Multifocal Contact Lenses

"The text size of this magazine keeps getting smaller and smaller"
"I can't read this menu, the lighting in here is too dim"
"It's getting harder to read, even with my glasses on"
"I need to hold things further away to see them"

Do any of the above sentences sound familiar to you? If so, you are likely suffering from presbyopia. Presbyopia is a common ocular condition in which the crystalline lens in your eye gradually loses its ability to focus on near objects. The lens in your eye changes its shape depending on what you are looking at to bring it into focus, much like an auto-focusing camera. Over time, this process becomes less effective, resulting in blurry near vision.

Presbyopia can be corrected in a number of ways:

Over-the-counter reading glasses, readers, cheaters

For patients who do not require glasses for distance vision, over-the-counter reading glasses can improve near vision. They are inexpensive, however also inconvenient as they must be constantly put on and taken off throughout the day.

Bifocal glasses, trifocal glasses, progressive/no-line glasses

These are prescription glasses designed to provide clear vision at all distances. They are more expensive than over-the-counter reading glasses, but are custom designed to fit your specific visual needs. Their greatest negative is you have to wear them at all times to be able to see clearly.

Contact lenses

Many different contact lens options designed to provide clear vision at all distances now exist. These options include monovision, soft multifocals, gas-permeable multifocals, or a combination of the above.

Monovision is a form of vision correction in which one eye is corrected for distance vision, and the other eye is corrected for near vision. Patients have been successfully fit in monovision contact lenses for many years, however it does have disadvantages. Most notably, monovision can lead to decreased depth perception, increased glare and halos at night, and it often fails as your reading glasses prescription increases.

Multifocal contact lenses allow patients the ability to see far, near, and in between without any compromise of depth perception. They can significantly decrease your dependence on reading glasses. Multifocal contact lenses are a great option for any patient who participates in outdoor activities, anyone who frequently uses the computer, and anyone who does not like using reading glasses to see their watch, cell phone, tablet, or newspaper.