Flat Top 28 Bifocal vs Progressive Bifocals: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Both

If you’re in need of bifocal lenses, you may have heard about regular bifocals, progressive bifocals, or even flat top 28 bifocals. If you’re not already familiar with what each has to offer, it can be confusing and a little overwhelming deciding which to choose.

Sure, your eye doctor will tell you a little about it and perhaps even make a suggestion but there are times when the information given to you is hurried or even too technical for some.

Here is a simple way of explaining flat top 28 bifocal vs progressive bifocals and their advantages and disadvantages.

General Bifocal Info

Bifocals have the unique ability to give two lens powers so that you can see both near and far. The bottom portion of the lens is used for seeing up close like with reading or computer work. The top portion is for distance but some people do not need it so sometimes that portion has no prescription in it at all. It will vary with each person.

Flat Top 28 Bifocals

Flat top 28 bifocals are still bifocals but a little different in how they are created. These lenses are also called straight top lenses and how they work is that they are fused bifocal. These have a D-shaped near segment that has a 90-degree rotation which makes the D face upwards. Another reason they are called flat-top 28 bifocals is that the near seg is 28mm wide, which makes it easy to remember. These are the most popular flat-top bifocals.

Progressive Bifocals

Progressive bifocals are also hugely popular because they have something that the others do not – no visible lines between the top and bottom part of the lens. This not only makes the wearer look more youthful but it’s far less distracting and definitely hides the fact that you are wearing bifocals in the first place.

Another advantage of progressive bifocals is in their actual makeup. These allow the wearer to see up close or far away without having to look up or down slightly. How this works is that the lenses are more like your natural eyesight and provide more of an exact multi-focal lens. You do not have to move your head up and down or anything like that but instead will slightly shift your eyes up or down in order to differentiate between distance and up-close viewing.

Advantages of Both

As you can see (no pun intended), both the flat top 28 bifocal lenses and the progressive bifocals have advantages. One allows you to see both near and far and work well for both.

The progressive lenses are more attractive looking to many and give a wider zone of clear vision. These are also more natural feeling since they mimic the natural eye better.

The advantage of bifocals is that they are dependable and typically less expensive than progressive lenses.

The Disadvantages of Both Lens Types

There are always minor disadvantages in any type of prescription. With bifocals, there is a “jump” of the image, the quality of the image, and the lack of intermediate vision.

The disadvantages of progressive bifocals are mainly the higher cost and the time it takes to get used to them. The latter is something that will simply take a little time but the higher expense is what keeps some people from investing in them, especially those on a fixed budget.

Both flat top 28 bifocal and progressive bifocals are a good choice for those who need to see both close and at a distance and while there are disadvantages as well as advantages they are still excellent for quality vision.

If you have any questions about our prescription eyeglasses or prescription sunglasses, simply contact us so we can help.