If your current job requires hours on end of staring into a desktop, and you are of that level of “maturity” where a progressive lens or bifocal is being used, please read on. The human eye is a hunters eye, designed to scan the horizon for caribou. The design of our ocular focusing mechanism is such that, focusing, or accomodation as we call it in the trade, is required to view any object within 20 ft. How often have you heard that you should periodically look out a window to rest your eyes during a day of monitor use; that is because focusing is deactivated when viewing those distant objects, therefore resting the mechanism. The human eye was never intended to stare into a screen for hours on end at a 22 inch eye to screen distance for example.
If you are wearing a progressive bifocal, the portion of the lens that contains the power needed to view at intermediate distances (22 inches), is very small, that is why so many patients complain of stiff necks as they jockey for position with their progressive eyeglasses on. With computer glasses we design a prescription specific for your eye to screen distance, and designate the entire top portion of the lens to it, the remaining bottom portion of the lens contains the additional power needed to make closer objects clear (copy materials/keyboard). In this occupational design, we eliminate the distance portion of the prescription, hence the “occupational” designation. These would be your computer glasses, designed specifically for use at your workstation. Compared to using your regular all purpose progressive glasses, computer glasses are like “butter” for your eyes. You understand what I mean, do not ever put butter in your eyes, but wearing computer glasses will make working at the computer much easier and enjoyable.
From an anecdotal perspective, I can tell you that once a patient has invested in computer glasses, they never go back. I personally have perhaps two fewer pair of eyeglasses than Elton John, and my computer glasses are the ones I use almost exclusively.
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