Keeping Focused

To accommodate the numerous hours of computer use that are logged by many during any given workday, eyeglass wearers today require sharp clear vision in the intermediate and near ranges. Enhanced reader lenses provide this by creating continuously increasing power from the lens top to bottom using progressive optics.

Enhanced reader lenses are essentially modified progressive lenses that have been engineered to provide patients with a better optical solution without compromising vision comfort with single-vision or bifocal options. Providing patients with the option of enhanced reader lenses can give them better visual performance without compromising visual comfort.

The Nikon Online, an intermediate-use lens, accommodates a multitude of distances, according to the company. The lens helps to combat CVS and has all the ranges of near- to mid-range viewing. The Nikon Online comes with a wide bottom for clear near-vision and a wide middle for precise computer viewing.

"CVS is a result of not having the correct lenses to see the computer screen. This leads to eye strain," said Gilbert Lee, director of new projects, Essilor of America. "Most people use computers, and many do so for more than 2 or 3 hours per day. There's a huge market out there for computer lenses that are designed specifically for computer users.

"They are not for day-to-day use in seeing distances," Lee said. "Computer lenses are designed to give a wider view of the mid-distance area, which is the visual range that computer use falls into."

The Nikon Online lens was designed by Nikon and is distributed in the United States by Essilor. These lenses have three degression values and are flexible enough to fit individual viewing and visual needs. Nikon Online lenses are available in two materials: plastic and high-index 1.67. They are compatible with Crizal AR coatings, which reduce eyestrain and offer advanced anti-reflective qualities that eliminate glare and improve vision.

Nikon Online lenses require no adaptation and offer the same wide and stable near-vision as a single-vision lens. They improve contrast, sharpen vision, reduce eye fatigue and stress, and allow for intermediate and near-vision viewing without changing positions.

"Nikon Online's unique design lets patients focus on near and intermediate objects with little or no movement of the eyes, head, and neck, thus improving head and neck ergonomics," Lee said.

More enhanced options Other computer lenses are available, including the Access lens from AO Sola, which is designed specifically for computer users or patients who participate in visually intensive work or hobbies.

The Access lens is ideal for people who require an "add power" or extra plus power for near vision, according to the company.

Access lenses provide wide areas of clear vision at near and intermediate ranges, and are the first near-vision lens to offer wide clear viewing from reading distance up to 7 feet away. Available in either low or high near power options, the Access lens is designed to create a smooth, clear transition from intermediate to near power, providing wide viewing areas with little distortion or peripheral aberration. AO Sola also features the Technica lens, which is geared to presbyopic patients who need wide intermediate and near viewing capabilities.

Carl Zeiss Optical Inc.'s new office lens, the Zeiss Business, presents crystal clear vision at the computer and in life, according to the company. Designed specifically for viewing computer keyboards, computer monitors, and immediate surroundings in the work area, the Zeiss Business lens is available in near and immediate ranges from 14 inches up to 4 feet.

"If you work on a computer or engage in any activity that requires even wider fields of vision at intermediate and near distances (like cooking, sewing, studying, even model-making), you need glasses that allow your eyes to focus smoothly between near and intermediate distances," said Maureen Beddis, corporate communications specialist, Carl Zeiss Optical Inc.