Archive through November 02, 2002
TV ClubHouse: Archives: Bifocal Contact Lense:
Archive through November 02, 2002
Hillbilly | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:05 pm     I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the bifocal contact lenses? My optometrist has given me a trial pair to try for a week (I haven't put them in yet). This is a new doc ...the old doc had me set up for monovision (one eye for reading, the other eye for distance). With my amblyopia, this wasn't working out very well since he had my weak eye (20/25 cv) set for reading. How long did it take for you to adjust to which 'zone' to use for distance and which 'zone' to use for reading? Do you like them? Any problems to watch out for? Any feedback would be appreciated. |
Goddessatlaw | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:55 pm     I don't wear bifocals, but I am nearsighted. I've worn glasses since the age of 22, when my lawschool reading took me down. Up til the age of 34 or so, I wore glasses exclusively. My eyesight deteriorated at a regular rate of .25 per year. When things were beggining to get coke-bottle-esque, I finally broke down and got contacts. The deterioration in my eyesight ended immediately. My prescription has been roughly the same ever since. I don't know what the correlation was between switching to contacts and the end of the deterioration, but I know that it did the trick for me. I switch back and forth between contacts and glasses now, since improvements in lens crafting has eliminated the coke-bottle thing. I have no advice about bi-focal contact lenses, but I can't help but think they may represent an overall improvement in vision after adjustment to the technology. Good luck, and keep us posted. I'd like to recommend them to my mom if most people here like them. |
Urgrace | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 06:21 pm     Don't know if this will help, but my dh just got a new set of tri-focals. The ones he was wearing had very large lenses and the doctor recommended smaller ones because they are so much easier on the eyes to adjust to. Basing this on his diagnosis, wouldn't it seem that contacts would be an improvement? |
Fanny | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 06:27 pm     I would just like to say that 40 sucks. |
Urgrace | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 06:45 pm     If you haven't made it past 40 yet, then how do you make a good comparison to the before and after? I'm past 40 and it "ain't" so bad! |
Fanny | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 06:47 pm     I still haven't gotten over turning 40 and that was...well it was "ago". |
Jmm | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 06:58 pm     Hillbilly, I tried bifocal contact lenses last year. At first they were great but the longer I wore them the less clear and crisp my near and far vision became. When it came time to get new contacts this year I went for the single vision and opted to use reading glasses when necessary. I wear the disposable extended wear contacts so I can't speak about any other kind, but I am very happy back in my single vision contacts. Try the trial pair it can't hurt anything, but do keep a watch for less clear vision. |
Hillbilly | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 06:59 pm     I'm past 40 and I wouldn't go back again if ya paid me. I've got middle age spread (guys get it too) and bifocals by age 38....but I do still have my hair. It's not bad at all. |
Karuuna | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 07:03 pm     I wore contacts all my life, but when I turned 40, I had to get "reading glasses". Sigh. I insisted that the doc call them "computer glasses". He looked at me kinda strange, but gently accommodated me. So, I use Jmm's solution. Carry my cute little computer glasses around to wear when I need to use them. But I absolutely refuse to get one of those little gold chains so I can hang them around my neck. Other than that, I'm 44 and so far, the forties are great! |
Hillbilly | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 07:05 pm     Kar...you could be 'trendy' and wear them on top of your head when not in use. We have a gal at work who does that. It's cute..and she always has them handy. |
Sisalou | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 08:51 pm     Hi Hillbilly, I too have worn contacts forever. When I hit that mark where you need bifocals I didn't like the monovision. I tried the regular bifocal contacts and wasn't too thrilled. When using the "bi" part it took a few seconds to be able to focus enough to read. It was more of a hassle than wearing glasses. A few months ago at my checkup the Dr. told me about some new bifocal contacts called "Frequency 55 multifocal" by Cooper Vision. I have liked these contacts alot better than the first ones I tried. My close up vision is much better with them than the others which were baush and laumb (sp). BUT even with the improvement I am thinking of going the route that Jmm and Karuuna went. They will give you a trial pair of the Frequency contacts to try for a week so you may want to try them. My SIL tried all of the bifocal contacts and she decided to do what Jmm and Karuuna do. I do have to admit that I don't wear my contacts as much as I used to before bifocals. |
Azriel | Friday, November 01, 2002 - 09:14 pm     I don't know about the bifocal contacts but I would think that they are like the Verolux bifocal lenses for glasses. There is no line and you don't have to look down or up like ordinary bifocals. I had to get bifocals last year and I told the doctor no way am I gonna get a granny line on my glasses, nuhuh, no way. I got the Verolux lenses and they are GREAT! I can see near, far and inbetween and NO granny line! |
Marysafan | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 07:08 am     I was an optician for fifteen years and worked with contact lens patients. I am hoping that technolgy has come a long way since 1992 when I left the profession...but I can tell you that over all results were unsatisfactory. Simple truth ...it is a compromise. Most contact lens wearers who became presbyopic (needing more help to see clearly at near range)opted for the reading glasses to wear with their contacts. Their vision was clearer. All things considered when you put your priorites in order...clear vision is most likely to top the list. Another thing...contact lenses require sufficient moisture and if your eyes "dry out" as they tend to do as we get older..you will also notice a decrease in clarity. So, my advice is to try them. If they work out for you great! If not...join the rest of us in the reading glasses brigade...there are enough of us now that we are making it "cool" to have them. Of course it helps that small frames are currently fashionable! |
Hillbilly | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 07:10 am     Okey dokey. I have the contacts in...they've been in for about an hour. I'm really quite pleased with them so far. I can watch TV AND pick up a book to read without any problems. These are the Acuvue Bifocal Contacts by Johnson and Johnson. The only problems so far was getting them into my eyes. They are so much thinner than the Cooper Toric's I've been using. It took over an hour to get these onion skin things in and then about 10 minutes ago I sneezed and one of them popped out so I had to put it back in...about 30 minutes. Hopefully, getting them in will get better. |
Marysafan | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 07:21 am     HIllbilly, Acuvue lenses are among the best (in my opinion). Yes, it is a booger bear handling those thin things (take heart...it does get easier with practice), but Johnson & Johnson has done an outstanding job of doing it's research and development. There is a reason why they have to be so thin....they simply work better and are more comfortable...and are much healthier for your eyes...allowing sufficient oxygen to pass through...and helping your eyes to stay moist. It is worth the hassel. |
Weinermr | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 07:38 am     Hillbilly, I've been wearing Acuvues for years, and it WILL get easier. Currently I wear the Acuvue2 lenses. They are not bifocal lenses, although I would benefit from either bifocal lenses or reading glasses. So far, I'm holding off on getting them, although there is definitely alot more squinting going on than there ever used to be. My wife uses the Focus lenses by CibaVision, and has, like you used to, one lens for near vision and one lens for distance. She swears by this method, but I don't want to try it. When it becomes a necessity, I'll get reading glasses to wear over my contact lenses. Good luck! |
Nanarobin | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 08:38 am     Ok...here is my 2 cents worth. I tried the bifocal contacts couple of years ago. They worked great for my reading vision, but I never was satisfied with the distance vision. So.. I went with the mono-vision extended wear lens. I have wonderful vision with them and admit that I love being able to 'see' all the time. Once in a while I have to re-program my brain by closing one eye and then the other to make vision correct!!! My old brain needs a kick start since it got over the fifty mark (57). I still find it hard to believe that the human brain knows which eye to see far and which one to read with!! I would recommend that anyone try them to see if they work. My sister is only 'reading impaired' due to age so wears only one clear lens in her 'reading' dominant eye. I am color conscious, so I love my 'pretty blue eyes' as I call my colored contacts!!! |
Katlady53 | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 09:16 am     I'm very interested in this conversation because I tried bifocal contacts a few years ago and didn't care for them. I'm extremely nearsighted, and my "bifocalness" is just starting to catch up with it. I wear regular contacts and reading glasses, but I'd love to be able to see all of the time with contacts. Maybe I need to give the newer ones another try. I didn't try to monovision because I've heard of people who got dizzy with them. Maybe I should try those, too? Argh! It's hell getting old! Lol! |
Nanarobin | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 09:59 am     Most docs will give you a free pair to try...it sure is worth the effort. I find mine very comfortable and never experience dizziness..well not due to contacts!!! ha ha.. Like I stated above, I sometimes kick start my old brain by closing one then other eye to 'reset' for the monovision. It certainly is great how the brain can adjust for near and far correction!! |
Hillbilly | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 10:29 am     Well...I went out driving to the post office, stores, etc., and so far so good. I can see distance great and can read mail (I always scan in the car) and am quite pleased with these contacts. I'll let you know how it goes the longer I wear them. One thing that may be different for me is that the old doc had said I had an astigmatism and was apparently correcting for it. This doc had some fancy gizmo machine that helped determine the focus of the eye, mapped the shape of the cornea, etc. It was very interesting. Anyway, this doc said I had a very, very small astigmatism and that it would be better to leave it alone. I got the impression that the other doc had overcorrected. This doc said the prescription I currently had was probably inducing an astigmatism instead of helping. I have had trouble focusing for a few months and had gone to wearing my bifocals all the time but even then if I was very tired, I had trouble staying focused. So, the short story is that maybe these are great for me because even if they're not perfect, they're better than what I had before. |
Hillbilly | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 10:54 am     http://www.acuvue.com/products/acuvue_bifocal_lens.html Here is a link that shows how the lense is designed. I thot it was pretty interesting. |
Hillbilly | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 05:11 pm     Okay...for those interested, here's an update. It's 7 pm...I've had the contacts in all day and I will have to be dragged kicking and screaming back to eyeglasses. These things are wonderful. I can watch TV, read my textbook, surf the internet and see clearly. I'm in love! |
Marysafan | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 05:16 pm     AWESOME! I am very happy for you Hillbilly! |
Weinermr | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 05:28 pm     Congrats Hillbilly! |
Lancecrossfire | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 05:29 pm     Hillbilly, that is great news!! Glad you found something that works so well in all the situations you mentioned. |
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