Jay Honeck wrote:
Great stuff, Randy -- thanks.

I guess I don't understand this part:
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Progressive lens design
In order to create a no-line progressive lens, there are two large areas of
the lens that you cannot see through. Imagine what an hourglass looks like.
This is the shape of the area of the progressive lens that you can see
through. Objects seen through the areas of the lens to the left and right of
the narrow middle section are highly distorted and you cannot see through
them.

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Why would the areas to the left and right of the middle section be "highly
distorted"? Why aren't those areas simply made to your "distance"
prescription?

Any eye doctors here?
Jay, I have stayed out of this subject but thought that I would now add
some of my experience if you are still considering progressives. I
started with bifocals but after a few years tried progressives. I found
them to be better (for me) than the bifocals. About 8 months ago I got a
new prescription and had the lenses made at LensCrafters. They never
worked very well (the hour glass was too narrow and so peripheral vision
was very restricted). I had a new pair made, but this time I told them
to use Varilux lenses and not their in house brand (my initial
progressives were Varilux). I am now happy again with my new
progressives. There was a recent article (Aviation Consumer Volume 36,
Number 2, 2006) that discussed the differences between the lens
manufacturers of progressive lenses, and offered their opinion about
which lenses to get.

Cary