Progressive lenses are for anyone who needs a prescription for distance vision, reading or close work and/or intermediate (used for computer use, reading music at piano distance, cooking and slicing on a counter, etc.).

The progressive lens accomplishes this by having your prescription slowly change in power from your far vision prescription down to your close range prescription. As your eyes move down the lens in a normal fashion to see items at closer range, you see through the prescriptions that are appropriate for that distance (see the diagrams below).

Factory Eyeglass Outlet’s opticians know all about the many brands and types of progressive lenses on the market today, and will assist you in choosing the best option for your use. For those of you who already have gotten used to a particular brand of progressive lens, we will identify the lens type and let you know if your new prescription can be made in that brand. Today there are dozens of different brands of lenses. Every lens made today works well but they all have different pros and cons. Your Factory Eyeglass Outlet licensed opticians will guide you through the lenses available which will best suit your needs.

Below are the choices for people needing Reading and Distance Prescriptions.

Factory Eyeglass Outlet’s opticians will show you the different thinner lens choices and explain their differences.

Many people with moderately thick or very thick lenses want lenses that are thinner than the standard plastic lens materials.

There are several different types of materials that allow us to create thinner lenses for moderate to high prescriptions.

These materials have pros and cons that must be understood by the wearer.

These types of lenses are made of transparent materials, which bend light more drastically than other optical lens materials. This means they can be thinner (less material needed to accomplish the same prescription) and have much less curvature than the normal lenses of the same prescription. All lenses that correct far sightedness are thicker in the center of the lens than at the edges, Conversely, lenses that correct for nearsightedness (can see at near but have trouble with distances) are much thicker at the edges of the lens than in the center. As you make a nearsighted lens smaller it appears thinner because you are cutting off the thick part. Farsighted lenses expose their centers when they are cut down in size making them appear thicker.

While the cosmetic appearance and weight of these lenses can be more pleasing, the vision may not be as clear as standard plastic lenses. These lenses by nature break up color more than regular optical lenses. Therefore, some people feel they get too many rainbow reflections from the sides of the lenses when in brightly illuminated places.