In the two days since I picked up my trifocals I have been thoroughly pleased with the improvement in my vision. I have sharp focus at all three ranges of sight: near, intermediate, and distance. Having owned a pair of bifocals before my laser surgery mistake, I knew there would be an adjustment period regarding the lines and not needed to tip my head but rather just drop my eyes.
The third band of correction in these lenses, the intermediate zone, is working out fantastically. When I sit and read a book or document I use the near portion of the lens, which is at the bottom. My laptops both fall into this range when I am typing at them. Perfect. My computer workstation at work, however, falls into the middle distance between “up close” and “far away.” The intermediate range portion on my new lenses is nicely tall, allowing me to see roughly half the screen without moving my head up or down. As my eyes track down the screen I naturally incline my head, which keeps everything in focus.
The only place my glasses aren’t any use is going down stairs. Looking through either the intermediate or near correction produces a blurry view of the treads. Fortunately I can quite easily see under my lenses and focus on the stairs that way.
The most unusual thing about these new glasses is that things, particularly my cell phone or laptop screen, seem brighter than before. Certainly there is a noticeable difference in focus, but I was surprised by the apparent increase in brightness. I guess the slight magnification effect of the lenses adds to the amount of light my eyes perceive.
I’m sure that some people can and do adjust to progressive lenses, but I for one an very pleased to have switched to lined trifocals. And I am very pleased with how accommodating and helpful the fine folks at my local vision center have been throughout this process.