Types of Bifocal Contacts

Choosing to wear bifocal contacts is a lot easier now since there is a multitude of options available to accommodate different types of patients. They vary in terms of the material they are made of, the design, and they can also vary between regular bifocal contacts and colored bifocal contacts.

Long Wear vs Disposable Bifocal Contacts

Bifocal contacts can either be made of rigid gas permeable material or soft materials, which are called soft bifocal contact lenses. Soft bifocal contacts can be worn daily, weekly or on night and day basis. There are even some types of bifocal soft contact lenses that can be worn for up to 30 days continuously, minimizing the hassle of putting your contacts in and removing them daily. You and your doctor can choose whichever type will be the best for your preferences and lifestyle.

Different Designs

The design of a bifocal contact lens is basically defined by how it was made to accommodate the two powers on the same lens. The process behind a bifocal glass lens is a little bit simpler – the lens stays fixed on the glass frame and the wearer looks down to focus on objects in the near distance range and raises one’s eyes to see objects far away. Since the contact lens is placed on the eye and can move, shift and spin, the mechanism for accommodating both near and far vision becomes more complex.

Simultaneous Vision Lenses

This category of lens allows your eyes to look through the long distance vision and near vision powers at the same time. As they are worn, your eye adjusts to distinguishing which power to use to allow your vision to be clear. You can choose a simultaneous vision lenses with either a concentric ring design or an aspheric design. The concentric ring design consists of the lens having a prescription in the center and then rings of alternating prescriptions (for long distance vision and near vision). The aspheric lenses have the various prescriptions blended in progressively allowing your eye to make a smooth transition between the two powers.

Alternating Vision Lenses

These are mostly based on the mechanism behind bifocal glass lenses. They stay on your pupil and when you move the focus of your vision, they are made in such a way then when you look downward (i.e. for a closer object) the lens stays in place and you see through the near distance power, and when you look further away, e.g., shift your focus upward, the lens moves and you are able to see through the long distance power. The alternating vision lenses are made of rigid gas permeable materials.

You should talk to your ophthalmologist and together decide which type would work best for your condition. Being informed is the first step to making a better choice between the types of bifocal contacts available. Reading through consumer bifocal contact reviews can also be a helpful process; however, most of these lenses work for different types of people, so it might be necessary for you to determine the best lens for you on a trial-and-error basis. Bifocal contact lens manufacturers offer free trial bifocal contact lenses so you can experiment with different types of bifocal contact lenses.