Occupational lenses are a type of progressive lens designed to give you clear, comfortable vision at near and intermediate distances. Unlike everyday varifocals, which are built to cover near, intermediate and long-distance vision, occupational lenses focus on the zones you use most indoors. They’re a popular choice for people who spend long hours working on computers, reading, or interacting within a workspace, as they help reduce eye strain and improve posture.
What Are Occupational Lenses Used For?
Occupational lenses are particularly useful for people with presbyopia who struggle to see clearly up close or at mid-range distances. Rather than switching between two pairs of single vision glasses, occupational lenses provide a wider, more comfortable field of vision for office specific tasks.
Some real-life examples include:
- Working at a computer – giving you a wide, clear view of your screen without tilting your head.
- Reading or desk work – allowing you to look between documents and a computer monitor with ease.
- Meetings across a table – keeping everything in focus without straining.
- Cooking or hobbies – offering clarity for activities that require both near and mid-range vision, such as sewing, painting, or playing an instrument.
It's worth noting that occupational lenses aren't designed for driving or long-distance activities. But for indoor work and hobbies, occupational lenses can make a big difference.
What’s the Difference Between Occupational Lenses & Everyday Varifocals?
The main difference lies in what each lens is designed to prioritise.
Everyday varifocals are designed for all-round use, covering near, intermediate and distance vision. They’re the go-to choice if you want a single pair of glasses for daily life, including driving and outdoor activities.
Occupational lenses focus on the visual ranges that everyday varifocals often compromise: the near and intermediate zones. This makes them far more comfortable for desk-based or screen-heavy tasks, where you don’t need distance vision.
In other words, if you’re spending your day indoors, occupational lenses may give you a clearer, more comfortable experience compared to everyday varifocals.
What Kind of Occupational Lenses Can I Get?
At Banton Frameworks, we offer two types of occupational lenses both made by Essilor:
Varilux® Digitime® – premium occupational lenses designed for digital lifestyles, giving enhanced comfort for screen use.
Nova Office – economy occupational lenses tailored for office or workspace settings where near and mid-range clarity is essential.
Varilux® Digitime® Occupational Lenses
Varilux® Digitime® lenses are positioned as premium occupational lenses, offered with Essilor’s range of Crizal® lens coatings. They’re designed for people with presbyopia who spend long hours on digital devices. These lenses prioritise your near and intermediate zones, reducing eye strain, headaches and awkward posture that can come from extensive screen use. They come in three focal capacity options;
Digitime® Near: Clear vision up to 80cm. Perfect for smartphones, tablets, or intensive reading.
Digitime® Mid: Clear vision up to 100cm. Designed for computer work and multitasking between near and intermediate distances.
Digitime® Room: Clear vision up to 220cm. A versatile option for a wider indoor range, including TV, computer use, and moving around within a room.
Key features and benefits:
- Tailored for digital life – built for the demands of screen-heavy lifestyles.
- Reduced strain – wider near and intermediate zones make long hours more comfortable.
- Clearer vision – often paired with anti-reflective coatings to cut glare from screens and lighting.
- Focal capacity options – three variations depending on your typical working distance.
- Second pair solution – an excellent complement to everyday varifocals when extra comfort indoors is needed.
- Optional blue light protection – choose to upgrade to Crizal® Prevencia® lens coating which protects your eyes from high energy visible (HEV) blue light emitted from digital screens.
Who are Varilux® Digitime® lenses for?
Varilux® Digitime® lenses are ideal for anyone with presbyopia who spends long hours on digital screens or devices and demands a high level of performance from their glasses in the workplace. They’re particularly helpful if you find your everyday varifocals less effective for prolonged indoor use, especially for intermediate vision tasks.
Nova Office Occupational Lenses
Nova Office lenses are positioned as a more affordable option for occupational progressives. They’re designed to give a wide, clear field of vision from near to intermediate distances. They’re perfect for desk work, meetings and indoor activities where long-distance clarity isn’t essential. They come in three focal capacity options;
Nova Desk: Clear vision up to 1.5m Best for close-up work like reading, writing or computer use.
Nova Office Pro: Clear vision up to 2m. A balanced choice for computer tasks, meetings and general office work.
Nova Room: Clear vision up to 4m. Covers wider indoor spaces, making it ideal for workshops, classrooms, studios or larger offices.
Key features and benefits:
- Wide vision zones – a clear field of view across near and intermediate distances.
- Smooth transitions – digitally designed for seamless progression between near and intermediate vision zones.
- Comfortable posture – no need for awkward head movements to find the “sweet spot.”
- Optimised for offices – particularly suited to indoor and desk-based tasks.
- Adaptable – suitable for a wide range of prescriptions, including high additions.
- Complimentary HMC – At no extra cost, you can get a hard multi coating for anti-glare and anti-scratch protection.
- Optional blue light protection – choose to upgrade to Satin Blue lens coating which protects your eyes from high energy visible (HEV) blue light emitted from digital screens.
Who are Nova Office lenses for?
Nova Office lenses are ideal for professionals and creatives who spend long hours working indoors. That includes office workers, accountants, musicians, chefs, librarians and anyone who needs visual comfort at near and intermediate ranges.
How Do I Order Occupational Lenses?
Occupational lenses aren’t currently listed on our prescription lens menu. But if you’d like them fitted to your Banton Frameworks glasses, simply drop us an email and we’ll arrange everything with you directly on a one-to-one basis.
Occupational Lenses FAQ's
Can you wear occupational lenses all the time?
No - occupational lenses aren’t designed to be worn all day in every situation. They’re optimised for close and mid-range vision, which makes them excellent indoors but less practical outdoors where you need clear long-distance vision. For example, they’re not suitable for driving because they don’t provide the distance clarity you’d rely on for safety. Most people use them as a second pair of glasses, swapping to everyday varifocals or distance lenses when they step outside.
What are occupational lenses good for?
These lenses shine in environments where you’re focused on near and intermediate tasks. They’re particularly effective for desk work, computer use, and any hobby that requires clear vision between 30cm and 4m, such as cooking, crafting, or playing an instrument. By optimising for these vision zones, occupational lenses reduce the strain of constantly shifting focus and make your posture more natural, so you’re not tilting your head to find clarity as you might with everyday varifocals.
Are occupational lenses more expensive than varifocals?
Occupational lenses are priced similarly to everyday varifocals, though the exact cost can depend on your chosen brand, design, and any additional coatings or treatments you choose. For example, premium coatings blue light protection will add to the final price. The value lies in the comfort and clarity they provide for specific tasks—particularly if you spend long hours indoors—making them a worthwhile second pair to complement your everyday glasses.
How long does it take to get used to occupational lenses?
Most people adapt to occupational lenses more quickly than everyday varifocals because the visual zones are larger and easier to use. Instead of learning to balance between three focal distances (near, intermediate, and far), you’re mainly adjusting to two: near and intermediate. This often means the “learning curve” is shorter.
Are occupational lenses the same as bifocals?
No, occupational lenses and bifocals are quite different. Bifocals have two distinct lens segments separated by a visible line, one for near vision and one for distance, with no smooth progression between them. Occupational lenses, on the other hand, are progressive designs that provide a seamless transition between near and intermediate vision zones. This means you get clearer, more natural vision without the distracting “jump” between prescriptions that bifocals are known for.
Summary
- Occupational lenses are progressives optimised for near and intermediate distances
- Everyday varifocals are for all three vision zones (close, intermediate and distance),
- Occupational lenses are especially useful for office work, reading, hobbies and digital lifestyles.
- Varilux® Digitime® are your premium occupational lens option which offer three focal capacities: 80cm, 100cm, 220cm
- Varilux® Digitime® can have various Crizal® lens coatings including Prevencia® for blue light protection from digital screens
- Nova Office are your economy occupational lens option which offer three focal capacities: 1.5m, 2m or 4m.
- Nova Office have complimentary HMC or can be upgraded with a Satin Blue lens coating for blue light protection from digital screens
For more information about progressive lenses, please check out our other varifocal glasses blog posts before our next release of handmade glasses. Thanks for stopping by.