Contact Lenses, Monovision and Multifocals (Bifocals)

Article from The Second Wind

Dear Dr. Weaver,

I used to wear contact lenses many years ago, but once I started wearing bifocal glasses, I had to give up on wearing contact lenses. I was wondering if there are any options out there for me, because I would love to give up wearing eyeglasses altogether.

Sincerely,
Maggie

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Dear Maggie,

My first recommendation would be to get a contact lens exam from an eye care professional to review your options. There are many contact lens options for individuals in your situation. As long as your eyes are healthy and you have a desire to get back into wearing contact lenses, it doesn’t matter what age you are. Even for people who have never worn contact lenses, it’s never too late to try.

There have been advancements in contact lens design and convenience since you discontinued wearing contact lenses. Both the rigid gas permeable lens type and soft contact lens type are still available, but they are made with more “breathable” materials, allowing more oxygen to reach the front of the eye. This “breathable” material reduces symptoms of dryness, redness, burning, and irritation; some of the main reasons why people stop wearing contact lenses in the first place.

However, some people stop wearing contact lenses because they can no longer read or do any close work without using a pair of magnifying reading lenses. This creates the hassle of having to wear contacts in combination with glasses. This goes against the reason why people switch to contact lenses in the first place; so they don’t have to wear glasses. So what can be done about this?

As everyone ages, the eye’s ability to focus gets weakened. This is the reason why most people depend on some form of magnification for close work, such as reading glasses or bifocals. Recently, there have been new options with multi-focal (or bifocal) contact lenses. Most patients fitted with these types of lenses still maintain excellent vision, enough to be legally allowed to drive at night as well as read newspaper size print. However, your eye doctor may require you to return for follow-up visits to fine-tune your vision at distance and/or near. These lenses usually work 100% of the time for all vision tasks. But certain light situations (like a dimly lit restaurant) or the size of the print you are trying to read (stock listings in a newspaper’s business section) may require a mild boost in the magnification by adding the use of low power reading magnifying lenses.

Another option that is available is called “monovision.” This describes the use of contact lenses, where one eye is optimized for distance and the other is prescribed for near. As with multi-focal contact lenses, this option usually requires an adjustment period, just like any new pair of eyeglasses.

The adaptation to monovision and multi-focal contact lenses is variable. Basically, you won’t know if it works or not unless you try it out. So if you are willing to get back into wearing contact lenses, or if you are doing so for the first time, set up an appointment with an eye doctor that specializes in contact lenses so that he/she can review options that are best for you.