When you reach the age of 40, you may have a problem focusing on near objects. This condition is referred to as presbyopia. Most of the time, you have to resort to wearing reading glasses even if you already use contact lenses to address a different vision problem. That can be very annoying because you still need to revert back to wearing eye glasses when reading.

Fortunately, you can now opt to use multifocal contact lenses that allow you to have good distance and near visions without having to wear reading glasses. Here are some things you need to know about this type of contact lenses:

•    You can choose between the following: (a) a bifocal design that has separate lens powers for distance and near visions, or (b) a multifocal design akin to progressive lenses that gradually changes lens power for a more natural visual transition from distance to near vision.

•    You can choose from either soft lenses or rigid gas permeable lenses. While most rigid lenses can provide sharper vision, you may need more time adjusting to them due to their rigidity.

•    You can pick multifocal contact lenses for daily wear or those for extended wear. If you want to avoid having to clean your lenses, you can opt to use disposable lenses that you can throw after a single use. Single use lenses are becoming very popular.

•    Here are some designs of multifocal contact lenses you can choose from:

(a)    Concentric Bifocal. In this common design of multifocals, the correction for near vision is in the small circle at the center of the lens while the larger outer circle contains the correction for distance vision. The positioning may be interchanged.

(b)    Alternating Image. Similar to bifocal eye glasses, the sections for the near and distance visions are separated by an invisible line, with the top part for distance vision and the bottom section for near vision. This is only available in rigid gas permeable contact lenses. The line helps your doctor determine if the lenses are fitting properly. While this design will suffice for reading and driving, it may not be effective for computer and other close-up works.

(c)    Simultaneous Image. This design contains the distance and near visions in the front part of the pupil at the same. This is available in soft and rigid lenses.

•    Apart from presbyopia, your multifocal lenses can also address astigmatism. Unlike in the past when you can only use rigid gas permeable lenses, you can now use soft lenses to address this eye condition. Toric lens design may be used because it can be created with unequal thickness zones to create an effect similar to that of rigid multifocal lens. Hybrid multifocal lenses may also be used. The Eye Practice is one of a handful in the country that are accredited to fit and dispense this unique product.

•    If you are not comfortable wearing multifocal lenses, you may opt to wear monovision lenses wherein the lens for distance vision is placed on your dominant eye while the lens for the near vision is placed on the non-dominant eye.

•    Note that while multifocal contact lenses can help improve your near vision, you may still need to wear single vision or reading glasses for other close-up tasks like driving at night.

•    Multifocal contact lenses do not work for everyone, depending on what you vision demand is. They certainly are very convenient.

At The Eye Practice we fit all types of contact lenses irrespective of how complex they are.

Call us now on (02) 92901 899 or BOOK an Appointment ONLINE.