Despite the popularity of laser vision correction, prescription eyeglasses are still widely used to correct myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. The simplest type of prescription eyewear, and the eyewear worn by the majority of people with refractive error, is single vision eyeglasses.
What are single vision eyeglasses?
Single vision eyeglasses are designed to help people who require correction of farsightedness, nearsightedness, or astigmatism. These eyeglasses have just a single optical prescription correction and they distribute focus evenly over the entire surface area of the lens.
Most glasses-wearers end up with single vision eyeglasses. Single vision lenses work well for the correction of near or far vision. People with multiple prescriptions are better suited for multifocal eyewear that corrects vision at all distances in one divided lens.
What do single vision eyeglasses treat?
Single vision eyeglasses correct eye conditions including:
These eyeglasses have only one prescription in the lenses with the same focal power from top to bottom. Most people with refractive error end up wearing single vision eyeglasses until they begin to develop presbyopia, at which point they may need to switch to multifocal lenses.
Benefits of single vision eyeglasses
Millions of people in the United States suffer from vision problems, and most of them turn to single vision eyeglasses to correct their vision. Single vision eyeglasses have a long history of providing clear vision for people with nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, and odds are they will continue to be a popular choice for vision correction in the future.
If you have noticed a change in your vision, contact your optometrist today to schedule a comprehensive eye examination to determine if single vision lenses are right for you.