- Multifocal Contact Lenses
What is Multifocal Contact Lenses?
Those who suffer from presbyopia will need to use multifocal contact lenses. Multifocal contact lenses are designed to have numerous powers which target vision at various distances to the user, solving the focusing problem that presbyopic people have. Multifocal contacts have numerous prescriptions in one lens, whereas multifocal glasses often have two prescriptions—one for long distance and the other for close-up vision.
Types of Multifocal Contact Lenses
You can correct your vision with many types of multifocal contact lenses, including monovision lenses, distance prescription lenses, and multifocal contact lenses. Your first choice is to use prescription lenses for distance. Below is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of certain lenses. The finest multifocal contact lenses for distant vision are distance prescription lenses, which have their advantages. At a distance, it will provide you with the clearest vision and the finest depth sense. The disadvantage of these distance prescription lenses is that because they compensate for distance, you might need to wear your reading glasses to view objects that are within arm's reach, such as your phone, computer, or laptop. They might not be the most practical for you if you're planning to use your lenses every day and, for instance, work in an environment where you frequently transition between the two distances.
Contact lenses with monovision are the second choice; they also have advantages and disadvantages. These lenses function by enhancing the distant vision of your dominant eye while enhancing the close-up vision of your non-dominant eye. These lenses' benefits include providing quite clear distant vision, allowing you to see what you need to see with about 80–90% clarity, and allowing you to use them safely while driving. Although these multifocal lenses may take some getting used to, as you will only be utilising one eye at a time, your depth perception may be affected. You will, however, become accustomed to using these multifocal lenses in around 4 to 6 weeks after some use, and adjustment of the eye muscle.
The third alternative is multifocal contact lenses, which, in principle, function like progressive lenses or no-line bifocal and trifocal lenses. These multifocal lenses function by enabling the eye to view distant objects as well as close-up objects. These lenses have the benefit of providing users with excellent depth perception, but they are not the greatest for distance vision. You will still be able to see in the distance and they are safe to use while driving, but they won't offer you eagle vision. Multifocal contact lenses might not be the ideal choice for you if you value having the clearest vision possible. These lenses will be able to give you that smooth switch, especially after a few weeks once your eye muscles have adjusted to these lenses and you will have a smooth transition between the two visual distances. For example, if you are working and switching between looking at the computer and reading something up close all day, these lenses will be able to give you that switch.
How long does it take for eyes to adjust to multifocal contact lenses?
The amount of time it takes to adjust to wearing multifocal lenses can vary depending on the individual, but typically, it takes 4 to 6 weeks. Your eyes will initially not be able to concentrate or make seamless transitions between the many prescriptions while looking from near to far since there are multiple prescriptions for different distances in these lenses. Moreover, you can notice shadows surrounding what you're looking at, which will impair your overall eyesight. The more frequently you can wear your new multifocal contacts, the easier it will be for your eyes to adjust between the two powers.