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Home » Contact Lenses » Contact Lenses to Correct Presbyopia

Contact Lenses to Correct Presbyopia

We Fit Contact Lenses to Correct Presbyopia, near Seven Hills, NV

Most people over age 40 will experience the symptoms of presbyopia, a very common vision condition associated with aging. Objects close to your face become blurry, and reading fine print at a normal distance is a challenge. A normal part of getting older, presbyopia is caused by a loss of flexibility in your eye’s natural lens. Bifocals and reading glasses are the typical treatment, yet many people are resistant to wearing this “unattractive” eyewear. At Optical Effects Vision Center, we offer a range of other effective solutions to correct your presbyopia and give you sharp, comfortable vision. Contact us to reserve an appointment for an eye exam with Our Eye Doctor in our Silverado Ranch clinic.

Contact Lenses for Presbyopia

Contacts provide a level of freedom that eyeglasses cannot give. When you wear multifocal eyeglasses or progressive lenses, you’ll be able to read a book easily – yet you’ll need to look over your frames to see up or into the distance. In contrast, contacts enable you to gaze in any direction with similar crisp eyesight. Bifocal and multifocal contacts are available in both soft and rigid gas permeable types.

Bifocal vs. Multifocal Contact Lenses

Bifocals are split into two parts with different vision powers. One part of the lens is used for distance and the other for seeing near. This design allows you to switch between near and far efficiently, yet it may be impossible to focus well on anything in the middle range. Multifocals are defined as any lenses with many vision powers, which includes bifocals, trifocals and progressive lenses. Non-bifocal versions will give you a wider range of powers, which gives you more flexibility in switching focus between near, far and in between.

Different Designs of Multifocal Lenses

  1. Simultaneous Vision

With these popular contacts, you will be able to view distance and close vision zones at the same time. There is a short adjustment period when you first start wearing these, but your eyes will then learn to use only the part of the lens that’s needed for focusing.

Simultaneous vision lenses are available in a concentric ring design and aspheric design.

  • Concentric ring lenses are the most basic type, composed of a central circle with one vision power and a wraparound ring in the alternate power. Extra rings can also be added to create a trifocal or multifocal contact lens, and the width of each respective ring can be altered depending upon which power you use the most. With blended edges, the rings provide a smooth vision experience when transitioning between sections of the lens – in the same way as progressive eyeglass lenses.
  • Aspheric design lenses blend many vision powers across the surface and central region of the lens. Both near and far vision is situated in the center, and your eyes adjust naturally to focus on the area that’s needed.
  1. Translating/Alternating Vision Lenses

Available only in rigid gas permeable versions, these contacts are constructed with separate zones. Depending upon where you’re looking, your pupil will move to the appropriate zone. When viewing straight ahead and faraway, you’ll usually use the top of the lens. When looking at objects up close, the bottom part of the lens is commonly used. Contacts often move within your eye, and these contacts are designed specially to resolve that issue. Translating lenses are secured in place in your eye with a weighted area at the bottom of the lens. This area is either thicker than the rest of the lens or flattened at the bottom, which aligns it with your lower eyelid.

Monovision Lenses

When patients find it too difficult to get used to multifocal lenses, monovision may be a good alternative to treat presbyopia. With this method, you’ll wear single vision contacts in each eye. Your dominant eye will generally have the lens with a vision prescription for distance, and your weaker eye will have the lens for near sight. Our optometrists will perform detailed testing to decide which type of lens is best for each eye to optimize your vision.

If you have presbyopia, there’s no reason to hold your book at arm’s length in order to see the words clearly! We offer many types of presbyopia treatment at Optical Effects Vision Center. If you’re not interested in conventional reading glasses, we’ll fit you expertly with bifocal and multifocal contact lenses.

Call today for an appointment in our South Las Vegas, NV office!