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Single vision lenses

Single vision lenses carry one prescription power across the whole lens, set for one viewing distance. They suit most people who need glasses for distance, for a screen or for reading, but not all three at once.

Smiling young woman in round metal glasses standing outdoors in warm sunlight
Photo: Büşranur Aydın / Pexels

What single vision means

The whole lens is made to one power for each eye. Sphere and cylinder can differ between your right and left eye, and the lens is centred on your pupil using your PD. There is no change in power from top to bottom, which is what separates it from a progressive lens.

Pick the distance first

Your prescription is written for a purpose. A distance prescription sharpens signs, faces across a room and the road. A near prescription is for books and phones held close. If you spend long hours at a desk, ask your eye care professional whether an intermediate prescription for screen distance makes sense.

  • Distance: driving, walking, television, meetings.
  • Intermediate: a monitor at arm's length.
  • Near: reading, sewing, close detail.

What to have ready

  1. A current eyeglass prescription with values for both eyes.
  2. Your PD, as one total or as right and left values.
  3. A frame that suits your measurements and your prescription strength.

Strong prescriptions look thinner in smaller frames and in a higher lens index. The lens step shows the indexes offered for the values you enter.

Read your prescription

Understand each field before you type it in.

Progressive lenses

One lens for distance, screen and reading.

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Single vision questions

Can I use single vision lenses for both distance and reading?

Only if your prescription works for both, which is uncommon after your mid-forties. Most people who need help at both distances choose two pairs or a progressive lens.

My prescription has an ADD value. Is single vision right?

An ADD value is extra power for near work. For single vision distance glasses, the ADD is not used. For reading glasses it changes the power, so follow your prescriber's advice or choose reading lenses in the lens step.

Are single vision lenses available with blue-light filtering or tints?

Yes, lens type and coating are separate choices from the prescription type. The lens step lists what is available for the frame you picked.

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