ost people don't know that contact lenses can
be bifocal, trifocal, or even progressive.
But it's true: new multifocal contacts are being designed each year for people with
presbyopia, a natural condition brought on by age, where the eye's natural lens stiffens and
loses the ability to focus on close objects.
 If you're presbyopic, you're not
alone. Eventually, almost everyone is, usually after age 40. Where people do differ is how
they deal with it. Some use reading glasses or bifocals. Others choose progressive eyeglass lenses, which correct near, intermediate, and far vision but without the unsightly
lines of traditional bifocals. Still others opt for bifocal contact lenses.
If you are presbyopic, consider this:
Reading glasses are inconvenient.
One of the most common complaints among presbyopes is having to put on and take off their
reading glasses all day long. Switching between regular glasses and reading glasses, or
"readers," is even worse. Reading glasses must be carried everywhere. And they
are often misplaced or forgotten, forcing some people to buy several pairs for different
areas of their home and workplace.
 Readers
and bifocals are unattractive.
They hide the eyes from the world and emphasize age. Even people who are used to wearing
spectacles object to the obvious lines and segments of bifocal glasses.
While no-line progressive addition spectacles look better,
they are still eyeglasses. Finally, having to purchase one or more pairs of bifocal or
progressive sunglasses makes the eyeglass option significantly expensive.
Your answer may be multifocal contacts.
There are several contact lens designs that help you see both close up and far away, as
well as correct astigmatism. One type has a distance
viewing area in most of the lens and a near viewing segment in the middle lower portion.
Another has a series of concentric rings, where the visual system constantly adjusts focus
for distance and near.
 To
get started with multifocals, your eyecare practitioner will determine your near vision
acuity and then choose a design that works best with your cornea
size and shape, tear film, blink pattern, and lifestyle. As with any new multifocal
eyewear, you'll also receive brief training on the best way to use the lenses, as well as
a follow-up appointment to be sure you've adapted to them.
Another option could be monovision.
This consists of wearing a contact lens on one eye for distance, and on the other for
near. Either soft contacts or GP contacts can be
used for monovision. Although monovision is a popular option, a major disadvantage is that
for some people, it compromises depth perception.
Which is better for multifocal contacts: soft or rigid
materials?
Multifocal contacts exist in both soft and firm materials, but many professionals agree
that firm lenses (GP contacts) are better because they keep their shape well when
you blink. This reduces annoying, eye-straining refocusing; it also makes it easier to
adapt to viewing in the near and far zones without a "swimming" feeling. And
GP contacts are more stable on the eye, so vision segments remain right where they should.
 Another advantage to over-40 people, who are more susceptible than younger people
to dry eye syndrome, is that GP contact lenses don't
contain water, and they don't absorb moisture from your eyes the way soft lenses will.
They also resist collecting bits of protein and other debris from your tears much better
than soft lenses. It's these deposits that can make soft lenses uncomfortable and
scratchy, especially for dry-eye sufferers.
Still undecided?
Ask your eyecare professional whether multifocal GP contact lenses are right for
your eyes. You may also want to read:
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