Presbyopia is a lack of ability to focus at near objects, which begins in all people around the age of 40. This is most often treated by the use of bifocal lenses. Currently there are three options for contact lens wearers who need bifocals:

Bifocal Contact Lenses

Mono-Vision

Distance contact lenses with reading (magnifying) glasses worn over the contact lens.

We custom fit all types of  gas-permeable bifocal contact lenses. The best candidate for bifocal contact lenses is a patient with a distance spherical power of 1.00 or greater. Traditionally bifocal contact lenses do not work well when a patient has a very low or no distance correction.

The translating or lined bifocal: gives you good distance and near vision (ideal for bifocal powers of +2.25 or more). There are several different types of translating bifocal rigid gas-permeable lenses:

The progressive or multi-focal gives you good distance and near vision as well as intermediate (computer distance) if your bifocal power is 2.00 or less. A new lens called Presbylite combines the two types with a lined near area and right above it there is a progressive zone for intermediate work.

Bifocal soft disposable lenses are something new!  The best candidate is a patient who has a distance power of 1.00 or more and a bifocal power of +2.25 or less. Like any other disposable soft lens, these should be removed nightly and replaced after two to four weeks of wear.

Monovision - In this procedure one eye (usually your dominate eye) is fit with your distance prescription and the other eye is fit with your up-close prescription. You should have at least a +1.25 bifocal power for this to work properly.

After a period of adjustment, the brain automatically chooses the eye that is giving the clearest image at the time. We have a 75% success rate with this. If you tend to get motion sickness monovision is not for you.

The ideal candidate for a person starting monovision is a person that has a 1.50 to 1.75 bifocal add. We have had success with patients that have no distance correction and just wear one reading lens.

If you are currently noticing an increased difficulty in reading or performing near tasks and are over the age of 40, there may be contact lenses available for you. The results could be acceptably clear vision at far and near distances. Let our contact lens specialist Richard Ackman show you the latest in contact lens research and technology for correcting presbyopia.

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