Introduction
Varilux lens are lenses that combine your distance, intermediate and near segment into one lens without the lines in the middle. Varilux lenses are also known as “no-line bifocals”, they are eyeglass lens used to provide visual correction for a refractive condition called presbyopia. Varilux lenses meet the need of every presbyopic customer, no matter what their lifestyle and visual requirement are. People who uses Varilux lens have an advantage over people using bifocal lenses as they have an intermediate segment.
Varilux lenses enable you to see near, far and everything in between. Varilux meaning “variable light” was named to exhibit the progressive or variable power of the lens. Not only was it the progressive lens design, Varilux continue to be the No. 1prescribed progressive lens by eye care professionals around the world. As a Varilux lens wearer, you can feel positive you are wearing the best progressive lenses available. Varilux conducts a more extensive wearer testing of any manufacturer in the industry to insure complete patient satisfaction. With more than 330 million lenses sold world-wide, Varilux is the progressive no-line bifocal lens brand that eye care professionals trust and recommend most often.
History
The Varilux brand was the dream of an exceptional man: Bernard Maitenaz, In the 1950’s, when trying on his father’s flat-top bifocals, Bernard Maitenaz decided that the concept required some re-thinking. As a 25-year-old engineer, he took on the challenge of creating a lens that would allow people see from any distance. The progressive lens, on March 2nd 1951 Bernard Maitenaz filed a patent at the national institute of industrial property to officially register the date Varilux lenses were invented.
In 1959 Varilux created the world’s first progressive lens and has continued to innovate and set new standards of performance in eye glass lenses. Maitenaz and his team began producing progressive lens using variety of progressive lens was given a name following suit with the other premium product: Varilux and the lens was lunched officially in May 1959 at the Hotel Lutetia in Paris, France.
The new generation of varilux
As new technologies and manufacturing processes were being developed, the research efforts concerning Varilux continued. In 1993 Varilux comfort was launched and became the world’s best-selling progressive lens. Varilux comfort was the first progressive lens which combined the advantages of a “hard” design (type Varilux) and a “soft” design (type Varilux 2). The new surfacing techniques developed by Essilor made the adaptation much quicker than on previous progressive lenses and provided comfortable vision in all postures. Finally, in the 21st century, Essilor launched Varilux Panamic(2003), Varilux Ellipse (2005), Varilux Physio(2009),Varilux Lpseo(2012).
Definition
Varilux lens are lens that combines your distance, intermediate and near portion together without the lines in its surface. The word Varilux means “variable light”. Varilux lens are also known as progressive lens, Vari-focal lens and no lines bifocal. It has been chosen to describe the variable power of the lenses. They are prescribed for the visual correction of presbyopia.
Types
There are several forms of Varilux lens:
- Regular Varilux
- Varilux Concise
- Varilux Panamic
- Varilux Ellipse
- Varilux Physio
- Varilux Lpseo
But the most commonly used ones are
- Regular Varilux
- Varilux Concise
- Varilux Ellipse
Because they can be easily ordered in Nigerian lens surfacing laboratories.
Regular Varilux: These are Varilux design that are built to enable the lenses to be fitted In a big frame ranging from 30mm and above.
Concise Varilux: These are design to enable Varilux to be fitted in a medium frame ranging from 25mm to 30mm.
Ellipse Varilux:These are the latest design to enable Variluxlenses to be fitted in much smaller frames ranging from 20mm to 25mm.
Uses
- Varilux lenses are used in the correction of presbyopia
- It is also useful for those who spend a lot of time using the computer. Examples literates.
Advantages
- Varilux lenses give clarity in all fields of vision, far, intermediate and near vision.
- Switching from one lens to the other will be seamless resulting in true dynamic vision.
- It has gradual transmission from the sight to the reading portion thereby preventing image jump unlike bifocal.
- Cosmetic appeal: it looks like a single vision because it does not have segment lines.
Disadvantages
- They are expensive
- It requires utmost care and professional skill from the optician when fitting.
Features
The functions of the Varilux lenses are divided into three (3) dimension;
- Distance portion: this part enables the wearer to see object distance or far way.
- Intermediate portion: this portion is usually for object that are not the normal reading portion such as the viewing of computer and mobile gadgets.
- Near portion: this portion helps then wearer basically for near vision such as reading of newspapers, bibles, etc.
Fitting varilux lenses
To fit any Varilux lens properly, the frame must first be adjusted to the patient comfort, at this point, an optical professional (OPTICIAN) measures and marks the segment height from the centre of the patient’s pupil down to the bottom eye wire. And then measures and marks the patient’s inter-pupillary distance (I.PD) from one edge of the pupil to the other corresponding edge and the other for the pupillary distance (P.D) of the frame.
To mark any progressive lenses, we must have an accurate segment height (SH) and inter-pupillary distance (IPD) measurement with the aid of the PD rule. The lens is to be mounted in such a way that the pupil will coincide with the fitting cross of the lens to enable the patient conveniently use the transition zone or the corridor of the lens.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, Varilux lenses are used to correct presbyopia, which occurs as a result of advancement in age and as a result of inability of the lens to focus in object properly.
Varilux lenses have helped a lot of presbyopic patient as far as saving them from changing from lenses to lenses.
References
Bennett, A. (2009).Variable and progressive powered lenses. New York: Manufacturing Optics Inc.
Bernard, M. (1959).Essilor International.
Efe, O. (2012). Laboratory manual in dispensing opticianry, September,2012.
Ezekiel, J. (2013). A lecture note on the premier congress of the Association of Nigerian Dispensing Opticians (ANDO), 26th April, 2013.
Le Roux, Jean-Charles (2008). The Varilux Epic. Perrin. p. 18.
