium distance only, maybe 2-6 feet out, i.e., for seeing your computer and your desk area.)
posted by JimN2TAW at 3:35 PM on February 12, 2015


JimN2TAW - I think these are the lenses my optician reccomended for me :http://www.shamirlens.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=710:shamir-relax&Itemid=253

But I think I need a bigger bottom part for reading. Or some form of adjustment. I am back for another appointment on Monday, so maybe we can work something out there.

Do you think that will help?
posted by Wontly at 3:41 PM on February 12, 2015


You just got them today? It takes a little while to adjust to new glasses, particularly if you have not had progressives before?

With progressives, it is amazingly important to get right how they fit on your face/nose. When you go back and get them to adjust the fit, including nose pieces and sides, and then try looking at a distance, looking at a computer screen, and reading some text, all the way you normally would. If you can't see any of those properly, then you should have them adjust them again.

Keep in mind buying glasses (particularly for progressives), that the bigger the frame, the bigger the lenses, and the more area you have to see through, so the reading section of progressive lenses will be able to be larger. I always like cute small frames when picking glasses but have to keep in mind the viewing area with progressives and so I can't go too small for frames.

Also, here are some tips for you.
posted by gudrun at 4:22 PM on February 12, 2015


Point your nose at what you want to see.
posted by brujita at 4:43 PM on February 12, 2015


I don't do serious reading with my progressive lenses. I have three sets of glasses: general-use progressive, single-vision reading and semi-progressive computer glasses. Each is suited to its purpose.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:47 PM on February 12, 2015


The last pair of glasses I bought were impossible to read with. I thought it was just me for the first month, so I waited too long to take them back. You know when they take measurements and then put dots on the lenses? Well, my guy was new and didn't do it correctly. But it just never occurred to me, because it had never happened before. So I bought these thingies from Amazon to raise my glasses up higher on my nose.
posted by raisingsand at 6:15 PM on February 12, 2015


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