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Pulling Feeling While Wearing Progressives
Wendy wrote:
hi, I recently got progressive lenses and it has been a couple of weeks I"ve been trying to get used to them. They are not digital and I have found that I get a pulling feel in my good eye when I try to read. Sometimes it seems I can read better if i hold the book slightly to the left, sometimes slightly right. I feel like I am going cross eyed. If I hold my glasses in front of me at a distance, and look at a straight line the lenses shows the line at an angle to the line. Are these thing normal for progressives? Thanks for any explanation, Wendy
Dr Henry Smit's response:
Dear Wendy
Traditional progressive lenses certainly have a reputation (well earned, I think) for causing some distortion in the field of view. When these lenses are not centered properly in front of each eye, or if they are not worn close enough to the eye, these distortions are more noticeable and can be debilitating. Straight lines looking angled sometimes has more to do with the strength of the prescription (especially if there is astigmatism correction in the lens) than with the progressive design. All in all, you are describing a rather miserable eye-wear experience.
I suggest that you take your glasses back to where you purchased them to ensure that the prescription has been filled exactly as prescribed and that your eye-wear is fitted correctly to ensure optimal performance. If that has been done, and your problems persist, you may want to upgrade to a more sophisticated digitally surfaced “free form” design that is customized to your individual prescription. Most people find that these newer lens designs cause fewer distortions and that they are more comfortable to wear.
Hope this is helpful.
Dr. Smit
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