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.
Bifocal contact lenses are not for everyone, but they are an exciting option for many. If you're wearing reading glasses, BiFocals, struggling to read the newspaper, or even this article BiFocal contact lenses may be a great option for you.
First, but make us play two very important details. Will we discussed bifocal contact lens fittings, I'm not only referring to troop bifocal contact lenses, but also monovision lenses ( one lens for distance only in one lens for near only), in any conceivable combination of bifocal and monovision lenses. So, I'm really only talking about soft contact lenses.
Though not a requirement, these are a few things that may make you a great candidate for bifocal contact lenses: A strong desire to stop wearing glasses, being closer to age 40 than age 60, prior experience with contact lenses, longtime glasses use, a willingness to accept vision that isn't quite perfect in exchange for adequate vision at all distances, and you must understand that reading glasses may still be required from time to time for small print or in poor lighting conditions.
Signs you might not be the best candidate: very dry eyes, having an eye that doesn't seem very well even with the best correction, an intense fear of touching your eyes, high amounts of astigmatism, and the need for crystal clear vision.
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.
Choosing the right doctor is important with bifocal contact lenses. The doctor must have a firm understanding of how the lenses work, the doctor must be very patient, the doctor must know what changes to make based upon each patient's response to the lenses, and must set appropriate expectationswith proper education. Not all doctors are willing to accept the challenge with bifocal contact lenses, so choose wisely.
If you want to learn more about whether you are a good candidate or not then please contact a local Eye Doctor complete evaluation. If you're interested in trying contact lenses or bifocal contact lenses but aren't sure you want to risk the money on something that might not work, then stop worrying because many Eye Doctors offer patients a No Risk Contact Lens Guarantee. If you decide not to do contacts for any reason then you'll receive a refund on all fees associated with the fitting or purchasing of contact lenses. - 16650
Bifocal contact lenses are not for everyone, but they are an exciting option for many. If you're wearing reading glasses, BiFocals, struggling to read the newspaper, or even this article BiFocal contact lenses may be a great option for you.
First, but make us play two very important details. Will we discussed bifocal contact lens fittings, I'm not only referring to troop bifocal contact lenses, but also monovision lenses ( one lens for distance only in one lens for near only), in any conceivable combination of bifocal and monovision lenses. So, I'm really only talking about soft contact lenses.
Though not a requirement, these are a few things that may make you a great candidate for bifocal contact lenses: A strong desire to stop wearing glasses, being closer to age 40 than age 60, prior experience with contact lenses, longtime glasses use, a willingness to accept vision that isn't quite perfect in exchange for adequate vision at all distances, and you must understand that reading glasses may still be required from time to time for small print or in poor lighting conditions.
Signs you might not be the best candidate: very dry eyes, having an eye that doesn't seem very well even with the best correction, an intense fear of touching your eyes, high amounts of astigmatism, and the need for crystal clear vision.
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.
Choosing the right doctor is important with bifocal contact lenses. The doctor must have a firm understanding of how the lenses work, the doctor must be very patient, the doctor must know what changes to make based upon each patient's response to the lenses, and must set appropriate expectationswith proper education. Not all doctors are willing to accept the challenge with bifocal contact lenses, so choose wisely.
If you want to learn more about whether you are a good candidate or not then please contact a local Eye Doctor complete evaluation. If you're interested in trying contact lenses or bifocal contact lenses but aren't sure you want to risk the money on something that might not work, then stop worrying because many Eye Doctors offer patients a No Risk Contact Lens Guarantee. If you decide not to do contacts for any reason then you'll receive a refund on all fees associated with the fitting or purchasing of contact lenses. - 16650
About the Author:
Dr. Eric Stamper, O.D. is a Hendersonville, Tn Eye Doctor and owns Visionary Eyecare Center. 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.
