Larger Glasses?!


Question: I am near sighted and have been prescribed bi focals, also. I wear small rectangle shape glasses, but I've been told I will probably have to get large glasses to accomodate the bi focals. Is this true? If so, I'll just buy a separate pair of reading glasses on the side.


Answers: I am near sighted and have been prescribed bi focals, also. I wear small rectangle shape glasses, but I've been told I will probably have to get large glasses to accomodate the bi focals. Is this true? If so, I'll just buy a separate pair of reading glasses on the side.

It depends if you want lined or no-line(progressive).
A lined bi-focal will require a 10mm fitting from the lower lid margin of your eye(the top of your lower eye lid when your eye is open) where as a Progressive lens will typically need 14-17mm from the center of your pupil. wiht that in mind you do need a little bit larger lens, but not huge....one thing about the reading glasses is if you have any astigmatism you will want to get a pair made by an eyeglass place not OTC because it won't correct for that and you will not receive the best vision. Also, check out wal-mart they have a nikon lens that has that 14mm fitting which allows the frames to get pretty small....

I have bi-focals that are in smallish rectangular frames.You may need to shop around to find a shop that can help.I think that it may also have to do with the make etc. of the lensees.

You need at least about 13mm from the bottom of your iris (the coloured part) to the bottom edge of the frame. The frames don't necessarily have to be big, it depends where they sit on your nose and their shape. Really small frames usually won't work though.

In the last 10 years, things have changed a lot in this area.

We used to have to have glasses about twice as deep (from pupil to bottom of lens) as we do now, to accomodate a no-line multifocal lens.

Not that many years ago, when we'd use one of the new progressive multifocals for a smaller frame, people would have a lot of trouble with them. Not so today. Technology has brought out several new lenses and most of my patients can easily adapt to a "short corridor" progressive lens.

Some people do switch from distance to reading glasses but it is much more of a hassle than most people want to deal with.

Good luck.

Purely speculation on every ones part here whether you need larger glasses or not. Your bridge size will really make the difference between a narrow frame or larger size. With the technology today, you can put progressive (no line) lenses into a greater variety of frames. The key is to have a knowledgeable optician help you determine the smallest frame you can use with out jeopardizing the optics. It's important to know each mfg's recommended fitting heights and put the 2 together successfully. Some hacks will just throw any old progressive lens in and fit it too high just to give the customer what they want. You may have to compromise a little in size, but shouldn't have to go much bigger than you like. If you are an avid reader you may still want to get an inexpensive pair of readers, especially if you like to read in bed. check when you order the lenses about non-adapting warranties. Many places have a no charge exchange for progressives if you cannot get used to them in a specific period of time. You can try a lined bifocal or go to just single vision lenses. Progressive is a good way to start though. It gives you multiple focal ranges from distance to computer to near.





The consumer health information on answer-health.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007-2011 answer-health.com -   Terms of Use -   Contact us

Health Categories