First off, if you're under the age of 40 you can stop reading now. BiFocals are not for you. starting at age 40, many require assistance in seeing things up close. Yes, that means you.
If you are wearing reading glasses, bifocals, or struggling to read this article, bifocal contact lenses are a great option, but are not for everyone.
First let's start off by qualifying a few details of the article. In the article, I am only talking about soft contact lenses. Next, when I refer to BiFocal contact lens fittings, this will only refer totrue bifocal contact lenses ( as seen on TV), this also shall refer to monovision ( one lens for distance and one lens for near), and every possible combination.
Here are a few things that would make you a good candidate for bifocal contact lenses: an understanding that reading glasses may still be required from time to time for small print orpoor lighting conditions, longtime glasses use, prior contact lens experience, being closer to age 40 than age 60, being willing to accept vision that isn't quiteperfect in exchange foradequate vision at all distances, and a strong desire not to wear glasses.
And now a few things that make you a worse candidate: intense fear of touching your eye, high amounts of astigmatism, need for crystal clear vision (perfectionists and Type A folks), very dry eyes, having an eye that doesn't see very well even with the best correction.
There are a couple of things every person should understand prior to trying on any type of bifocal contact lens. 1) Your vision cannot be as clear with bifocal contact lenses as it could be with bifocal glasses, and 2) every person experiences bifocal contact lenses differently and therefore it may take several fittings with vastly different lens combinations before finding the lenses that work best for you.
The reason those two points are true is because bifocal contact lenses do not work in the same way as bifocal glasses. With bifocal glasses both eyes look through the distance portion of the glasses to see far away and both eyes look through the near portion of the glasses to see up close. With glasses, both eyes are always perfectly focused for whatever distance they are viewing. This is not possible with soft contact lenses - you cannot look through just one part of the lens at a time. Therefore, with contact lenses part of your vision is ALWAYS focused at a distance and part of your vision is ALWAYS focused up close. When you are looking at a distance your brain learns to concentrate on the part of your vision that is focused at a distance and block out the part that is focused up close, and vice versa when you look up close. Because part of your vision is always focused at the wrong location bifocal contacts cannot be as perfect as bifocal glasses. And because it is the brain that interprets what we see through bifocal contacts, every person experiences bifocal contacts differently and therefore the same type of fitting does not work for all people.
In my opinion the biggest factor of whether someone will successfully be fit with bifocal contact lenses is the doctor who fits them. Bifocal contact lenses require a firm understanding of how the different lenses work, a doctor must know what changes to make based on each patient's responses to the lenses, the doctor must him- or herself be very patient, and the doctor must set appropriate expectations through proper education. Fitting bifocal contact lenses properly is a challenge.,
To find out if you would be a good candidate for bifocal contact lenses, contact your local eye doctor for a complete evaluation and to learn more about bifocal contact lenses.
If you are wearing reading glasses, bifocals, or struggling to read this article, bifocal contact lenses are a great option, but are not for everyone.
First let's start off by qualifying a few details of the article. In the article, I am only talking about soft contact lenses. Next, when I refer to BiFocal contact lens fittings, this will only refer totrue bifocal contact lenses ( as seen on TV), this also shall refer to monovision ( one lens for distance and one lens for near), and every possible combination.
Here are a few things that would make you a good candidate for bifocal contact lenses: an understanding that reading glasses may still be required from time to time for small print orpoor lighting conditions, longtime glasses use, prior contact lens experience, being closer to age 40 than age 60, being willing to accept vision that isn't quiteperfect in exchange foradequate vision at all distances, and a strong desire not to wear glasses.
And now a few things that make you a worse candidate: intense fear of touching your eye, high amounts of astigmatism, need for crystal clear vision (perfectionists and Type A folks), very dry eyes, having an eye that doesn't see very well even with the best correction.
There are a couple of things every person should understand prior to trying on any type of bifocal contact lens. 1) Your vision cannot be as clear with bifocal contact lenses as it could be with bifocal glasses, and 2) every person experiences bifocal contact lenses differently and therefore it may take several fittings with vastly different lens combinations before finding the lenses that work best for you.
The reason those two points are true is because bifocal contact lenses do not work in the same way as bifocal glasses. With bifocal glasses both eyes look through the distance portion of the glasses to see far away and both eyes look through the near portion of the glasses to see up close. With glasses, both eyes are always perfectly focused for whatever distance they are viewing. This is not possible with soft contact lenses - you cannot look through just one part of the lens at a time. Therefore, with contact lenses part of your vision is ALWAYS focused at a distance and part of your vision is ALWAYS focused up close. When you are looking at a distance your brain learns to concentrate on the part of your vision that is focused at a distance and block out the part that is focused up close, and vice versa when you look up close. Because part of your vision is always focused at the wrong location bifocal contacts cannot be as perfect as bifocal glasses. And because it is the brain that interprets what we see through bifocal contacts, every person experiences bifocal contacts differently and therefore the same type of fitting does not work for all people.
In my opinion the biggest factor of whether someone will successfully be fit with bifocal contact lenses is the doctor who fits them. Bifocal contact lenses require a firm understanding of how the different lenses work, a doctor must know what changes to make based on each patient's responses to the lenses, the doctor must him- or herself be very patient, and the doctor must set appropriate expectations through proper education. Fitting bifocal contact lenses properly is a challenge.,
To find out if you would be a good candidate for bifocal contact lenses, contact your local eye doctor for a complete evaluation and to learn more about bifocal contact lenses.
About the Author:
Dr. Eric Stamper, O.D. is a Hendersonville, Tn Eye Doctor and focuses on using the most state-of-the-art technology available in the examinations, our optical boutique, and our Contact Lens Fitting Area. Dr. Eric Stamper received his optometry degree in May of 2007 from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, where he graduated with honors in the top 10 percent of his class.
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