Is It Worth Upgrading to Higher End Progressive Glasses?


This article is about whether it is worth buying high end progressive lenses. In general, it can be said that if the power of the glasses, higher than -4 or higher than +2.5 are without the astigmatism over 1.5 diopters it then most people start to notice differences between cheap and high end lenses.

However, it is not only the lens power of the glasses that can make it a wise decision.

But it also depends on the fit of the frame in the face, in front of the eyes. That means that a particularly obliquely sitting glasses in front of the eyes will trigger the optician to recommend High end progressive lenses, because those lead to less blurred areas and an overall sharper vision. Because High End lenses can be fine tuned to the position of wear when this can not be done with cheaper progressive lenses.

But of course this is also something subjective and then it also depends on the individual impression of each person. That means there are people who have a high myopia or hyperopia and a very slanted frame on the face and they do not notice any difference at all between standard and high end lenses.

Other wearers that tested both cheaper glasses and high end glasses do not see an actual difference. But the opposite site of that is also common. Some people have lower prescription and they notice a very big difference between high and progressive lenses and cheaper lenses.

Below we will go into great detail about when it is most worthwhile to invest in high end progressive lenses and when it may not make a difference. For more detailed information. Between high end and standard and progressive lenses, we recommend our article here.

In What Cases Is It Worth Upgrading to High End Progressive Lenses?

When asking whether it is worthwhile for you to buy high-end progressive lenses, it is important to consider what configuration of progressive lenses you are currently wearing and what they can do? The background is that the term High End progressive lenses is not protected.

Each manufacturer or optician can call his lenses as he wants. The question is which optimization possibilities can be taken into account and has your optician measured these and implemented them in the glass order. The following optimization possibilities exist and they refer to information of the angles and the distances of the lenses in front of your face.

  • Vertex distance (distance between the eye and the glasses)
  • Pantoscopic angle (angle formed by the frame and the wearer’s face)
  • Frame curvature
  • Head posture
  • Eye and head movement during reading
  • Distance from the eye’s center of rotation or vertex distance
  • Reading distance

With each of these parameters and knowing how far the pupil distance is and how high the progressive lenses have to be ground in, the reading areas are positioned more precisely. In addition, the blurring in the side area can be minimized somewhat, which means that floating effects or distortions can be reduced somewhat.

Now, if some of the personalized parameters have already been included in the production of the lenses, then in most cases you will not notice a significant effect between high end progressive lenses and lower priced progressive lenses.

However, if one of the parameters deviates significantly and, for example, the glasses are very heavily tilted, it can still make a difference for you. The case must always be considered individually as only a deviation in fit, anatomy, or lens power can make a big difference.

The difference refers to the fact if the customer can tolerate the lenses. The acclimatization time is usually less with high-end progressive lenses and the field of view is somewhat larger. (You can expect to find a small field of usable reading area in the lower part of the lens even with modern high end progressive lenses. With this, you can comfortably see your cell phone when you look at it upright. However, if you are looking at a book, you have to turn your head more in the direction you want to see sharply).

In most cases, this means that with high-end progressive lenses, a little less head rotation is required and the sharp field of view is slightly larger. Viewed over the entire day, this by and large makes close-up viewing more relaxed because there is less need to search for the sharp area. However, blurs are still clearly present in the side areas when you want to see them.

So it is also important to correctly determine the expectations during the consultation and discuss realistic options for progressive lenses. If the expectation is that you as a customer can see your entire newspaper sharply with high-end progressive lenses without having to move your head and the PC with the large screen must also be completely sharp, then a high-end progressive lens will not satisfy you.

This expectation often exists among customers, because the price differences are sometimes considerable for high-end progressive lenses compared to cheaper variants. And because diagrams on the Internet and the manufacturer sometimes even suggest this, customers are sometimes disappointed after the purchase when the actual field of clear vision turns out to be smaller than expected.

Are High End Progressive Lenses Worth It?

In most cases, customers notice a difference between a cheaper and a high end progressive lens. In individual cases, the difference can mean that with a high-end progressive lens, you can see the entire screen of your smartphone sharply, while a cheaper lens makes a third of the screen less clear.

This is especially the case if the following parameters deviate from average values:

  • a pupil distance smaller or larger than 64 mm
  • an asymmetrical pupil distance
  • glasses that are more or less inclined than 7°.

Some customers who have less demanding vision requirements may say that they can see that. however, they do not feel disturbed by a little more blurring on the sides. All you have to do is move your head a little. Someone who is more sensitive to visual impressions needs the full width of the sharp field of vision of high-end progressive lenses and still feels limited even with them.

High end progressive lenses have a higher degree of personalization compared to the less expensive progressive lenses. Your local optometrist can tell you individually if you would benefit from custom high end progressive lenses. Studies have shown that, as a rule, a higher degree of personalization leads to a higher spontaneous tolerance and a higher wearing comfort.

If you are only in your mid-forties then you will usually need a weak lens power in the lower part of the progressive lens to be able to read. In such a case, with a reading power below +1.50D, less expensive progressive lenses will still work very well. However, if you are looking for a progressive lens with a reading power of 2.50 D, then high-end progressive lenses usually make more sense and deliver noticeably better results.

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