Multifocal Lenses
Presbyopia is a condition that causes most of us to lose the ability to read up close, and is a symptom of the natural ageing process. From around 45 to 50 years onwards you may need additional help with reading, or for short-sighted people, you may need to take your glasses off to read.
Many people feel that wearing reading glasses is part of ageing, even though they find it annoying having to put on and remove glasses to help them see up close every time they want to read. However, there are many contact lens options that can alleviate the need for glasses by providing corrected vision for the distance, while also aiding near vision. We have access to the latest contact lenses for presbyopia, including multifocal, bifocal and monovision solutions.
Soft and RGP multifocal contact lenses
Most multifocal contact lenses work by giving two images to the brain, one for distance and one for near, this is called simultaneous vision. The majority of people adapt very well to this system, although some compromise and an adaptation period may be necessary.
Here at Burnett Hodd & Tam we have access to the latest multifocal contact lenses for presbyopia. Newer multifocal lens designs include, Acuvue Moist Multifocals, Total Dailies 1 Multifocals and the recently introduced Bauch & Lomb Ultra for presbyopia.
In addition to conventional soft multifocal lenses, we fit the latest RGP lenses such as the Quasar Plus and Reclaim HD. For the more complex prescriptions that also require a multifocal element we also fit a hybrid multifocal contact lens (part RGP/part soft) called Duette that allows patients with astigmatism to wear an effective multifocal. We have great success with these lenses.
The monovision method
When choosing contact lenses for presbyopia, some people opt for the simplest solution called monovision. This is where one eye is corrected for distance and the other for near. This works very well for people with perfect distance vision as they only have to wear one contact lens to give a reading eye. Although this system means that you are only ever using one eye at a time, most patients don’t notice and are very pleased with the clear vision that they get. Our brains are very adaptable!
