Although I've worn glasses since the 4th grade, and bi-focals since I was 39, it was only earlier this year that I made the move to progressives.

It was here on this forum that I learned that there are differences--sometimes significant ones--between different makes and models of lenses. As it turns out, by selecting among the various lenses, you can optimize your glasses for different uses, all from the same prescription. I confirmed this with my optician. We spent a lot of time selecting just the right lenses.

My regular glasses have a wider and taller "corridor" which gives me more area devoted to intermediate distances. I sacrificed some ultra-close and distance clarity for this, and I have to move my head a bit more for those regions too. The "corridor" lets me move just my eyeballs around the intermediate area, which is really nice at work. Most of my workday is spent in the "corridor".

My sunglasses are polarized and have a larger portion of the lens devoted to distance vision. I don't have much need for intermediate distances on the bike, and need only a small area for reading the cyclometer and maps (and fixing flats). I like these lenses very much for cycling. In the whole upper half of the lens I only have to move my eyeballs, not my whole head. This makes a difference on a drop-bar bike. Distance clarity and depth perception are the best of any lens I've ever worn. We also positioned the reading area--both power and "rotation" or crossing--for my usual distance from eyeballs to cyclometer.

In both cases I'm wearing high-end lenses, one Japanese and the other German. I'm glad I learned of the differences before I bought them. I know I would not have been satisfied with generic progressives from a bargain optician.