My eye doctor said that even though I am wearing bifocal contact lenses, I still need to use reading glasses. With all the technology we have today I don’t see why I can’t read well with my contact lenses. Are there any lenses that can give me the vision I want?
With all the contact lens technology available and all the commercial hype about what lenses can do for you, it is understandable that you think they should perform better.
The fact of the matter is that multifocal and bifocal contact lenses can perform miracles in their own right, however there is still usually a touch of compromise.
In general, the better reading vision you get with a multifocal, the more blurred the distance may be. And vice versa… The reason being that optically you are only using the center couple millimeters of any contact lens. The optical varience we put in that area, the more interference you will get.
So what does all this mean to you, the contact lens wearer? A lot…
If your expectations are in check, multifocals are a great way to go. If you understand that the maximum amount of effective add power you can achieve through a multifocal contact lens is about the same as wearing a +1.50 pair of reading glasses, you will be very happy with the results. If you expect to have the vision you had when you were 22, then you probably won’t be thrilled with the visual results of any contact lens system or progressive glasses for that matter.
Consider multifocal contact lenses as contact lenses that bring your eyes back about 5-7 years, not 30 and you will probably love them.
Now is where I add the *results not typical type of disclaimer. The only way to see if a multifocal contact lens will work on your eyes is to evaluate a pair and try them on. There are many different styles of multifocals available, and there is in no way one lens that rules them all. They are all different and they are all good, on some eyes. (If one multifocal always worked, my job would be a lot easier.)
Visual results are usually better with gas permeable multifocal contacts. The best distance and near lenses are gas permeable bifocal lenses. And overall for best comfort are usually soft lenses.
Bottom line is, you may be able to get better results with a different style of multifocal contact lens. Whether that be soft or gas permeable. Or by having your eyecare practitioner fine tune the prescribed lenses. Glasses prescriptions do not convert very well at all to a multifocal contact lens prescription. A true contact lens fitting takes time and patience on the side of both the eye care provider and the person wearing the lenses.
Because of the necessity for reading glasses over contact lenses for many people, designers have come up with some really fun and affordable styles of pre-made readers.
And another note, the sooner you start wearing multifocal contacts, the better they will work in the long run. So if you start with a low add multifocal contact when you are say 37 or 39, your eye care provider may be able to slowly increase that add over the years and you won’t even know the difference. You’ll just be able to see clearly in the distance and at near. You just may feel 22 after all.
