Progressive lenses: price and what changes it

What is a progressive lens?

It is a multifocal lens with no visible line between the part you use for distance and the part you use up close. That is how the National Eye Institute (NEI), the United States government's eye research institute, describes it.

In everyday terms: you look far through the top of the lens, you read through the bottom, and the correction shifts gradually in between. A bifocal does a similar job, but with two separate zones and a line you can see.

So one pair covers the road, the laptop and the restaurant menu. The second pair, the one that is always in the other room, can finally retire.

Who are progressive lenses for?

Mostly for people who need one correction to see far and another to see up close. That often comes with presbyopia.

According to the NEI, presbyopia is a normal part of ageing: everyone gets it, usually after age 45. The usual signs are trouble seeing things up close, holding what you read further away to focus, and tired eyes. The World Health Organization (WHO) names it as the leading cause of near vision impairment worldwide, affecting 826 million people.

Progressives are not the only answer. Reading glasses, a bifocal or two separate pairs are all fair choices, and nobody marks you down for preferring two pairs. This article is general information. It does not replace an examination: only an examination shows which correction you need.

Why progressive lenses cost more than single vision

• Making the lens: the correction has to change smoothly from top to bottom, with no line. That is finer work than a single vision lens.
• Measuring: the lens must sit exactly in front of your eye, at the right height, in the frame you have chosen.
• The range: progressive lenses come in several levels, and the more advanced ones cost more.
• Coatings: anti-reflective, photochromic or a blue-light filter add to the price, as they do on any lens.

Because one lens holds several corrections instead of one, and it takes more work and more measuring. Those four lines turn up on any quote for progressive lenses, in Douala or anywhere else.

A single vision lens is a straight road. A progressive is the same road with an interchange added: more concrete, and a much better plan.

How much do progressive lenses cost in Douala?

You get the price as a quote, because it depends on three things: your prescription, the level of lens and the coatings you pick. That is why we do not publish a price for progressive lenses. One figure would be wrong for almost everybody.

Search online and you will mostly find prices in euros or dollars, posted by shops in Europe or Canada. They tell you nothing about what you will pay here, and converting them in your head only tires out the calculator.

What we do publish: a consultation costs 2,000 FCFA and frames run from 5,000 to 50,000 FCFA. For the lenses, ask for a written quote, with and without coatings. It is the only price that is really yours, and you decide once you have read it.

Getting used to progressive lenses

A lens with several zones takes a little learning. The reading zone is at the bottom: to read, you lower your eyes rather than your head. To look into the distance, you look through the top.

Think of a new pair of shoes: you have to wear them before they feel like yours. If they still bother you, do not leave the glasses in a drawer. Come back and see us, so we can check how the frame sits and how the lenses are centred.

The NEI also points out that wearing glasses does not make your eyes weaker. They make your vision clearer while you have them on, and change nothing in the eye itself.

How to get your quote at Jackson Eye Clinic

Bring your prescription if you have one, or have the examination here: a consultation costs 2,000 FCFA. You choose the frame, we price the lenses, and you decide. The clinic is run by Fon Jackson Ndeng, optometrist. If the examination shows you need an ophthalmologist's opinion, we refer you to one.

We are in Kotto-Bonamoussadi, Douala V, between Pharmacie Kotto and Santa Lucia, opposite the Visite Technique. The clinic is open Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 17:00 and Saturday from 8:00 to 17:00.

For a quote, message us on WhatsApp on 698 18 30 54, in English or French, with a photo of your prescription if you have one. Our published prices are on the Prices page of this site. As for the pair in the other room, leave it where it is.

Common questions about progressive lenses

How much does a progressive lens cost? It depends on the prescription, the level of lens and the coatings. At Jackson Eye Clinic, the price is given as a quote before any order.

What is the difference between progressive lenses and bifocals? Both correct distance and near vision. A bifocal has two zones separated by a visible line. A progressive lens has no line.

At what age do people start wearing progressive lenses? There is no fixed age. Presbyopia usually appears after age 45, according to the NEI. The examination is what shows whether a progressive lens suits you.

Are progressive lenses ready the same day? In most cases the clinic prepares glasses the same day. For progressive lenses, ask how long they will take when you get your quote.