Bifocal or Multifocal

Bifocal and multifocal contact lenses represent some of the most advanced lenses available today. As with toric lenses for astigmatism, these contacts are designed specifically to correct complicated vision problems and to eliminate the need for spectacles for reading or driving. Bifocal contact lenses are very common nowadays for correcting presbyopia, which affects a large proportion of over-40's, and allow you to carry on your normal life without needing to carry around a pair of reading glasses.

In a similar way to toric lenses, bifocal and multifocal contacts are manufactured using advanced processes that allow for different powers to be embedded into the same lens. Bifocal contact lenses work much in the same way as bifocal glasses - the lens is split into two different areas, one to correct near-sightedness and the other to correct far-sightedness. Multifocal lenses, which can be known as 'progressives', have multiple areas with different powers. Although they can take some getting used to, your eye learns which area to use for close-up reading and which area is for distances, and before long you'll find them perfectly natural.

As with toric lenses, some bifocal and multifocal contact lenses are ballasted to keep them the right way up so that the different focal areas stay put, but there are various ways in which the different lens powers can be laid out. Although many bifocal lenses use the same segmented design as bifocal spectacles, some people prefer a different design that uses concentric rings of alternating powers, making switching between powers more natural. This design is also quite popular in multifocal lenses, as it allows you eye to switch to the correct power quickly and easily.

If you're looking for bifocal contacts then one option that your optician may suggest is monovision, where you wear a lens to correct near-sightedness in one eye and one to correct far-sightedness in the other. This was a very popular technique before the more advanced bifocal lenses of today, but some people do find problems with depth perception so this is not an option you should try out without having first consulted a specialist.

Bifocal and multifocal lenses are far more complicated than regular spherical contacts, and so require the expert advice of an optician before fitting them. As they require more advanced manufacturing processes, they are also usually more expensive than regular lenses. However recent advances mean that you have most of the same options for bifocal and multifocal contacts as for spherical lenses, that is you can buy them as daily, weekly, and monthly disposable soft contacts, as well as RGP and even coloured varieties. Do remember that they still need the same care and attention as other contact lenses when it comes to cleaning and storage, and never wear them for longer than the recommended period.