2024-07-30
If you are over 40 and have started noticing that your phone screen needs to be held at arm's length to read, you are experiencing presbyopia, the gradual loss of the eye's ability to focus on nearby objects. It happens to virtually everyone, and for decades the standard solutions have been reading glasses, bifocals, or progressive eyeglasses. But there is another option that many people overlook: multifocal contact lenses.
Modern multifocal contacts have come a long way from earlier generations. Today's designs from leading manufacturers like Acuvue and Alcon deliver clear, comfortable vision at near, intermediate, and far distances, often with no glasses required at all.
How Multifocal Contact Lenses Work
Unlike progressive eyeglasses, where you look through different zones of the lens by moving your eyes up or down, multifocal contact lenses present multiple prescriptions simultaneously across the surface of the lens. Your brain learns to select the correct focus depending on what you are looking at. This sounds complicated, but the adaptation happens remarkably quickly for most wearers, often within a week or two.
There are two main designs:
Simultaneous Vision Designs
These are the most common type. The lens contains concentric rings of alternating distance and near prescriptions, or a centre-near/centre-distance design where the near prescription is in the centre of the lens and the distance prescription surrounds it (or vice versa). Both distance and near images reach the retina at the same time, and your visual system selects the correct one based on what you are focusing on.
Segmented (Translating) Designs
These work more like traditional bifocal glasses. The near prescription is at the bottom of the lens, and the distance prescription is at the top. As you look down to read, your eye moves to the near zone. These are typically rigid gas-permeable lenses and are less common than simultaneous vision soft lenses.
Key Benefits of Multifocal Contacts
Freedom from Reading Glasses
This is the primary appeal. Instead of reaching for reading glasses every time you check a menu, read a text message, or examine a price tag, your vision correction is built right into your contact lenses. You see clearly at all distances without any additional eyewear.
Natural, Unobstructed Vision
Contact lenses move with your eyes, so there are no frame boundaries, no visible lines between prescriptions, and no peripheral blind spots. Your field of vision is completely open. This is a significant advantage over progressive eyeglasses, which have narrow corridors of clear intermediate vision and can cause peripheral distortion.
Active Lifestyle Compatibility
For people who exercise, play sports, or lead active lives, multifocal contacts eliminate the inconvenience of glasses that fog up, slide down, or get in the way. They are particularly popular among golfers, cyclists, runners, and anyone who dislikes switching between regular glasses and sunglasses. You can pair multifocal contacts with any pair of non-prescription sunglasses for instant UV protection.
Confidence and Appearance
Many people associate reading glasses with aging and prefer the invisible correction that contact lenses provide. Multifocal contacts let you maintain your natural appearance without announcing your presbyopia to the world every time you pull out a pair of readers.
Better Computer Vision
Progressive eyeglasses require you to tilt your head back slightly to find the intermediate zone for computer work, which can cause neck strain over long periods. Multifocal contacts provide clear intermediate vision in all gaze directions, making them excellent for office work and extended screen time.
What to Expect During the Fitting Process
Multifocal contact lenses require a more detailed fitting than standard single-vision contacts. Here is what the process typically involves:
- Comprehensive eye exam: A thorough eye test to determine your full prescription, including your add power (the extra magnification needed for reading).
- Dominant eye determination: Your eye care provider will identify your dominant eye, which is important for optimizing the lens design for each eye.
- Trial lens fitting: You will try on diagnostic lenses to evaluate fit, comfort, and visual clarity at multiple distances.
- Fine-tuning: It may take two or three visits to fine-tune the lens power and design. This is normal and is part of ensuring the best possible outcome.
- Adaptation period: You will likely need one to two weeks for your visual system to fully adapt to the simultaneous vision design. During this time, vision may be slightly soft at certain distances, but this typically resolves as your brain learns to process the multifocal images.
Top Multifocal Contact Lens Brands
At Fantastic Glasses, we fit and supply multifocal contact lenses from the industry's leading manufacturers:
| Brand | Product | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Acuvue (Johnson & Johnson) | Acuvue Oasys Multifocal | Pupil-optimized design adjusts for age and prescription; exceptional comfort |
| Alcon | Dailies Total1 Multifocal | Water gradient technology for all-day comfort; daily disposable convenience |
| Alcon | Air Optix Plus HydraGlyde Multifocal | Monthly lens with SmartShield technology; excellent for dry eyes |
| CooperVision | Biofinity Multifocal | Balanced progressive technology; comfortable for extended wear |
Are Multifocal Contacts Right for You?
Multifocal contacts work well for most people with presbyopia, but they are not ideal for everyone. They tend to work best for people who:
- Have moderate presbyopia (add powers up to +2.50)
- Want freedom from reading glasses
- Lead active lifestyles
- Are comfortable with contact lens handling and care
- Have realistic expectations (vision may be very good but not quite as sharp as dedicated single-vision glasses at extreme distances)
People who do very fine detail work at near distances (jewellers, surgeons, miniature painters) or who require absolute peak distance acuity (pilots, professional drivers) may find that multifocal contacts do not quite meet their demands. In those cases, a combination of single-vision contacts and task-specific glasses may be a better approach.
Multifocal Contacts vs. Monovision
An alternative approach to presbyopia correction with contacts is monovision, where one eye is fitted with a distance lens and the other with a near lens. This is simpler and less expensive than multifocals, but it sacrifices binocular (two-eye) vision at each distance, which can affect depth perception and may feel unnatural to some wearers.
Most eye care providers will offer you the chance to try both multifocal and monovision during the fitting process so you can compare the visual quality and comfort firsthand.
Getting Started
If you are tired of reaching for reading glasses and want to explore the freedom of multifocal contact lenses, the first step is a comprehensive eye exam and contact lens fitting. At Fantastic Glasses in Okotoks, our team has extensive experience fitting multifocal contacts across all the major brands. We take the time to ensure you are seeing clearly and comfortably before you leave.
Book your appointment online or call (587) 997-3937. We offer a free eye test with the Essilor R800 with every eyewear purchase, and our knowledgeable staff will guide you through every step of the fitting process.