When you visit the optician to shop for eye-glasses you are focused on how it will look, will the frame suit your face structure? What is the latest trend? You hardly ever think about the kind of lenses that will be suitable for your prescription glasses. The salesperson is always looking to move his stock and will suggest something that is not selling whether it is the best option for you or not. It is always wise to know a little about the available options before you visit the optician.

Types of Lenses Available :

• Single Vision Lenses
• Photochromic (Transition) Lenses
• Bifocal & Trifocal Lenses
• Progressive Lenses
• Computer Lenses

Single Vision Lenses: These are the most basic type of lens. Unsurprisingly, they also tend to be the least expensive. Made for correcting one field of vision (near or far), they offer the largest visual field of any lens type. If you’re only short-sighted or long-sighted, you’ll likely be prescribed single vision lenses.

Photochromic (Transition) Lenses: Also known as “transition lenses,” photochromic lenses darken when they come into contact with UV rays. This eliminates the need for sunglasses, increasing convenience and minimising expense for the wearer. They’re technically not a prescription type, but rather a treatment added to prescription lenses. You can have photochromic bifocals,  single vision lenses, and so on.

Note that the lenses will darken even on cloudy days, which some may find inconvenient. However, they’re often a popular choice as they add a little style to your glasses.

Bifocal & Trifocal Lenses: You probably remember your grandfather wearing these. This is because these lenses correct a wider range of more severe vision issues. Bifocals and trifocals are lenses that have two and three “powers” apiece, respectively. They are sometimes referred to as “multifocal” even though this technically refers to progressive lenses.

All within one lens, you have separate sections for near and distance correction, which makes them a versatile choice. Those requiring intermediate vision correction will be prescribed with trifocals that have a third correction too.

The drawback of bifocals and trifocals is that there are lines separating each section, which makes for drastic changes in vision correction when you move your eye inside the lens. It’s something that you learn to adjust.

Progressive Lenses: These lenses perform the same job as bifocals and trifocals but in a different way. They work around the dividing lines of bifocals, which was a known inconvenience glasses wearers dealt with for many years. Overall, progressive lenses offer the same fields of vision correction but without the lines. Transitions from “near” to “intermediate” to “distance” correction are much smoother.

The actual visual field within progressive lenses is smaller than that of bifocals or trifocals. This may help to explain why many people still prefer to wear trifocals as opposed to progressive lenses.

Computer Lenses: Use of electronic devices has increased dramatically, and it’s hurting our eyes. Raw percentages of glasses-wearers have increased greatly since smartphones and computers became part of our daily lives, and we are at great risk for accelerated macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss.

Computer glasses are sold without prescriptions (sometimes as yellow-tinted glasses), but many companies will offer a blue-light-blocking lens coating that performs the same function, but with your current prescription.

It is important to discuss with your doctor about the options available and which would be more suitable for you before you make a decision to buy one.