Shamir Autograph InTouch UX or Essilor Varilux Comfort Max? Choosing an Enhanced Silver progressive

If you are about to buy your first progressive lenses, the Vision Express menu points you to two lenses in particular: Shamir Autograph InTouch UX and Essilor Varilux Comfort Max. Both sit in the Silver band, Enhanced tier, and the lens guide names both for readers who are new to progressives or worried about adaptation. This article compares them on what the menu states, and gives you a plan for the first fortnight.

Why Enhanced Silver is a good first stop

The Silver band is the entry band for progressives. Within it, the Starter tier covers the basics, and Premium goes to Japanese lenses from Nikon and Tokai. Enhanced is the middle step. It suits a first-time wearer who wants more than the basics without moving to a higher band. It is also where the two lenses named for adaptation sit.

The lenses at a glance

• Essilor Varilux Comfort Max. Made in France. Lead time is 3 to 5 days.
• Shamir Autograph InTouch UX. Made in Israel. Lead time is 7 to 9 days.

The faster pair is the Essilor lens. If you are waiting on reading glasses because your phone has become unreadable, four days feels long. If your current pair still works, either wait is fine.

What first-time wearers worry about

1. Will I feel dizzy? Some people feel a little unsteady in the first days, especially on stairs and when turning the head quickly. This usually settles. Our guide to your first progressive lenses describes it in detail.
2. Will I see the sides blurry? Yes, to a degree. Progressives have a clear corridor down the centre and softer areas to each side. You learn to point your nose at what you want to see.
3. Will I be able to read my phone? Yes. You tilt your chin slightly and read through the lower part of the lens.
4. Will I need to take them off for the laptop? Often not. The intermediate zone is made for screens. If your work is mostly at a desk, ask about a dedicated indoor pair, since the menu does not name a confirmed occupational lens.

Choosing between the two

The menu does not rank them. It lists both for the same reader. Here is a way to decide:

• If you need the pair soon, choose Essilor Varilux Comfort Max.
• If you can wait and want a Shamir lens, choose Shamir Autograph InTouch UX.
• If a polarized sun pair is on your list, note that the Shamir Autograph range can be ordered polarized as a custom-made progressive. Tell the team early.

A plan for the first fortnight

Days one to three. Wear the pair from morning until bedtime. Sit when you read a long text. Take stairs slowly with a hand on the rail.

Days four to seven. Practise the head turn. When something at your side interests you, turn your nose to it and let your eyes follow. Try reading a book, then a phone, then a menu across a table.

Days eight to fourteen. Drive only when you are confident. Check your distance vision at night and your intermediate vision at the laptop. Write down anything that bothers you.

If the blur or the dizziness has not eased by the end of the second week, come back. The fix may be as small as a frame adjustment or a measurement recheck. Adjustment is free for life.

Two measurements that decide comfort

Pupil distance and fitting height are taken in store with your frame on your face. If either is off, the reading zone lands in the wrong place, and the lens feels wrong even if it is the right design. Do not skip this step, and do not accept a lens that was ordered without it.

When a progressive is not the right answer

Some readers do better with a bifocal or a separate reading pair. If you work at one near distance for hours, or if you are unsettled by blur at the edges, tell the optometrist. Our article on who still needs a bifocal lists four situations where it wins.

Book your Vision7 eye test, then ask by name

Book a Vision7 eye test at your nearest Vision Express store. The seven-step exam, run by licensed optometrists, measures your distance prescription and your reading addition. For a first progressive, those two numbers and your fitting measurements decide how the lens feels on day one.

Then ask for Essilor Varilux Comfort Max at the counter if you want it in 3 to 5 days, or Shamir Autograph InTouch UX if you can wait 7 to 9 days. To step down, ask about the Starter Silver lenses. To step up, ask about Nikon Power Z or Tokai Neuroselect 3. Each pair comes with a 1-year warranty, free lifetime ultrasonic cleaning and free lifetime custom fitting and adjustment.