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Eye Care Archive (Expert Forum)
Bifocal contacts?
Our Ask A Doctor Ophthalmology Forum is where you can post your question and receive a personal answer from physicians affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Bifocal contacts?
by LindainAR, May 09, 2006 12:00AM
I'm 50 and now need bifocals (yuck). Hate wearing glasses -- how do bifocal contracts fare. Or I have heard about a different precription (near and far) in each eye. Which works best?
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-OD-MP, May 09, 2006 12:00AM
"monovision" is what you're talking about with one near vision eye and one distance vision eye.
there is not one that is better than the other. they are just different. the only person that can make a suggestion as to which is better for you individually is your eye doctor.
if a patient is already a soft contact lens wearer, and they do not have significant astigmatism, and they work at a computer more than say 1 hr/day (thats a lot of "ifs", i know), then i personally usually try a progressive-design multifocal 1st like B+L soflens multifocal or unilens c-vue multifocal:
http://www.bausch.com/us/vision/products/softcontacts/soflens_multi.jsp
if you are not currently a soft lens wearer, or if you have significant astigmatism then my 1st choice depends on what exactly you want/need to do with your vision. it can get moderatley complicated and there are a lot of options.
the technology in this field has grown in leaps and bounds over say the last 5 years. so "how do they fare?"...much better than they used to. they are not perfect by any means, but we (as a profession) are usually able to make a motivated patient see well at most distances thru *something*.
there is not one that is better than the other. they are just different. the only person that can make a suggestion as to which is better for you individually is your eye doctor.
if a patient is already a soft contact lens wearer, and they do not have significant astigmatism, and they work at a computer more than say 1 hr/day (thats a lot of "ifs", i know), then i personally usually try a progressive-design multifocal 1st like B+L soflens multifocal or unilens c-vue multifocal:
http://www.bausch.com/us/vision/products/softcontacts/soflens_multi.jsp
if you are not currently a soft lens wearer, or if you have significant astigmatism then my 1st choice depends on what exactly you want/need to do with your vision. it can get moderatley complicated and there are a lot of options.
the technology in this field has grown in leaps and bounds over say the last 5 years. so "how do they fare?"...much better than they used to. they are not perfect by any means, but we (as a profession) are usually able to make a motivated patient see well at most distances thru *something*.
