Bifocal contact lenses. Opinions on comfort and use??
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free skin care · Thu Jan 16, 2014 5:36 pm

I'm due for an eye exam soon and have wanted to get bifocal contact lenses for a while. In the past my optometrist has discouraged me from using them, siting many patients who hated them. He said they wouldn't focus when going from distance to nearness. So, say you're reading a book and look up to see what's on tv and then back to the book, the contact didn't adjust and the patients had to blink a few times to get the contact in the right position again for nearness.

That was a few years ago when I last spoke to my optometrist about contacts. So has there been improvements with bifocal contacts in the last three or four years?? I guess they actually call them multifocal contacts.

Anyone use them? How did you like them?

Sigh. I hate wearing glasses!!!!!

PS. I won't get my eyes lasered.

free skin care · Thu Jan 16, 2014 8:27 pm

Tiptoe, I used to wear contacts and had monovision: one eye prescription for driving/one for reading and that worked for a while.

Recently I had internal lenses placed and that is awesome! No more contacts/no more glasses and now I have perfect reading and driving vision! And Ill never get cataracts since the lens has been replaced with an artificial one. It does, however, involve surgery and it sounds like you want to avoid that.

free skin care · Thu Jan 16, 2014 8:59 pm

Fawnie - Are these lenses noticeable ? sounds great to me - this isn't lasik which is more scary. Are the new lenses monovision?

- My mother and others I know have new lenses (following cataract surgery) and they have a shiny flash sometimes in light but I didn't know if other lens replacement had the same situation.

free skin care · Thu Jan 16, 2014 10:55 pm

fawnie wrote:

Tiptoe, I used to wear contacts and had monovision: one eye prescription for driving/one for reading and that worked for a while.

Recently I had internal lenses placed and that is awesome! No more contacts/no more glasses and now I have perfect reading and driving vision! And Ill never get cataracts since the lens has been replaced with an artificial one. It does, however, involve surgery and it sounds like you want to avoid that.

Actually, my husband has an internal lens in one eye. He had a detached retina in one eye and had to have a new lens inserted, the old one taken out. Yuck. I can't believe doctors can make a cut in the eye ball, remove the natural lens and insert a man made lens. It's amazing.

But, nah, I'll pass on that one!

Anyway, I'd love to not wear glasses. I've been wearing them since I was in 8th grade...a looooooooooooong time ago. Now I'm at the age where I need two types of vision, near and far. It's the pits! So I'm looking into bifocal contacts.

free skin care · Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:35 am

Tiptoe, Id never try to talk anyone into surgery, but for me contacts just got too uncomfortable and too much of a hassle, not to mention they werent good for my corneas. So for me, this was the right decision, but might not be for someone else.

I think most ophthamologists let you try the lenses and if they dont work out, they wont charge you for them, but you would prob have to pay for the testing involved. Good luck anyway!

free skin care · Fri Jan 17, 2014 9:25 am

Tiptoe,

Have you tried what fawnie suggested upthread, the mono vision contacts? I have this and it works well....but, of course, ymmv. I did, years ago, try the bifocal/multifocal lenses and they did not work. If you have astigmatism they're not so great -or weren't at that time. They may be better now.

Every optometrist I've been to has given me a trial pair of lenses. If they don't work, I get another trial pair. They will presumably keep giving you trial pairs until they find a good fit. These have all been disposable lenses, btw. Not sure how it works with hard and/or non-disposable lenses.

Most recently, I've been using the Costco optometrist ...and, at my location anyway, he's excellent. Have been happy with him for 10 years. I don't think you need costco membership to use their optometrist (nor pharmacy, nor alcohol sales (though that last might be a state by state thing)). This is just a PSA. Smile

free skin care · Fri Jan 17, 2014 11:21 am

bacchus wrote:

Tiptoe,

Have you tried what fawnie suggested upthread, the mono vision contacts? I have this and it works well....but, of course, ymmv. I did, years ago, try the bifocal/multifocal lenses and they did not work. If you have astigmatism they're not so great -or weren't at that time. They may be better now.

Every optometrist I've been to has given me a trial pair of lenses. If they don't work, I get another trial pair. They will presumably keep giving you trial pairs until they find a good fit. These have all been disposable lenses, btw. Not sure how it works with hard and/or non-disposable lenses.

Most recently, I've been using the Costco optometrist ...and, at my location anyway, he's excellent. Have been happy with him for 10 years. I don't think you need costco membership to use their optometrist (nor pharmacy, nor alcohol sales (though that last might be a state by state thing)). This is just a PSA. Smile

Yeah, I tried the mono vision contacts but I teach ballet and for some reason I can't do turns with mono vision. It throws me off balance and I've gotten use to doing turns without corrective vision. But now that I need up close vision I can barely see the print on the mp3 player to select the music in class. Grrrrr. So I'm blind one way or another.

Well, I'm going to try bifocal samples and hope, hope, hope that they've improved in the last few years and if they work out you all will be the first to know. Thanks for all your suggestions! Very Happy

free skin care · Fri Jan 17, 2014 4:59 pm

sister sweets wrote:

Fawnie - Are these lenses noticeable ? sounds great to me - this isn't lasik which is more scary. Are the new lenses monovision?

- My mother and others I know have new lenses (following cataract surgery) and they have a shiny flash sometimes in light but I didn't know if other lens replacement had the same situation.

My main problem was astigmatism post RK, so mine are toric lenses/UV coated. No, they are not noticeable that I can tell anyway. No one has commented on any "shiny flash". They are monovision, since toric lenses arent made in multifocal powers.

free skin care · Fri Jan 17, 2014 5:41 pm

fawnie wrote:

sister sweets wrote:

Fawnie - Are these lenses noticeable ? sounds great to me - this isn't lasik which is more scary. Are the new lenses monovision?

- My mother and others I know have new lenses (following cataract surgery) and they have a shiny flash sometimes in light but I didn't know if other lens replacement had the same situation.

My main problem was astigmatism post RK, so mine are toric lenses/UV coated. No, they are not noticeable that I can tell anyway. No one has commented on any "shiny flash". They are monovision, since toric lenses arent made in multifocal powers.

Yes, I noticed my husbands lens will sometimes glisten in just the right light. Actually, I think it's neat looking. Kinda pretty. It almost looks like water on a lake.

I read that they are trying to make those lenses multifocal. Somehow there is a elasticity to them that makes them focus far and near. It might just be in the experimental faze though. Glad you solved your vision problem.

Was the surgery difficult for you??

free skin care · Fri Jan 17, 2014 7:45 pm

Tiptoedancer wrote:

Yes, I noticed my husbands lens will sometimes glisten in just the right light. Actually, I think it's neat looking. Kinda pretty. It almost looks like water on a lake.

I read that they are trying to make those lenses multifocal. Somehow there is a elasticity to them that makes them focus far and near. It might just be in the experimental faze though. Glad you solved your vision problem.

Was the surgery difficult for you??

Me? Not at all. I had the best surgeon in the area do this surgery for me. I did my homework (this time) and it paid off. Very happy with the result. No pain and the anesthesia made me blissfully unaware and cooperative!

free skin care · Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:59 pm

fawnie wrote:

Tiptoe, Id never try to talk anyone into surgery, but for me contacts just got too uncomfortable and too much of a hassle, not to mention they werent good for my corneas. So for me, this was the right decision, but might not be for someone else.

I think most ophthamologists let you try the lenses and if they dont work out, they wont charge you for them, but you would prob have to pay for the testing involved. Good luck anyway!

I got a free trial pair from my optometrist. I wear Bausch and Lomb Purevision Multifocal. I have been wearing these for a couple of years.

free skin care · Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:39 am

I had lens replacement and my insurance paid for it. My doc recommended against multifocual lens implants because in his experience there was a 50% dissatisfaction rate with his patients. Once the lens is in your eye it's there forever.

It's easier to further correct with Lasik, contacts or reading glasses. I bought several pairs at the 99 cent store and keep them in my car, in the office and every room of my house.

The only downside of not wearing glasses is I can no longer hide behind them and not wear eye makeup. I've spent more money on eye makeup!

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