Computer progressive glasses are designed to correct your presbyopia and give you the ability to focus on the screen while maintaining a natural posture. They are just made to be used on your workstation. If you leave it you need to switch glasses.
Those special progressive lenses have different options. Some let you see the whole room clear and others just let you focus on the screen and to the near range reading distance. We will discuss what you should consider when choosing new computer progressive glasses. Before you visit an optician measure the distances you need in your workstation first. That way it is pretty easy for you and the optician to decide which lens to pick.
As you can see in the picture above you have different zones in the lenses. Every one of them is colored so you can see which zone holds which prescription. The green zone provides you with a very wide field of view. You can perform big eye movements on the left and right side before you get into the grey zones.
As you move into the grey zone you will recognize a slight blur on your screen. This blur is dependent on your prescription and the distances you want to see sharp.
The further the distance you want to see clearer in front of you the more narrow your field of view gets. The red zones represent the reading field for very comfortable reading. They are very wide and you can use them for hours easily compared to the much smaller reading zones in your normal progressive glasses.
What you need to consider during your measurements are the following: points:
- Measure the distance from your eyes to the screen
- If there is something you need to see clearly behind the screen measure this distance too
- Is the PC the only screen or do you use tablets more often
- Do you need to move a lot with the glasses
- At which height does the screen sit in front of you
- Do you have any limitations in your eye movements?
The lens you saw above is the typical design and gives you the widest field of view in progressive glasses for computer use. However, they will just provide a more near-range focused vision. From the PC to you. If you need to see clear further away in the room you need to choose the progressive lens type below.
As you can see compared to the progressive lenses for computer use above the grey areas got bigger. So the periphery got a little bit more blurry on the sides because we added more distance for the room. Those lenses can be adjusted to a distance of approximately 13 feet. With this distance, you will get all the details in a presentation (if it is not further away) to the PC zone which got a little bit smaller than the reading zone.
A lot of people like those types of glasses more when they need to move around more during work. But you need to consider the smaller zone for the PC Screen. If you are using two screens you will need to point your nose more into the direction you want to look at. Having that said I highly recommend the first solution if you do not really need this much distance clear.
One of the best things about these glasses is still a natural posture during your PC work. The fields for reading and your PC are still a lot bigger compared to your normal progressives which you can see below. I like to recommend a frame that has a little more height. Think about the different zones that need to fit into one pair of glasses. That´s why it is good to get a little more space with a minimum height of 30mm (1,1811″).
In most cases, people can use their progressive until they are younger than 50 years old. At this age usually, your eyes can still adjust to the computer. However, if you need to change your posture into an unnatural position like you put your chin really high you need to think about progressive glasses for computer work more.
Is There a Difference Between Reading Glasses and Computer Glasses?
The difference between reading glasses and computer glasses is the distance you can read in. While reading glasses provide you only with one clear distance you can read in computer glasses give you the reading distance and the distance to the PC screen too.
As you age you rely more on a stronger reading prescription. This pulls the point of focus nearer to you. That´s why people need to lean forward if they are older to see the screen with normal reading glasses. They can sit in their natural posture as they switch to reading glasses. When you are around 45 years old you might see clearly in the reading distance and on your PC screen because you do not need such a strong reading zone.
Last but not least the clear fields of view are different in reading glasses and computer glasses. Most computer glasses are progressives and have therefore a little blurriness on the right and left sides. You do not find blurry sides in reading glasses.
What Are the Best Computer Glasses?
The best computer glasses can be single vision glasses, progressives, or even bifocals. All of them can be adjusted to your needs and have their unique advantages. You need to know which distances you need on your desk. Down below you can see the options you can buy when choosing your next lenses for your computer work.
How Do You Know If You Need Computer Glasses?
When your PC work feels tiring after a few hours into the working day you should make an appointment to get your eyes checked if you need computer glasses. Watch out for the following signs:
- blurry vision as you increase or decrease the distance it gets clearer
- headaches
- neck pain due to misuse of your normal progressive glasses
- dry eyes
- having a hard time concentrating on the task.
Why Do I Need Computer Glasses?
The process for your eyes to adapt to your reading distance is highly dependent on how well your lens in the eye can still accommodate the reading distance. As you age your lenses lose the ability to focus on the reading distances because of changes in the lens material (in your eyes) itself. It grows stiff over time. The stiffer it gets the less you can see clearly in the near range and the more you need computer glasses to compensate for the loss of flexibility in your lenses.