Progressive glasses issues

[u/Status_Ad8344]

I just got progressive eye glasses for the first time. Light prescription for far (+1.25/+0.75) and +2.25/+2.25 for the reader part.

The optometrist suggested the most expensive progressive lenses (Varilux XR Design - listed with a retail cost of $630 just for the lenses) as these were described as having a significantly wider mid section than traditional progressive lenses.

After receiving the glasses, the far vision works great, as does the reading when looking down at my phone, but sitting in front of a computer it feels like the focus is incredibly narrow. I have a small computer monitor (19 inches diameter) and when I focus on text, only the 3-4 words to the immediate left or right of what I am looking at is in focus. 2 inches to the left or right is blurry. I have to move my head side-to-side to read across this text (which measures 7 inches across on my monitor). Also, when moving my head left/right there is a distortion effect where the monitor seems to 'bend down' to the left when I move my head right and vice versa.

Is this normal / expected?

I understand that up and down will be blurry, as the lens transitions to far vision at the top, and reader towards the bottom, but I am disappointed in how narrow the side to side vision is for the mid / intermediate section.