Within the portfolio of lenses available to optical consumers, varifocals – also known as progressives, or three-in-one lenses – are the one most queried, feared and maligned! So let’s take a look at this incredibly useful and technologically advanced lens type, and hopefully destroy a few myths…

If you’ve got no idea what a varifocal is, a quick summary - a clever lens that does what your eyes did before presbyopia developed. At that certain age – usually around the forties – our eyes stop allowing us to focus on detail close too. Then the computer screen gets difficult. A progressive lens let you focus close up, at arms length, and in the far distance, in a lens with no visible lines.

Many people know someone who wore these lenses in the past and didn’t get on with them. As the first varifocal was developed in 1959, clearly technology has moved a little since then! Lens designs have dramatically altered since their first introduction, and all varifocals are now easy to wear.

The other story you may hear is that they take forever to get used too. In the past, this was certainly an issue. Some patients felt sea sick, others got terrible headaches, but thankfully this is now a thing of the past. You may feel a little odd for a day or two, but these problems are usually short lived and do not affect the majority of wearers.

As more and more of us use computers on a daily basis, and the ageing population stays fitter and healthier for a long life span, varifocals are the only option that allow you to do everything you want to do in a single pair of glasses. If ordering from an online optician make sure you can return them if there are problems, and then you have a safeguard – in the unlikely event that you’ll need it.