Are Bifocal Contact Lenses Right for You?

After the age of 40, you may begin to notice the natural signs of aging. As the eyes age, most people begin to experience presbyopia. Presbyopia is a condition in which the eye’s natural lens begins to stiffen and loses the ability to focus on close objects. In the past, bifocal eyeglasses and reading glasses have allowed those with presbyopia to read fine print on restaurant menus, in novels and newspapers.

While bifocal eyeglasses and reading glasses help to correct the problem, many of those diagnosed with presbyopia shy away from wearing bifocal glasses or reading glasses since they feel that they emphasize old age. Thanks to the many advances in contact lenses, most people experiencing presbyopia today can correct their vision with bifocal contact lenses.

Is there a difference between bifocal lenses and multifocal lenses?

Bifocal contact lenses provide two different prescriptions in each lens – one for near vision and one for far vision. Whereas multifocal lenses may offer a range of powers in each lens much like progressive spectacle lenses. The term multifocal lenses may also be used to refer to all contact lenses containing more than one power including bifocal lenses.

Multifocal lenses are available in both soft and rigid gas permeable lens types, and they are offered in a variety of designs that determine how the lenses work to correct your vision. The two basic designs include alternating vision lenses and simultaneous vision lenses.

Alternating (or translating) vision lenses – Feature an obvious separation between the distance correction at the top and the near correction below it. This type of lens requires your pupil to alternate between the lens’ powers as you look upward or downward. This lens design works similarly to bifocal eyeglasses.

Simultaneous vision lenses – Require that you look through both the distance and near powers of the lens at the same time. While it may seem that looking through both powers simultaneously would not correct your vision, your eyes are actually able to choose which power is needed depending on what you are looking at. Simultaneous vision lenses are available in two types – concentric ring and aspheric.

Concentric ring lenses have the multiple powers laid out in concentric circles; however, the locations of the powers vary depending on whether the lens are soft or RGP. RGP lenses typically have the distance power in the center (center-distance) while soft lenses have near power in the center (center-near). The layout of soft lenses may also be laid out according to the wearer’s dominant and non-dominant eye such as center-near on dominant eye and center-distance on the non-dominant eye. In an aspheric lens, the different prescriptive powers are laid out in concentric circles just as in the concentric ring lenses, but are blended across the lens much like they are in progressive eyeglass lenses so there is no visible distinction on the lens.

While multifocal and bifocal contact lenses work well to correct presbyopia for many people, some may find that a monovision approach works better for them. Your eye care practitioner can help to determine if monovision – wearing a single vision lens for near vision in one eye and one for distance vision in the other – is a better option for you.

If you already have your lens prescription and are ready to place an order, visit the Bifocal Lenses page. To more about other types of contacts, read Contact Lens Types.