Yesterday Claudia and I attended a seminar dealing with new technological developments to reduce eyestrain for progressive lens wearers. The topic is interesting for several reasons. The first one is personal as I sometimes experience fatigue when I read for longer periods. Secondly, the idea of this new technology was developed by an optometrist who wanted to help his patients see better. It was then developed further by Kodak Lens and is now available in the newest Kodak Lens progressive lenses. Thirdly, amongst all the different progressive lenses on the market today, the idea of this one really stands out. So what is it all about?

While most progressive lens designs allow the user to see comfortably at any distance during normal everyday use, many people experience that their eyes will naturally drift outward when performing lengthy near work. The process of turning the eyes in to maintain fixation at close distances can lead to such symptoms as eyestrain and visual fatigue that may result in headaches. To avoid these symptoms and to allow for more comfortable near work for longer periods, anti-fatigue progressive lenses incorporate small amounts of prisms in the near vision part of the lens only. The actual amount is digitally calculated and depends on the individual prescription of the wearer.

Well, the theory sounds great and is certainly plausible, but does it really work and will it really make a
noticeable difference for the user? I will find out and report back after I have had a chance to use them.

Meanwhile, you may want to check out this blog post for further information on the development of this new idea in progressive lens design.