Category: Contact Lenses

Multifocal contact lenses are yet another way to tackle presbyopia, a condition making it difficult to focus on objects up close. Presbyopia, or farsightedness, affects nearly 111 million people in the United States, primarily individuals in their mid 40’s. If you suffer from near and farsighted vision, you may have thought glasses were your only option for corrective lenses. Think again! Similar to progressive or bifocal lenses (link to /resource/lenses-frames/progressive-lenses/), you can also wear bifocal or multifocal contact lenses to provide a natural transition between your near and distance vision.

What is presbyopia?
Presbyopia is a gradual, age-related loss in close up vision. If you begin experiencing eye strain after reading or are holding reading materials at arm’s length away to clearly view, schedule a visit with us to talk about your vision. There is no way to stop or reverse the effects of presbyopia. However, factors that can lead to a higher risk of developing presbyopia include age, medical conditions, and drug use. Our practice offers a wide range of eye care services and vision correction including frames, lenses, and contact lens options to fit your vision needs and keep you seeing your best.

Why Use Multifocal Contact Lenses?
Multifocal contact lenses correct both eyes for distance and near vision. There are a variety of options available for multifocal contact lenses that can be worn depending on your preferences and lifestyle. From single and part-time to everyday use, there is a multifocal contact lens option for you.

If you have started experiencing signs of farsightedness and are interested in multifocal contact lenses, schedule your next appointment today to talk with our team. It is much easier to adjust the multifocal lens correction provided on lower prescription needs. If you have a strong prescription and would like to try multifocal contact lenses, contact our office today.

The Pros and Cons
Pros of Multifocal Contact Lenses
• Convenient to use
• Provide a variety of powers in one lens to allow for great vision at all distances
• Offer a smooth transition between different prescriptions without the distinct lines found in bifocal contact lenses
Cons of Multifocal Contact Lenses
• Not everyone finds their vision is not perfect at both near and distance.
• Adjustments are difficult with higher prescriptions
• More difficult to adjust when compared with standard contact lenses
• People who suffer from dry eyes may have more difficulty wearing contact lenses, which may not make the multifocal lenses a good solution to their presbyopia.

Types of Multifocal Contact Lenses
Simultaneous Design
The simultaneous vision design provides a gradual change between near and distance vision. The near, far, and intermediate vision is integrated throughout the lens providing a more natural transition and viewing experience.

Concentric and aspheric lenses are the most common simultaneous vision designs. The concentric design allows for the center of the lens to be the primary viewing zone and the rings around it gradually switch between near and distance vision. Aspheric lenses have a more gradual shift in prescription throughout the lens.

Segmented Design
Segmented contact lenses have a bifocal design. The distance vision is in the upper and central parts of the lens and the near vision is in the lower section of the lens. When the user looks down the contact lens remains in place due to the flattened bottom edge.

Ready to try out multifocal contact lenses? Give us a call to schedule your next appointment today!

If you would like more information on the different types of contacts available please visit our additional resource page or call our office: /contact-lenses-ordering/types-of-contact-lenses/

Advanced Eyecare Professionals and the American Academy of Ophthalmology share patient stories, urge Halloween revelers to avoid over-the-counter lenses

Scary-looking costume contact lenses may elevate a Halloween’s fright factor, but wearing them without a prescription could result in something far more terrifying – blindness. Advanced Eyecare Professionals (AEP) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology wants to ensure the public understands the risks of wearing over-the-counter contact lenses.

It is illegal to sell non-prescription contact lenses, but they can still be easily purchased at places such as beauty supply stores, costume shops and on the Internet. Falsely advertised as “one-size-fits-all” or “no prescription necessary,” these lenses can cause serious eye damage. One young man is now legally blind in one eye after wearing colored contact lenses he bought at a gas station. He’s suffered multiple eye infections, a cataract, and secondary glaucoma, all of which required surgery.

“It’s just not worth it,” says Dr. Michael Flohr, M.D., an ophthalmologist with the AEP team. “One night of looking scary in costume lenses is not worth losing your eyesight. Make sure to get a proper contact lens fitting from an eye health professional and contact lenses from the sources they advise are safe and credible.”

Ophthalmologists – physicians and surgeons who specialize in medical and surgical eye care – are reminding people of five frightening consequences of ignoring the warnings:

1. Scratches to the eye – If contacts are not professionally fitted to the eye, they can scratch the clear front window of the eye. This is called a corneal abrasion, which is not only painful, but can cause permanent damage. Just ask Laura Butler, who was in severe pain due to corneal abrasions 10 hours after putting in non-prescription lenses, which “stuck to my eye like suction cups.” Treatment often involves medication and patching. Sometimes, damage cannot be reversed. Butler now has a corneal scar, vision damage and a drooping eyelid.

2. Infection – Research shows wearing non-prescription contacts increases the risk of an infection called keratitis by 16 times. Early treatment with antibiotic or steroid drops may preserve vision, but sometimes surgery, such as corneal transplantation, is necessary. Robyn Rouse had to have that surgery after she got an infection after wearing non-prescription lenses she bought at a local store.

3. Pink eye – Never share contacts or eye makeup because doing so can spread germs, causing conditions such as pink eye. Highly contagious, pink eye treatment depends on the cause, but typically includes some home remedies and antibiotic eye drops.

4. Decreased vision – Whether from a corneal scratch or infection, wearing non-prescription contacts can lead to decreased vision.

5. Blindness – It’s no scare tactic: wearing non-prescription contacts can lead to permanent vision loss. Learn how to take proper care of contact lenses from an eye care professional to avoid dangerous eye infections.

“Halloween contact lenses can look scary and create an impression, but if you have not been evaluated by an eye doctor to check the fit of the lens and find out about wearing guidelines, your fun evening can end in pain and possible lasting eye damage”, says Dr. David Harrell, M.D., an AEP eye care team ophthalmologist. “Please check with an eye physician before wearing contacts so you have a happy, not scary Halloween!”

The Academy encourages the public to watch and share its “No Prescription, No Way” public service announcement that can be found on YouTube, that shows the serious damage that these non-prescription costume contact lenses can inflict on the eyes.

For more information on contact lens wear call us, we are happy to help guide you to safe and fun options for costume contact lenses.

Patients sometimes worry that trying contact lenses will be uncomfortable, or even cause headaches. This may be because they’ve known someone who had a bad experience with contact lenses, because the idea sounds uncomfortable to them, or because they tried contacts in the past and did not like the way they fit their eyes.

It’s important to know that appropriate contact lenses with the correct prescription should be very comfortable and should not at all cause headaches. Some people find that different brands feel better to them than others, but it should be relatively easy to settle on a brand of contact lenses that feel good to you so long as your prescription and eye conditions make you eligible for wearing contacts.

Not everyone is able to wear contact lenses for various reasons—sometimes dry eye syndrome, eye shape, particular allergies, or certain strong prescriptions preclude people from wearing them. If your eye doctor has prescribed contacts, you’ve been fit for them, and you are experiencing headaches or discomfort, contact the office right away. It’s possible that an error was made in the manufacturing of your lenses, or that something is wrong with the prescription. Most people take some time to adjust to contact lenses, but this should happen within a few minutes or more before you don’t even realize you’re wearing them.

Even if your contact lenses are the correct prescription and fit, headaches can happen due to other vision-related difficulties like computer vision syndrome. Though contacts do not aggravate computer vision syndrome, some people may blink less when using a computer screen and wearing contacts. The lenses can dry out when this happens and begin causing discomfort that may lead to headaches. Additionally, you may be experiencing another undiagnosed ailment like sinus problems or the onset of allergies.

If you are ever concerned about your vision or eyewear, call us right away. If you are testing contacts and experiencing headaches, see if wearing your glasses helps. If not, it may be one of the other possible issues. Be sure to let the doctor know if you are only experiencing headaches with your contact lenses and we will try to solve this problem so that you can find contact lenses that work for you!