Essilor progressive lenses, Silver to Platinum: how the six-lens ladder works

If your near vision has started to slip and you are over 40, Essilor is usually the first progressive brand people ask about. Essilor lenses are made in France and arrive in 3 to 5 days, one of the shortest lead times on our lens menu. Vision Express carries six named Essilor progressives. This guide lays out the ladder so you know what to ask for.

How the ladder is built

Progressives are grouped into three bands: Silver, Gold and Platinum. Inside each band, the Essilor lenses sit at a Starter or Enhanced tier. The six lenses are:

• Silver: Essilor Progressive Basic (Starter), Essilor Varilux Comfort Max (Enhanced)
• Gold: Essilor Varilux Start (Starter), Essilor Varilux Physio Extensee (Enhanced)
• Platinum: Essilor Varilux Liberty (Starter), Essilor Varilux XR (Enhanced)

A higher band is a step up in lens specification. It is not a promise that one lens will suit you better than another. Your prescription, your frame size and your daily routine decide that, and the optometrist reads all three after your exam.

Silver: where most first-timers begin

Essilor Progressive Basic is the entry point. Essilor Varilux Comfort Max is the lens our menu points to for people who are new to progressives and worried about adaptation. Every progressive asks your eyes and brain to learn a new way of looking, and the first days can feel odd at the edges. Choosing a lens with adaptation in mind is a sensible start if this is your first pair.

Gold: reading, driving and everything in between

Essilor Varilux Physio Extensee is the lens we name for presbyopia after 40, the stage when reading a menu or your phone at arm's length becomes a daily annoyance. Essilor Varilux Start is the Starter option in the same band. If you split your day between commuting, work and family time, ask the optometrist whether Gold suits your prescription.

Platinum: long days at a desk

Essilor Varilux XR is the lens we name for desk work with dual monitors, especially for people over 40. It is also one of the custom-made progressives that can be ordered with a polarized finish if glare on the road bothers you. Essilor Varilux Liberty sits below it as the Platinum Starter option.

When you need them faster

Two progressive lenses on the Express Service list are ready in 1 to 2 days: Essilor Elements White 1.56, and Essilor Photochromic Elements White 1.56 if you want a lens that darkens outdoors. These are separate from the six Varilux ladder above. If you need glasses within the week, ask which of the two suits your prescription.

What a menu cannot tell you

A lens menu tells you the name, the tier and the lead time. It does not tell you your add power, your fitting height or whether your frame is deep enough for a progressive. Those come from the Vision7 exam and the fitting afterwards. Nobody should pick a progressive from a list alone, including this one.

What to do next

Book a Vision7 eye test at your nearest Vision Express store. The seven-step exam measures your distance and near vision separately, checks that both eyes work together, and screens the outside of the eye, so the progressive is built from your own numbers rather than an average.

Ask for Essilor Varilux Physio Extensee at the counter. It is the lens we name for presbyopia after 40, and it gives you one pair for near, middle and far. If you spend most of your day at a desk, ask about Essilor Varilux XR as the step up. Every Vision Express pair also comes with free lifetime ultrasonic cleaning, free lifetime custom fitting and adjustment, and a 1-year warranty.