I purchased mine at EyeMaster's and I'm thinking that this probably what
they gave me!  So my next question is...how does polycarbonate differ than
other materials?  And does the better material give you a broader reading
area?  I saw where one poster said they felt like they were in a funnel!
And this is exactly how I felt when I wore them.  They told me to keep them
on for a few days...but HOW do you walk around when your vision is blurry
and you are squinting to read anything???  They told me that my computer
vision would improve with progressive...but I'm actually tilting my head
more with these then with the bi-focals!!  I'm totally confused!  Should I
make them make me bi-focals and forget the progressive or insist that they
redo them with a better material?  Desperately needing help!!

I am probably the main crusader against polycarbonate on this forum. Many of
the professionals like it because it offers high profit margins (it is no
longer a proprietary formula) and protects them from liability lawsuits in
the unlikely case that lens breaks and injures someone. Professionals are
required to recommend them for children. They probably are a good idea for
use while playing contact sports or in a hazardous work area. Polycarb is
also better for rimless frames that need to drilled because they tend to not
crack as easily compared to other materials. However, if a slightly lower
index is acceptable, Trivex offers virtually the same protection against
impact resistance and tensile strength.

But the optical quality of polycarbonate is worst of any commonly used lens
material. One measure of this is abbe value which measure chromatic
aberration, but there are other problems that cannot be easily
measured.Admittedly, the problems with polycarb are less obvious in low
power Rx's, but if you have low power Rx you don't a 1.59 index lens. If you
need safety glasses, Trivex has far superior optics.

Regarding the adaptation, find out what the money back warranty period on
the lenses are, and give it try for that period. Be sure to allow time to
get to the store for a refund or exchange if you are unhappy.

Also, please change your newsreader to send only text messages (not RTF or
HTML). Some people cannot read your messages. I will not answer any more
posts unless they are formatted in text.

I believe the problems with polycarbonate are vastly overstated, even
nonexistent for low prescriptions. I've worn poly in several different
designs and never noticed a problem.

Poly spreads colors out a little more than other materials. If you see
rainbow fringes, the problem is poly. If you don't see rainbow fringes, look
for another cause.

-MT, OD

Your distance vision must be sharp and clear when standing and looking at a
distance object.  If it's not then they are made improperly. Field of vision at
near will be much less than with standard bifocals, and can be nearly unusable
if improperly positioned. The lens material is inconsequential with this Rx and
the problems stated.

Progressives are not the answer for the visual and physical problems that occur
when looking at a desktop monitor. A separate pair of glasses may be needed
depending on frequency of use, work distance and type of Rx. In general, I would
probably recommend replacing the progressive with standard bifocals and making a
separate pair for computer.

Hope this helps

Robert Martellaro
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Optician/Owner
Roberts Optical
robopt@execpc.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself."
 - Richard Feynman

From what I've read (and experienced) the brand of progressives makes more
difference than the material.

There's a lot of info in this group about various brands, but if you don't
know what you have, you probably don't have the best brand.

I personally found progressives a lot easier to wear when I got a premium
brand instead of what the opticians first tried to give me.

"walking sideways":

Evidently the most clear place on the lenses was on the right side...so my head and eyes were diverted to that area..thus I was walking sideways!

It is true that peripheral distortion on PALs increases with add power...so
those with a higher add will tend to notice it more.

It is also true that some people notice the distortions ("swimming") and are
bothered by them much more than others.  This isn't meant to be a "dig"; its
simply the truth.  I have tried many different types of progressives, and can't
tell a difference.  They all work just fine for me, and have since the day I
got my first one.  But I'm also a person who could have my over two diopters of
cylinder off by over 20 degrees and barely notice.

Obviously, some folks aren't as lucky as I am.  There are some folks who will
be bothered by the peripheral distortion of PALs no matter what the brand, add,
or whatever.

How can you tell in advance whether you're one of those people?  Well,
unfortunately you probably can't.  But think about how fussy you are about
glasses (or sunglasses if not wearing any currently) and that will give you an
idea.  Are you the type who is running to the optical for an adjustment the
minute they are slightly crooked?  Do you HATE having even a tiny speck of dust
on your glasses?  Or do you wait to clean them (or have them adjusted) until
someone says "what's wrong with your glasses?"?  These kinds of things might
give you an idea of how you're going to adjust.

Give it time, no matter what.  And make sure they come with a guarantee if
you're worried about it.