The Quest for the Ideal Progressive Continues

​It’s time: the moment of truth when your patient tries on their new progressives and you both hold your breath. They look at you, then around the room, then down at the table and move their head around. You hope for a smile, and it comes—success! When they “work” for your patient, it’s a celebration, a true awakening with high fives all around. Chances are, they’ve just slipped on a new pair of Unity® Via Progressive Lenses.

Unity Via Progressives Set the Bar for Success

When Unity Via® Progressives were introduced in 2017, they were met by both eye care professionals (ECPs) and patients with gratitude for solving many of the fitting and adaptation difficulties associated with typical progressives on the market. Most patients adapted quickly and easily as a result of Unity Via’s personalized, compensated design and intelligent technology. Several ECPs have enthusiastically shared their successes with Unity Via progressives:

“Our office uses Unity lenses as our primary choice on almost every patient.
We have no adaptation problems and a lens style to fit pretty much every need!” – Lori E.
 
“Unity Via Elite erased all the unsettling aberrations she was experiencing with other attempts,
and she was able to read with effortless comfort for the first time in years (and at her first sitting)!” – Zachary G.

“When she put them on, she said ‘Wow! I can see everything so clearly!’
I had her look around, walk around, read a couple of sample sheets to make sure there was no distortion,
​and she had zero issues. She said she would never switch to any other lens!” – Rebekka H.

For ECP’s, Unity Via lenses have been easier to dispense[1]—with a higher degree of accuracy in the prescription and visual fields—than other brands and designs in the market. Unity Via’s variable inset and digital viewpoint technologies combine with automatic reading height optimization to simplify fitting and customizing the lenses, improving visual precision and comfort.

Today’s Visual Needs Demand More from a Progressive

Fast-forward five years, and new visual challenges have emerged as our lifestyles have become more mobile and multi-faceted, with remote work and school, online retail and banking services, and digital point of sale everywhere. With digital devices becoming ever-present in every walk of life, progressive wearers are encountering new issues that their current progressives weren’t built for.
 
Multi-tasking has become the norm and digital interactions have multiplied with the proliferation of easy-to-use tablets, apps, smart phones, tvs, and more. More than 80 percent of adults report using digital devices for over two hours per day, and nearly 67 percent say they use two or more devices simultaneously[2]. Even patients with multi-vision needs who aren’t digiphiles can benefit from a progressive that’s enhanced for all types of activities. Add to this a large generation of emerging presbyopes, and clearly it’s time for a fresh look.

A Brief History of Progressives

Despite advances in progressive lens technology during the past 60 years, eye care professionals have continued to experience challenges with progressive fitting—ranging from choosing the right progressive design to difficulty taking measurements. Results have varied from unsuccessful fittings to patient adaptation issues, often culminating in the dreaded remake all too often. Some patients try again, and some just give up.

Fortunately, ongoing R&D has led to the development of high-quality progressive lenses like Unity Via in the past few years. But as society’s visual needs continue to evolve with the proliferation of digital devices and a more mobile lifestyle, new solutions must also evolve to address these circumstances.

So, while today’s progressives do an excellent job of empowering presbyopes with clear, visual acuity in near, intermediate, and far zones, some wearers have continued to experience challenges...especially with increased use of digital devices. 

Understanding the Pain Points

But first, to better understand what ECPs and their patients were struggling with or missing in their progressive lens experience, we needed to know more. We conducted a Progressive Pain Point survey in January 2022, with ECP respondents sharing their top pain points related to fitting progressive lenses and associated patient issues.
 
We discovered that “insufficient reading area” was a top pain point in the fitting and general dispensing of progressives. The “inability of patients to adapt” was the number one reason for remakes, and one of the top three pain points in dispensing progressives. Issues related to “training,” “difficulty fitting,” and “understanding designs” rounded out the top pain points shared by ECPs.
 
So, while today’s progressives do an excellent job of empowering presbyopes with clear, visual acuity in near, intermediate, and far zones, some wearers have continued to experience challenges—visual limitations, eyestrain, and physical discomfort—especially with increased use of digital devices. 

On the Horizon

While a few challenges with fitting and wearing progressives still persist, there is hope. The makers of Unity Via Progressives are responding to some of ECP’s —and patients—biggest pain points, with new designs and technologies in the works.
 
So, what’s in store? Are new innovations on the horizon that can offer specific advantages for the progressive wearers of today? Stay tuned, as we explore options and look ahead at the potential for the ideal progressive.

[1] Data from 2018 ECP Satisfaction Survey
[2] The Vision Council Shines Light on Protection Sight – and Health – in a Multi-Screen Era. https://thevisioncouncil.org/blog/vision-council-shines-light-protecting-sight-and-health-multi-screen-era#:~:text=Increasing%20Screen%20Habits&text=More%20than%2080%20percent%20of,two%20or%20more%20devices%20simultaneously