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The Scope Of Bifocal Contacts |
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Bifocal contact lenses are fairly new to the market.
People who need bifocals have the condition known as presbyopia.
Presbyopia is the inability of the eye to focus sharply on nearby
objects because the crystalline lens looses its elasticity. This
condition usually appears once a person is 40 years old or more and the
condition becomes worse with advancing age. A sign that you may have
presbyopia is if you need to move reading material, such as the
newspaper or a restaurant menu, farther from your eyes than normal in
order to focus on it.
There used to be only one
choice for those who needed bifocals, and that was to have bifocal
glasses. However, recent years have seen advancements in technology, and
bifocal contact lenses are now available in several different forms. You
now have the choice of bifocal soft or rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses,
frequent replaceable lenses, and disposable lenses.
Bifocal
contacts work much the same was as bifocal glasses. Each lens has two
powers: one for correcting distance vision if you need it and one to
correct near vision. There are three basic kinds of bifocal contact
lenses: translating, aspheric and concentric.
Translating contacts
have two distinct powers in each lens, such as traditional lined bifocal
glasses. Distance vision would be on top, and near vision would be on
bottom. These contacts are referred to have a flat bottom to prevent the
lenses from rotating in the eyes.
Other contacts, such as
aspheric and concentric, make a transition from distance to near vision
like the progressive bifocal glasses. Aspheric contacts have both the
distance and the near prescriptions located around the pupil. Concentric
contacts typically have the near prescription in the center of the lens
and the distance prescription around the outside of the lens, this is
often called progressive. Regressive concentric contacts have the
distance and near prescriptions reversed.
It will take some time
for your eyes to adjust to the bifocal contacts. After a little while,
your eyes will learn to differentiate between the different
prescriptions, and will begin to use the proper prescription for the
proper distance. If waiting for your eyes to adjust to the contacts does
not appeal to you, or you have other vision needs that bifocal contacts
can’t meet, your eye care professional may recommend monovision contact
lenses.
Like other contact lenses, bifocal or monovision contacts
demand the same amount of care and maintenance. So you have to disinfect
the lenses with solution and clean them regularly. Before going to bed
soak the lenses in the solution and prevent it from drying out. Make
sure that you are adjusting well to the lenses and pay a visit to your
eye care professional after a few weeks.
Another point to take
into consideration is the cost of the contacts. Bifocal contacts are
made for the individual prescriptions, and are not mass produced like
some of the traditional contacts. Therefore, they may be more expensive
since they can be viewed as special order items. Ask your eye care
professional for an estimate so you can know how much it will cost you
before you decide if bifocal contacts are right for you.
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