Electra's MIGfetish

Used to correct Myopia (nearsightedness, shortsightedness) minus lenses are concave (thinner in the center than at the edge), and make things look smaller, including the eyes of the wearer.

#1 Myopia myth - "Myopia begins in childhood." Commonly, yes, but it can begin later in life, even in the fourties.

Plus Lenses

Used to correct Hyperopia (farsightedness, longsightedness) minus lenses are convex (thicker in the center than at the edge), and make things look larger, including the eyes of the wearer.

#1 Hyperopia myth - "Farsighted people can see fine at a distance." They may be able to see better at a distance but that doesn't mean it is fine. Hyperopia can be overcome to a certain degree by using the accomodation of the lens of the eye, but this can cause eyestrain (i.e. it hurts!) and it has its limits. People who have moderate to severe hyperopia, or who are older (have less accomodation) will find it as hard to see distances clearly as an equivalent myope.

Multifocal Lenses

Used to correct Presbyopia (age-related loss of elasticity in the lens of the eye) along with either Myopia or Hyperopia, multifocal lenses have one or more sections, the lowest being for close work, the highest for distannce, with occasionally extra sections in between. Multifocal lenses are also sometimes used in an attempt to slow down the progress of myopia. Most multifocal lenses have a dividing line between the different powers in the lens, however.........

Progressive Lenses*

Are an increasingly popular type of multifocal lens, with a gradual increase in plus power towards the bottom, and no lines. The upper part of the lens is for distance and can be either minus or plus, just as in any multifocal.

Cylinder Lenses

Used to correct Astigmatism (non-spherical cornea), usually in conjunction with a Minus or Plus lens.

Prism Lenses

Used to correct convergance errors (e.g. double vision), usually in conjunction with a Minus or Plus lens.

Prism myth #1 - "If you wear prism lenses you can't wear contact lenses." Not always so. Sometimes contacts actually work better.

Personal Note

*As some of you know, I have rapidly become a user as well as fan of glasses during the last year, but that's one of the joys of middle-age!

I recently started wearing progressive lenses, and was seriously quite worried about the idea, having read quite a bit of negative feedback on them. It was quite a relief to find that many of the things I'd read at least didn't apply to me in any way. In fact I was greatly surprised, maybe shocked is the word, considering the level of negative opinion I had heard. It makes me wonder quite what the problem is. They certainly aren't a perfect visual aid by any means, and not very good for computer use - I had to buy a flat monitor to get it further away, tipping your head back to be able to use the bottom reading area with a conventional (therefore close) monitor is too much of a strain on the neck. I certainly look forward to improvements in the technology, but my general feeling is that their popularity is justified. I like the way that I can "zoom in" just by lifting up my head the tiniest bit.

One of the "negatives" I was warned about most was that the floor is out of focus, and this can be a bit hairy when walking, especially down stairs. The guy who sold them to me recommended tipping your head down lower when walking downstairs. Obviously this is more of an issue when the add is stronger, but at mine (+1.50) I don't feel that the floor is dangerously out of focus. I don't really plan on walking barefoot over an area with sharp stones or thistles, and if I do, trust me, I'll tip my head down.

So, let's get a discussion going on the Forum about progressive lenses.

Finally.............

Found this report quite by chance, and it gives you some figures. 60 million progressives wearers. Not only that it was interesting to see the overall statistics for glasses:

73% of Americans wear glasses

59% of Americans between 18 and 34 wear glasses

I think it's safe to say what I've been saying for a long time, MOST people wear glasses, that's a simple fact, and therefore whatever our interest, be it technical, fashion, or fetish, it's quite normal!