Bifocals 101

What are bifocal lenses?

Invented by Benjamin Franklin in the late 18th century, bifocal lenses are essentially lenses with two focal points – one for distance vision and the other one for near vision. Since the late 18th century, bifocals were mostly two lenses (one for near vision and the other one for long distance vision) mounted together on a frame.

Bifocal contacts – how do they work?

Bifocal contact lenses are a recent modern technological breakthrough, where a contact lens has two prescriptions in one lens. Now with a multitude of designs and types available, bifocal contacts are a great alternative to the inconvenient and sometimes unaesthetic bifocal glasses.

What are they used for?

Bifocal contacts are prescribed for presbyopia patients, those who need correction for long distance vision and short distance vision. Presbyopia is a condition that develops as we age, generally showing up in our 40’s. There are also bifocal contact lenses for astigmatism as well, so if you have been diagnosed with astigmatism, bifocal contacts are one convenient option you can choose to correct your condition.

How many types of bifocal contact lenses are there?

Whereas all bifocal contact lenses correct presbyopia, they differ in design and the length of time required to adjust to wearing them. So if you have been prescribed bifocal lenses and decide to opt for bifocal contacts, you can choose between soft materials or rigid gas permeable (GP) materials, and you can also decide which design to choose: an alternating vision contact lens, a concentric ring contact lens or an aspheric contact lens. Click on the “Types of Bifocal Contacts” page to learn more about each type of bifocal contact lens.

Why should you choose bifocal contacts over bifocal glasses?

Bifocal glasses have been around for decades and until recent years were the only correction available for patients diagnosed with presbyopia. Whereas they also come in different styles giving patients somewhat of a variety of choice, they always require the wearer to shift their eyes to be able to look through the correct part of lens depending on whether they were trying to see something near or far. This inconvenience is now removed by opting for contact lenses that will provide you with the comfort and sensation of seeing normally and having no worry about which part of the lens to look through in order to see accurately. If you add in the comfort of not having to actually wear glasses, choosing contacts over glasses is the quickest way to improve your vision and maximize your comfort simultaneously.