Growing older, along with wisdom, brings a host of health problems. Skin starts to sag, the pain of a bad night’s sleep doesn’t go away during the day, hair starts to turn grey, you don’t seem to have as much energy as before, etc. Along with all of these problems, there also comes the deterioration of your eyesight each passing year. Luckily all these problems are easily fixable. Visiting a gym once in a while will help your feel more energetic, taking care of your diet might help slow skin aging and reduce the risk of many diseases (diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.). To preserve your eyesight, you can eat healthily, not smoke, wear sunglasses, and visit your eye doctor regularly.
Unfortunately you’ll only be able to preserve your eyesight to a certain extent. Sooner or later, your vision will get worse and images will become blurry. This particular condition is called Presbyopia. It’s a normal loss of focusing ability due to your eyes becoming more rigid that tends to occur as we age. A majority of people start to feel the effect of presbyopia somewhere around the age of 40. Around that age, you’ll start having trouble focusing on small print such as the text on your phone or a newspaper.
What Are The Best Contact Lenses For Multifocal?
Summary of Top 8 Multifocal Lenses:
1-Day Acuvue Moist Multifocal
Made by the leading company in the contact lens industry, Johnson & Johnson, 1-Day Acuvue Moist Multifocal contact lenses are one of the best on the market.
These contact lenses feature a back-curve design that allows them to stay precisely centered on your eye. This ensures that the contacts are where they are supposed to be at all times, providing sharp and clear vision. These contacts provide excellent comfort due to Lacreon technology, specially developed by Johnson & Johnson, that helps remove the stress of wearing contacts by locking moisture in.
1-Day Acuvue Moist multifocal contacts are a great choice for anyone that has a visually demanding lifestyle and who needs superior vision at all distances. They are also a great choice if you’ve never worn contacts before.
1-Day Acuvue Moist Multifocal 30 Pack
Pros:
- Comfortable
- Easy to put in
- Gentle
- Thin
Cons:
- Since they are thin, sometimes they can fold within the eyelid
Air Optix HydraGlyde Multifocal
Made by CIBA Vision, Air Optix HydraGlyde Multifocal contact lenses are specifically designed for those who are suffering from age related presbyopia. These contacts are intended to be replaced on a monthly basis. They can be worn up to 6 nights without removal, making them excellent for those who are leading an active lifestyle.
Air Optix HydraGlyde Multifocal contact lenses have a high water content ensuring they are smooth and comfortable. High water content also prevents the build-up of dirt and proteins, eliminating eye irritation and ensuring superb comfort.
Due to their high water content theses contact lenses are a great choice for those who suffer from dry eyes, spend a lot of time in front of computer screens, or are working in air conditioned environments.
Air Optix HydraGlyde Multifocal 6 Pack
Pros:
- Comfortable
- Gentle on eyes
- Easy to put in
Cons:
- May cause dryness and irritation after extended wear
Bausch and Lomb Ultra for Presbyopia
Bausch and Lomb Ultra Multifocal contact lenses are manufactured from silicon hydrogel, Samfilcon A. Many other monthly lenses brands are also made of this type of silicone hydrogel.
What makes Ultra contacts stick out from the others is Bausch & Lomb's Moisture Seal technology. This technology successfully combines breathability and comfort by maintaining 95% of its moisture during for a full 16 hours.
These contact lenses are perfect for those who spend a lot of time in front of computer screens. When you're looking at a computer screen, you tend to blink less, causing eye dryness. Thanks to the Moisture Seal technology, device users won't feel any discomfort during the time they spend in front of a computer.
Bausch and Lomb Ultra Presbyopia 6 Pack
Pros:
- Comfortable
- Can be worn up to 6 nights before replacing
- Easy to put in and remove
Cons:
- Some contact lens wearers that have switched from their old contacts to Bausch and Lomb Ultra have reported that these contacts can develop smudges and are very difficult to clean. These smudges cause blurred vision and discomfort on the wearer.
Biofinity Multifocal
Made by CooperVision, a contact lens giant, Biofinity Multifocal contact lenses feature multiple zones of different prescriptions that are covered across the contacts. This ensures you will be able to effortlessly transition when focusing on objects that are nearby, at an intermediate distance, or far away.
Thanks to Aquaform technology, a CooperVision exclusive, these contact lenses have one of the highest oxygen permeability amongst other monthly contact lenses. This is really important when it comes to monthly contact lenses because it helps keep your cornea clear. Wearing lenses means your eye’s blood vessels aren’t able to feed your cornea oxygen as easily, and the only way for it your eye to get oxygen is to be exposed to air. These contacts also have a high water content, which makes them soft and very comfortable to wear.
Biofinity Multifocal 6 Pack
Pros:
- Comfortable
- Easy to put in and remove
- High oxygen transmissibility
Cons:
- Some contact lens wearers who have switched to Biofinity Multifocal contacts have reported some eye irritation
Clariti 1 Day Multifocal
Manufactured by CooperVision, Clariti 1 Day Multifocal contact lenses are made from ultra-breathable hydrogel. The breathability ensures these lenses will be comfortable to wear throughout the day.
These contacts are designed with AquaGen technology, allowing the contacts to attract water molecules to the lens surface. Doing this ensures the lenses will remain smooth allowing you to effortlessly transition from focusing on objects that are near, at a medium distance, or far away. High water content also ensures the lenses will remain comfortable to wear throughout the day.
As an extra, they also have an extra layer or UVA and UVB protection, making these contacts an excellent choice for outdoor activities.
Clariti 1 Day Multifocal 30 Pack
Pros:
- Comfortable
- Easy to put in and remove
- Excellent oxygen permeability
Cons:
- Some contact wearers have reported being able to focus better on objects that are up close or at an intermediate range, rather than the objects that are far away
DAILIES AquaComfort Plus Multifocal
Dailies AquaComfort Plus Multifocal daily contact lenses are manufactured by Alcon. They are made of nelfilcon A, a silicone hydrogel material that has a 69% water content. The blister packs contain both polyethylene glycol and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, which helps to provide comfort upon initial insertion of the lens. Additionally, the lens contains polyvinyl alcohol, which is designed to slowly release upon blinking, providing the lens with what the company refers to as “blink-activated moisture.”
Because these contact lenses are made of silicone hydrogel, they have a high level of oxygen permeability. This ensures clear vision and plenty of oxygen for your cornea.
DAILIES AquaComfort Plus Multifocal 30 Pack
Pros:
- Comfortable to wear
- Easy to put in and remove
- High oxygen and water content
Cons:
- They tend to get dryer at the end of the day if you are working in an air conditioned area
- Some contact lens wearers have reported having difficulty focusing on objects that are at a medium range or far away.
Proclear 1 Day Multifocal
Manufactured by CooperVision, Proclear 1-Day Multifocal daily contact lenses provide excellent vision and comfort. They are specifically designed for people suffering from presbyopia.
They have an aspheric, center-near design which provides excellent vision and effortless transition from near objects to those that are at a medium or long distance. They also provide a single power profile that preserves the distance vision and limits visual compromise with a near boost in the non-dominant eye that optimizes near and intermediate vision so the binocularity is maintained.
Featuring CooperVision’s exclusive PC Technology, the lenses are better able cater to those who are suffering from presbyopia. The lenses are made of a unique lens material in which the phosphorylcholine (PC) molecules attract and bind water to the surface, creating a shield that keeps the lenses clean and functioning properly. These molecules also help the lenses remain moist, which in turn, makes them extremely comfortable to wear.
Proclear 1 Day Multifocal 90 Pack
Pros:
- Comfortable to wear
- Easy to put in and remove
- High water content
Cons:
- If you are already suffering from dry eyes you might feel some discomfort by the end of the day when wearing these contacts.
PureVision 2 For Presbyopia
PureVision 2 For Presbyopia contact lenses, manufactured by Bausch & Lomb, help maintain clear near, intermediate, and distance vision in real world conditions. These lenses feature a thin lens and rounded edge for comfort throughout the day.
The crystalline lens in your eyes naturally becomes more rigid and loses elasticity with time. With this loss of flexibility, your eyes are less able to adjust properly to focus on near objects. These contact lenses feature a design that helps your eyes focus and provides clear vision at all distances.
PureVision 2 For Presbyopia 6 Pack
Pros:
- Comfortable to wear
- High water content
Cons:
- Because they are very thin and not tinted they are somewhat hard to put in and remove.
What If You Have Presbyopia?
Presbyopia is unavoidable even if you have had perfect eyesight your entire life. Even those who are nearsighted will start to notice that their vision is getting blurry when they wear their usual eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Even more troubling is the information that presbyopia is on the rise in the United States. Approximately 112 million Americans were diagnosed with presbyopia in 2006 and it is predicted that this number will rise to 123 million by the year 2020.
Even though presbyopia is a normal and expected sign of growing older, it is often a tough thing to come to peace with because we all want to stay young forever.
Luckily we live in the greatest period of human history. There are many products that are specially designed for treatment of this unavoidable side effect of aging. The best way to combat presbyopia is to start wearing the appropriate eyewear. This article is going to exclusively focus on multifocal & bifocal contact lenses.
Multifocal & Bifocal Contact Lenses Types and Brands
Bifocal and multifocal contact lenses are specifically designed to provide clear vision for those people who have a refractive error (problems with focusing light accurately on your retina because of the shape of your eye) and also for those who are starting to suffer or are suffering from presbyopia. These two types of contact lenses come in soft and rigid gas permeable materials. Most of these lenses are worn on a daily, 1-2 weekly, or monthly disposable basis. Disposable lenses are lenses that, once worn for the specified wear time, are thrown out and replaced with a new pair. These are the most common types of contact lenses that are used today.
Most manufacturers offer multifocal contact lenses made out of silicone hydrogel. These types of lenses allow a lot more oxygen to reach the cornea, allowing greater wear comfortability, and are available for daily or extended wear.
Brands of multifocal silicone hydrogel contact lenses available in the US are, amongst others: Air Optix HydraGlyde Multifocal, Bausch and Lomb Ultra for Presbyopia, Biofinity Multifocal, and Acuvue Oasys Multifocal. All of these brands appear in the list below.
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There are three types of multifocal lenses:
- Concentric Multifocal Contacts - typically contain the lens power for seeing distant objects in the center of the lens, which is surrounded by concentric rings of near and distance powers of your bifocal contact lens prescription.
- Aspheric Multifocal Contact Lenses - The design of aspheric multifocal contact lenses is similar to that of progressive eyeglass lenses; there's a gradual change in power from far to near, with no visible lines in the lenses.
- Segmented Bifocal Contact Lenses - work much like bifocal eyeglass lenses. These rigid gas permeable (RGP) contacts have two power segments, with an obvious line of separation between the distance correction on top and the near correction below. Your eye looks through either one or the other, depending on whether you're looking at the objects that are far or near.
How To Choose The Right Brand Of Multifocal Contacts?
Before you purchase your first multifocal contact lenses, you’ll have to visit your eye doctor and see which type of multifocal contact lenses are right for you.
There are two factors that your eye doctor will consider when choosing bifocal contact lenses for you. Those factors are your pupil size and your “add” – near prescription. Besides these two factors, there are no other strict rules. Generally, aspheric multifocal contacts tend to work best for those with mild or moderate presbyopia, and concentric or segmented contacts are often most helpful to those who suffer from advanced presbyopia.
It might take a bit of experimenting before you find a brand that’s the right one for you, but with a little help from our list below, you might get a better understanding of multifocal contact lenses.
Frequently Asked Questions when choosing best multifocal lenses
Multifocal contact lenses have multiple fields of vision within one lens to help you see up-close, at-distance, and at arm’s length. While wearing these contacts, you won’t need to worry about switching to a different prescription lenses when you change your activity, like reading or driving.
It may take a few days or sometimes weeks to adjust when you first start wearing multifocal contact lenses, until your eyes get used to the lenses. Until then, your vision may be blurry or hazy. Just remember that it’s temporary and it’s the best solution for people with presbyopia.
If your work involves working on a computer, multifocal contact lenses may be the best option for you. Adjust your monitor screen position to give you the best view (instead of tilting your head at an uncomfortable angle). The multifocal lens has different fields of vision and you need to learn how to focus on the right one to see an object clearly.
It may take some time to get used to your new multifocal contact lenses. Some people get comfortable within days and some people need several weeks. Give yourself time to figure out how the lenses work. The process is similar to how you get used to your new glasses.
Different brands of multifocal contact lenses may feel differently on your eyes. The same goes for the length of time your contacts can be worn before you need a new pair: daily, 1-2 weekly, or monthly. You can find all of the listed here top multifocal lenses in our online store.
Multifocal contact lenses is a better and a newer option to correct your vision for all distances (near, distant,
arm-length). Multifocal lenses work similarly to multifocal glasses, providing the right prescription for both eyes.
Check out the top 8 multifocal lenses.
You will need your prescription for multifocal contact lenses to purchase contacts online or in-person.
You can find the top bifocal and multifocal contact lenses at the lowest prices in our online store on webeyecare.com. Buy now to get free shipping.
It is not uncommon to have blurry vision when you first start wearing multifocal contacts that your doctor recommended and prescribed. There is an adaptation period for your eyes, similar to how you get accustomed to glasses. When your eyes get used to looking through the different fields of vision of multifocal lens, you should have no trouble seeing and will love your contact lenses.
The hazy vision while wearing multifocal contact lenses is caused by an untrained eye and it should get better eventually. Multifocal lens has different fields of vision for near, distant, and arm’s length vision. It may take several weeks for you and your eyes to adjust and to learn how to see clearly in your new contact lenses. Until then, you may see shadows and glare at night.
It is also common for multifocal contact wearers to complain about having trouble seeing going up or down stairs. The objects may appear larger and at a different distance than they actually are. That is quite common to not be able to see perfectly at first. Remember that it is temporary, and your eyes just need time to get used to multifocal lenses.
Multifocal contact lenses can get quite pricey. The cost of contact lenses depends on the brand, how many lenses per box you’re buying, and whether the lenses are daily, weekly, or monthly. The lowest retail price for multifocal contacts starts around $49.99 and goes up to $159.99 per box.
Webeyecare.com offers top multifocal contact lenses at deeply discounted prices. You can save up to 70% and receive exactly the same contacts that your eye doctor provides. Free shipping is included.
Multifocal Lenses Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Multifocal lenses are great for demanding lifestyles, when you need to have perfect vision at all times.
- Easy to put in
- Comfortable to wear
- Have options for length of time your contacts can be worn: daily, 1-2 weekly, monthly, overnight
- Correct vision as good as eyeglasses
Cons:
- May take time to get used to
- Limited options for color multifocal contact lenses
- Usually more expensive than traditional contact lenses
Each brand of multifocal lenses may have additional advantages and peculiarities.
Check out premium multifocal contact lenses brands listed above.