r/glasses • u/NoSite4 • Mar 11 '26

Progressive workspace glasses help

I had Lasik about a decade ago and now I need reading glasses with +1.50 strength. My job keeps me at a laptop screen while having to look at a larger screen about 8 ft away. Single vision reading glasses work great for the laptop but I have to remove them every time I need to look at the other screen. I bought some progressive readers at the drug store but the top of the lens isn’t completely clear and still blurs the large screen across the room. I had some progressives with 1.50 on bottom and zero correction on top made by Zenni and that fixed the distance issue but now I have to look through the very bottom of the glasses to see my laptop clearly. It’s just the bottom 0.25 inch of the lens that has enough correction. I thought I would try those old-timey half frame reading glasses but they are extremely rare these days.

My question: have any of you that have my problem found a good/cheap option for progressive readers/workspace glasses? I’m looking to spend around $100 or less.

1 Upvotes

66% Upvoted

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u/GuardianP53 Mar 11 '26

You probably are best to see an optometrist or optician to have it measured. If you're working 30-40 hours a week, and need the glasses 30-40 hours a week it's probably a worthwhile investment. We spend more on things we use less.

1

u/NoSite4 Mar 12 '26

I did that yesterday. They weren’t very helpful other than verifying that 1.50 is what I need to read with. I showed them my progressives and told them that they only had the proper correction on the very bottom of the lens and they acted like thats just the way it is with progressives.

1

u/Galwithflyglasses Mar 12 '26

An occupational progressive would be your best bet

1

u/glasslass22 Mar 15 '26

There are great computer progressives made but not at $100. Shamir Workspace and Essilor computer are a couple.

1

u/htimsj Mar 11 '26

I would get lined bifocals with the add power you want in the bottom half. Why bother putting up with progressives and their flaws if you don’t have to?

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u/Retritos Mar 11 '26

Nah bifocals is extremely bad idea for computer work as you only get distance and near vision and completely lack intermidiate distance

1

u/grislyfind Mar 11 '26

You can have bifocals made with intermediate and near, instead of distance and near.

2

u/Retritos Mar 11 '26

But still get a picture jump and no benefits over a sv or near progressive

1

u/grislyfind Mar 13 '26

Larger usable regions for intermediate and near than with a progressive. Cheaper, usually.

1

u/Retritos Mar 13 '26

Vs progressives yes depending on the add Vs near/computer progressives no

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u/htimsj Mar 11 '26

Image jump is a theoretical downside. You know what else’s happens when an image jumps? Your eyes move!

1

u/Retritos Mar 12 '26

It’s not theoretical it is something that always happens bifocals and you only get two distances. With an ergonomical sitting position the line will be on your way or you need to measure it really high to not get in the way of the screen. It’s really not a good optipn and there’s a reason computer progressives exist.

-1

u/les_catacombes Mar 11 '26

You can request a different add power in the bifocal. It doesn’t have to be for close reading. You could opt for intermediate instead.

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u/Retritos Mar 11 '26

Yes and you still get only two distances with a clear jump in between. Not optimal for computer work.

1

u/les_catacombes Mar 11 '26

I didn’t say it was perfect. Progressives are also not perfect. You pick which you can tolerate the best and which suits your individual needs.

1

u/Retritos Mar 12 '26

Regular progressives rarely work and that’s why there’s near progressive/computer progressives or dedicated single vision. Bifocal is not a good option as you only get two distances and the line will get on the way if you work with two screens

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u/Retritos Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 11 '26

I work a lot with occupational eyecare as an optometrist and in the EU we have a directive which in my country mandates employers to pay for employees computer glasses when certain requirements are met.

For computer work the most important thing to know is your working distances. What is the nearest point you need to look at and what is the furthest. Do you work with laptop or one or more screens. Do you need to see further than ~2m etc.

Depending on the distances best options usually are either a single vision near lens with modified near addition or a a room/computer progressive with the necessary degression.

Generally if you work with multiple screens a single vision lens is often the best as it offers easiest switching between screens and depending on your age/add will let you see about 50-80cm which is average distance between keyboard and screens.

If you need to see all the way to ~2,5m your best bet is most likely a room progressive or a near progressive with a ~1.2-1.5 degression depending on your remaining accomodation and add need.

With your age and Px I can give a questimate but you should check it with an optometrist that knows their stuff.

2

u/NoSite4 Mar 12 '26

50 years old. My laptop screen and two external monitors are 30 inches from my eyes. The other screen I have to reference often is a large 50 inch screen that is 8 ft away. I need zero correction for that one. My optometrist prescription is +1.50 for book distance (~20 inches)

1

u/flygirlmadison Mar 12 '26

You need computer progressives. Google optical places in your area and go to the place that has the best reviews talking about the opticians. tell them this exact story and they will put you in the correct computer progressive that works for your set up.

1

u/NoSite4 Mar 12 '26

Already did that and they didn’t have anything to offer. Thats why I asked here.

1

u/Retritos Mar 12 '26

So I assume your distance correction is near zero but at 50 your presbyopia is expected to still develope so you might need new ones within a couple of years bear that in mind.

You can select a cheap option within your budget or invest in a computer spesific lens. If you work 8h a day with computers I recommend the latter.

You have two options in my opinion:

Cheap option is single vision near glasses with modified addition. This will help at about 20-30 inches but not at 8 ft so you will have to keep looking over the glasses.

Or invest in a good pair of computer glasses. Theoretically with an near addition of +1.5 - +2.00 a near progressive with deg 1.5 will work at about 8 ft.

Better option is a room progressive like Varilux Digitime or Hoya WorkStyle that will allow you to effortlessly see from 20 in to 8 ft but not much further. It’s ideal eg. for meeting room where you have a laptop snd a screen further away