I have progressives for everyday use and a less expensive pair of bifocals as "back-up" glasses, like for times when I have misplaced my progressives and don't have time to hunt for them (clearly my eyesight is not the only problem I'm having as I age!). I don't like to wear my progressives when I am having to look backwards or sideways in my car. It makes me kind of queasy to have to turn my head rather suddenly in the car to check the blind spot, or backing up, etc. So I tend to not wear glasses when I drive to avoid this--my long distance vision is still quite good.

I am currently on my third pair of progressives. When I got the first pair, I chose a pair of stylish frames but in my ignorance, I chose frames that were quite short (from top to bottom) and so the area for the reading part of the lens was quite small, and not at all appropriate for the amount of reading I have to do. When I showed my ophthalmologist the glasses and complained to him about reading, he was so mad! He said the optician I went to for choosing frames and making the lenses should have counseled me to choose a "taller" lens style so that the reading part of the lens would be larger. Live and learn, I guess. I never went back to that optician. My second and third pairs of progressives have worked much better because I chose taller lenses. I hope you purple frames work out. My current glasses have purple frames too.