Frequently asked questions on ZEISS Digital Lenses

ZEISS Digital Lenses are specially tailored to the new challenges facing our eyes in a rapidly changing world characterised by the increasing use of digital devices. They help counteract the first signs of fatigue that may occur with frequent use of smartphones, tablets or when reading small screens. This is also known as the Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).

These lenses have been tailored to these new visual requirements: the different movement of the eyes and the shorter reading distance (30 cm when looking at a digital display, and around 40 cm when reading a book or a newspaper) have been taken into account in the design of ZEISS Digital Lenses.

They support the work of the ciliary muscle which is responsible for focusing the lens of the eye on near and distant objects.

The lenses feature a large, aberration-free distance zone and targeted support for near vision distances of between 0.5 and 1.25 dioptres.

They have been primarily developed for 30-to-45-year-olds who still have good vision in the intermediate and near ranges, but already notice an impairment in their visual comfort due to the frequent use of digital devices. Generally speaking, they have been wearing single vision lenses (without reading power) or no spectacles whatsoever until now.

From the age of 30 onwards, the constant switch between using digital displays and then looking into the distance can lead to eye strain.

Up to a certain age our eyes can normally adapt to any distance without difficulty. We enjoy clear, focused vision at near, intermediate and long distances. The lens and ciliary muscle in the eye adjust automatically – all totally unnoticed by us.

However, as we get older our eyes experience a steady deterioration in their ability to "accommodate," in other words to switch focus between different viewing distances. Nowadays, the eye is subjected to additional strain due to the frequent and intense use of digital displays. We are confronted with a large amount of information in a small space, and often in tiny lettering. And this situation is further compounded by the need to move our eyes constantly between short and long distances.

As a result, many people then experience eye irritation, headache or neck strain.

Competitors have already made various attempts to introduce products of this type. However, at ZEISS we have taken a totally different approach in the development of these lenses and have focused sharply on the challenges made by the digital world on our eyes. We have taken 2 primary factors into account:

1. Whilst we normally hold digital devices at around 30 centimetres from our eyes, we read a newspaper or book at a distance of about 40 cm. This shorter distance has now been incorporated in to the design of spectacle lenses for the very first time.  
2. The new ZEISS Digital Lenses have been primarily developed for 30-to-45-year-olds who still have good vision in the intermediate and near ranges, but are already noticing an impairment in their visual comfort.

The cost of spectacle lenses depends to a large extent on what you expect from them. This starts with "simple" single vision lenses, where, for example, the price depends on what refractive index (the higher this is, the thinner your lenses become), material (plastic or glass) or coating (e.g. antireflective or hard) you choose.

ZEISS Digital Lenses are also offered as sunglass or self-tinting lenses (with PhotoFusionX).

They are additionally available with i.Scription® technology which provides clearer, sharper vision, enhanced contrast and improved colour perception, also at night and in poor light.

ZEISS Digital Lenses are lenses that are tailored to the needs of the smartphone, "heads-down" generation. The lenses incorporate ZEISS freeform technology and are optimally adapted to the needs of the digital world.

When designing these lenses, ZEISS started by analysing digital vision. The result: they are sharply focused on the visual conditions experienced in the uses of smartphones or tablets.

ZEISS Digital Lenses offer:

• a shorter reading distance needed for digital devices
• targeted support of near vision distances of between 0.5 and 1.25 dioptres
• large, aberration-free distance zone, just as in single vision lenses
• optimum optical quality for distance vision and for near vision when using digital devices.

ZEISS Office Lenses  address the needs of the over-fifties who are already encountering their first problems in the intermediate and near ranges – the typical office distances. Unlike ZEISS Digital Lenses, these are lenses that are worn in certain situations and do not meet all the demands made on spectacles intended for everyday wear.

The design has no influence on the thickness of the lenses.

ZEISS Digital Lenses are available in plastic in all indices from 1.5 - 1.74, and in glass in the indices 1.6 and 1.8, and can be inserted in any frame shape, including ‘wrap frames’.

Your optician will be pleased to advise you.