Here in this article, we are going to talk about the differences of the progressive lens lineup from Shamir. We will present you with everything you need to know in an easy to understand chart to give you an overview in combination with an in-depth explanation afterward.
| How is it made? | When to use? | |
| Shamir Autograph Intelligence | Custom | An absolute high-end progressive lens with a very soft lens design and a high chance of spontaneous adaptation because of a dedicated lens design based on each Add value |
| Shamir Autograph III | Custom | An excellent progressive lens with an emphasis on making the wearer having an easy time fixating digital devices |
| Shamir Autograph Intouch | Custom / standardized | A progressive lens design with an emphasis of faster transition to the mid-distance |
| Shamir Autograph Urban | Standardized | Ideal for the younger presbyopia with constantly varying distances |
| Shamir Autograph Plus | Standardized | A lower-priced progressive lens that delivers less distortions in the periphery |
| Shamir Autograph FirstPAL | Standardized | Younger presbyopes |
| Shamir Cool | Standardized | Progressive lens made for kids |
| Shamir Attitude III® Fashion | Custom | Progressive lens with unmatched possibilities in terms of frame selection |
| Shamir Attitude III® Sport | Custom | For people that just want their lenses to see their wearables clear for the moment and then want to continue |
| Shamir Golf™ | Custom | Progressive lens design dedicated to golfers |
Shamir Autograph Intelligence
The idea behind the concept is to design a lens that will adapt to the needs of each group of wearers. Because as statistics show the way the time spent on the computer or smartphone changes with the Add Value. Most people with lower Add values happen to be younger and spend a lot of their time on their smartphones and PCs and tablets.
Those different distances and angles would lead to a different distribution of the reading power in the progression corridor. And that is exactly what Shamir does with that lens. The reading power kicks in sooner or later depending on your Add Value.
In another article, I wrote about the concept of the Varilux X design from Essilor and how the whole concept was focused on producing a lens that delivers clear vision in the zone of 40-70cm. Because older lenses considered the wearer reading a sheet of paper in a distance of 40cm.
The Autograph Intelligence does those changes in the design for you in the changing progression corridor with each increment of the Add. Because of the different visual demands, people have in their different stages of one’s life.
just a side note from me.
I know a lot of people will now question the idea behind the Intelligence lenses with the point that you could ask people about their lifestyle and what devices they might use during their day. But ask yourself. How accurate can your estimations be? We tend to underestimate the time we spend on digital devices. And if we under or overestimate and our answer differs from our daily routine it is better to get things measured. So Shamir compared the following data for wearers starting at 40 to 80 years of age.
- Hours counted for using the distance vision in a week
- Hours counted for using the mid-distance (laptop) in a week
- Hours counted for using the near range vision (laptop) in a week
- How many times were the distances switched during an hour
- How many time was spent with digital devices for one week
As far as I wanted to customize the lenses for my customers by asking them it would probably not lead to accurate data anyway. Of course, I ask to see what´s important to them but gathering all the data exactly specific to one customer? That is simply not going to happen and that is why you can rely on Shamir´s extensive research in this case.
In short, most progressive lens designs have a certain amount of percentage of reading power in a fixed zone as you move down. No matter if you are younger or older. Your changing visual demands are not considered and most lenses have just one design. This lens changes the percentage of the reading power kicking in based on the data Shamir gathered for each Add Value which is unique.
Shamir Autograph III
The Autograph III lens is ideal for the demanding wearer of progressive glasses. What you get is a progressive lens design that was the predecessor to the Autograph Intelligence. By maximizing vision comfort for the wearer Shamir consider the vastly different visual perception a myopic can have compared to a hyperopic person. The result is a fine-tuned lens design with the following points.
- Considering the natural posture while looking through the near zone
- The lens design focuses on the mid-distance to enhance your reading on digital devices
- Utilizing the Quadro technology to giving you the best vision with a huge variety of possible frames.
Herewith this lens design I want to go a little more into detail regarding the first bullet point above. In wearers of progressive lenses, you will find all kinds of different prescriptions on the left and in the right eye. They are seldom exactly the same. What that does oftentimes is the left sees a picture that is actually a little bit higher or lower than the picture the right eye perceives. This can lead to discomfort and this lens design minimizes this effect.
Such a different position of the images in each eye usually happens due to prismatic changes within the lens design. As you move your eyes out of the center of the lens you will always experience those effects as you close one eye at a time to compare the position of the images. Minimizing this effect is a big benefit for a lot of people.
Shamir Autograph Intouch
This progressive lens type from Shamir really focuses on people that spent a lot of time with their digital devices. Compared to other lens designs we have again a focus on the mid-distance vision. In the distance from 40-70cm these lenses provide up to 25% more lens power in the Add value as comparable designs in combination with more width of the view.
You can customize the following parameters to your needs if you order the AW (As Worn) option with it:
- Pantoscoptc Tilt
- Vertex Distance
- Face-Form Angle
With those parameters considered your fields of view can be maximized in this lens design. The reason is in every progressive lens you have blurry sides on the left and right and in between the blurriness, you will find a sharp corridor. In this corridor, you can find the reading zones.
If your pupilar distance is wider or smaller than the average 65mm you will have experienced a smaller field of view without the AS WORN lens option. The reason therefor is the corridor mentioned before should be placed in a little bit another way as you perform other eye movements in the near range when you have a big pupilar distance or a small one.
After getting the measurements right the reading zone will be individually placed in front of your eyes instead of a standard position. Just think about it for a moment. A woman that is smaller with a narrow pupilar distance will not look through the same zones in the lens as a guy that is really tall with a big pupilar distance.
The goal for this option is always to give your left and right eye the same clear width of view for both eyes simultaneously. For some people, this makes a big difference. But if you have just a standard pupilar distance and the rest of the parameters are also not different you might experience no difference at all.
Shamir Urban
The Shamir Urban is more for the person that just starts out to experience discomfort in the reading distance or with their other digital devices. It is not just a wellness lens that you can order just with a limited reading power. You get a really wide field of view in the near range distance due to the soft design.
Shamir Autograph Plus
This lens design is definitely one of the older in the Autograph line-up. The parameters here can not be customized to the individual needs of the wearer. Therefore you have a lower-priced lens. There is not so much to say about the special technology in the lens.
Shamir First PAL
With First PAL Shamir produces a progressive lens design that is really just targeted for the young presbyope who just tends to notice the need for a little bit of reading support. You can buy these lenses with a maximal reading power (Add) of +1,50 which is lower. With the lower reading power, you will automatically get a pretty wide field of view. So it does not have to be totally customized as much as if it would have a higher reading power. It is also a lower-priced solution.
Shamir Attitude III Fashion
I really love it when the manufacturer of lenses shines with a product. And Shamir is no doubt the king when it comes to designing curved lenses. This is a fully dedicated progressive lens design with the usual clear fields of view that you would expect from your daily progressives. The difference to other lenses is in which frame type you can use them and how big the diameter of the lens can be to make it fit.
Really big frames in the sporty or more fashionable segment are really no problem whatsoever. I don´t want to say they are limitless but Shamir is at close as you can get to no limits with these lenses. You get an unmatched wide width of view due to the curved design and they stay sharp also during big eye movements.
For a few years, I worked in an optical shop that specialized in sports optics. We tested a lot of manufacturers and usually I don´t want to push people using a product but in this case, there is just no competition.
Shamir Attitude III Sport
The Shamir Attitude III Sport has the same unmatched possibilities of frames you can fit them in as the Attitude Fashion. The big difference between them is although both are progressive lens designs the Sport will provide you with a reading zone that is just sufficient for a quick glance on your watch to check the heart rate or your smartphone. But the focus here lays definitely on the distance vision.
If you want this lens you will not be satisfied with your daily routine. But for sports, of course, they are great. The coating options for this are also nice. There is an option with a true anti-fog coating that does not have the need for an activator spray or cloth.
Shamir Golf™
Shamir Golf is also a progressive lens but it is highly specialized to the visual needs of golfers. This lens comes with a changed reading zone that takes the wearer’s body height into consideration to let the wearer see sharp as he puts on the green. These lenses are not for everyday use as they come with the power purple transitions color that is not meant to be worn while you drive.
- They give you excellent Vision with a wide field of view (curved lenses)
- You get the highest possible contrast to see the ball clearly (special colors)
- You get a golf-specific progressive lens design that fits your needs on the green
It is really 100% optimized to enhance your golf game and give you the ability to see your watch or your scorecard clearly. One really nice feature is the glacier Plus anti-fog coating which can be ordered optionally in combination with Polycarbonate. No additional activator is needed for the lens. And the anti-fog is really just great. Try to breathe on the back of the lens surface! There will be no fogging whatsoever. I highly recommend it.
Shamir Computer
The Shamir Computer lens design is a progressive lens really just for close up work. If your focus during the day is distances between 1,3ft and 5ft this is the lenses for you. You get an extremely wide field of view in the reading distance and as you look at the screen. You can perform big eye movements from the left to the right and the picture will still look clear.
Although it is a progressive lens it is really just made for focusing on things that are within your arms reach. For example, everything that is further away than the screen will get blurry. This always happens when more reading power is added in the upper half of the lens. But therefore you can sit in front of a screen that is approximately on the level of your head and your posture can be totally natural.
There is no need for you whatsoever to raise your chin or get into the search for the reading zone to get a clear picture of your screen as you would with normal progressives. This is definitely a great lens but it also has its limitations. You can not drive with this lens. And if you need really high prescriptions you might get more comfortable with other computer lenses because the As Worn Technology described earlier is not available in this lens design.
Shamir Workspace
Shamir workspace is a progressive lens design for a more comfortable near-range vision. You get a clear vision in the room for up to 10ft. Compared to normal progressive lenses the distance vision zones for outdoors are missing. It is really just recommended to wear this lens indoors. You can move around your workspace and work with a natural posture.
With normal progressives, this is oftentimes not the case as they only provide you with distance vision in the upper part of the lens. On the contrary, the workspace lens already supports nearer distances in the upper half of the lens. As you add more clear distance into such a lens design the field of view will get a little bit smaller. This lens has no customizable options regarding your individual pupilar distance or how the frame will sit in your face. (As Worn Option)
The customization part is really valuable when bigger prisms or prescriptions, in general, come into play. Like +- 6 and more. Then you might benefit more from a lens design that considers the following parameters.
- customizable pupilar distance
- pantoscopic tilt
- reading distance
When the PC is your main focus during the day I would rather have the Shamir Computer lens. Because they will give you a wider field of view as you work on your PC screen. However, this only could be considered if the calendar or whatever is behind the screen is not totally necessary for you.
Side note from me.
Shamir Cool the Progressive Lens for Kids
If you are looking for progressive lenses for kids Shamir got one design for you. It is a standardized lens design which means the best spots for the wearer to look through are set. That does not mean the actual spots the wearer is looking through have to overlap with these “best” spots.
The variability of distances of a child´s pupilar distance and working distance changes vastly over the years. Of course, this lens works but I would definitely prefer the As Worn Technology here to provide the widest possible field of view. Because especially kids oftentimes need a higher reading power as they hold things closer compared to adults when they want to read something.
Other Nice Options to Consider to Order with Your Shamir Progressive Lenses
Shamir is an extremely innovative company. Most manufacturers of progressive lenses do just provide coatings that everyone else has too. Not so with Shamir. They have the Glacier Plus UV IR coating that not only lets you see clearly through your lenses and while the person in front of you can see your eyes better it also reduces infrared exposure. That is pretty unique.
The next coating to consider is the Shamir Glacier Achromatic UV. When you don´t want to have some sort of greenish or blue mirror effects on the front of the lenses you should get this coating. But you can just get it in the standard material CR39. So it can be ordered in a thinner way.
In this post here I wanted to keep things as simple as possible. I hope you learned something new about the progressive lens lineup from Shamir and maybe what progressive lens you should pick from Shamir now. In our shop, we are working with Shamir every day and I am really appreciating the options Shamir provides like the inotime service that gets you your new lenses so fast.
We oftentimes receive our progressive lenses within 24hours sometimes 48 hours. They are fully customized, coated, and can even have the transitions feature. I am really thrilled to have such an option for my customers when they need a quick and perfect made solution.