Bi-Focal Contact Lenses & Alternative Tricks? Anybody Experiences/Knowledge

[Psamathe]

I need glasses only for reading, distance vision still perfect. I need new glasses more because existing ones falling apart a bit.

A year ago I had an eye test in a reputable chain bricks & mortar optician. Was measured in-store for glasses, got them fitted in-store. They were dreadful, computer screen sides badly not parallel, bad distortion. So they repeated the eye test (not much change), re-measured lens positioning, etc. and new pair which were also dreadful (same reasons). So they refunded all money paid and I headed off travelling.

Now need to think again as really need new pair. Frames are "difficult" as I find them uncomfortable so minimal titanium which seems to be very out of fashion so no choice and only option is memory metal which couldn't be bent to fit properly meaning very uncomfortable after 10 mins wearing.

But also fed-up with having glasses on string round my neck, peering over the top of glasses, phone rings whilst cycling and can't read it 'cos glasses in bar bag ...

Opticians have always told me I'd hate bi/vari-focal contact lenses but I'm now at the point of hating current arrangements and not optimistic about going to different optician for glasses (given last year's experiences).

So I'm thinking about bi/vari focal contact lenses supplemented with glasses (e.g for long term travels where carrying stocks of contacts not practical).

My assumption is I'd go for bi/vari focal lenses rather than single focal in one eye and nothing in other (which apparently works but sounds horrible).

One aspect to the contacts is if I get distortion or difficulty I can stop using them, investment is maybe one box, maybe a spare for stock.

Anybody have any experiences with these types of contacts. Advice, suggestions, etc. all appreciated.

Thanks
Ian

[sjs]

I am an occasional user of multifocal contacts (Cooper Vision Clariti 1-day multifocals, for what it's worth). I am pretty long-sighted, basic prescription around +4, and these days needing significant addition for near work. The lenses work well for me, in fact better than I expected. But if I need to read small print in dim light, especially of an evening, I would still usually switch to my varifocal glasses.

But, multifocal lenses are not perfect, and do take some getting used to, and involve some optical compromises. You seem quite exacting in what you expect from your glasses, so, while you might be as pleasantly surprised as I was, I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't.

[Bonefishblues]

My optician advised a different lens in each eye (one long, one short iyswim) and let the brain sort it out. Still can't get my head around that so have never tried it, I'm afraid

[peetee]

Yes. I wore single vision lenses for near-on 30 years with no issues whatsoever then age took over and I had to start using varifocal glasses so I could continue my manual work.
I thought I’d give bi-focal lenses a go (actually one near-specific and one distance-specific lens). I’m on my third test pair now and can’t get the prescription right. They seem fine in the fitting room but my eyes (or maybe, eye?) just can’t sustain reading with them in ‘the real world’ although they are perfectly ok for distance.

[irc]

I use bifocals from Specsavers. Minimal distance prescription and +2 for reading. Wear them all the time and just forget they are on. It's one thing I wouldn't buy online. Apart from the pupil distance the line between the main lense and the close vision insert needs to be in the right place.

Edit Sorry I see you are looking for contacts. It;s glasses I wear.

[Psamathe]

I use bifocals from Specsavers. Minimal distance prescription and +2 for reading. Wear them all the time and just forget they are on. It's one thing I wouldn't buy online. Apart from the pupil distance the line between the main lense and the close vision insert needs to be in the right place.

Contacts or glasses? Both times opticians made glasses (that were bad) they carefully did those measurements (face to gave in-store) but still glasses were not right. Do they do the same measurements for bifocal contact lenses?
Edit: Sorry, my post, your edit crossed. Ignore above as your edit answers question re glasses or contacts.

Thanks everybody. Really helpful stuff. More I know before going to optician, more likely I'll get a good solution. I get a free eye test every year but am happy to pay gor a 2nd elsewhere if I'm not happy with optician (eye tests are cheap compared to glasses or contact lenses).

Thanks
Ian

[peetee]

As I understand it, it’s not possible to make a bifocal contact lens. Bifocal glasses work because your eye can move independently and you can look through any part of the spectacle lens. Contact lenses are shaped to fit over the iris and move with your eye so you are always looking through the centre of the lens.
Bifocal lenses, therefore, are just a lens over one eye with the right power to provide near-sight capability and another lens over the other eye for distance-sight.

[thirdcrank]

My optician advised a different lens in each eye (one long, one short iyswim) and let the brain sort it out. Still can't get my head around that so have never tried it, I'm afraid

Isn't that how prescription spectacles work?

[Psamathe]

As I understand it, it’s not possible to make a bifocal contact lens. Bifocal glasses work because your eye can move independently and you can look through any part of the spectacle lens. Contact lenses are shaped to fit over the iris and move with your eye so you are always looking through the centre of the lens.
Bifocal lenses, therefore, are just a lens over one eye with the right power to provide near-sight capability and another lens over the other eye for distance-sight.

Not what I've been told (by opticians

...Bifocal contact lenses are lenses that offer two different prescriptions in a single lens....

Opticians told me the different lens over each eye is one solution , bifocals a different solution.

Ian

[sjs]

As I understand it, it’s not possible to make a bifocal contact lens. Bifocal glasses work because your eye can move independently and you can look through any part of the spectacle lens. Contact lenses are shaped to fit over the iris and move with your eye so you are always looking through the centre of the lens.
Bifocal lenses, therefore, are just a lens over one eye with the right power to provide near-sight capability and another lens over the other eye for distance-sight.

As per my post above, you can get multifocal contacts, which work surprisingly well, given the compromises involved. They do rely on some interpretation by brain power, but not on using one eye for near and the other for far vision.

[Eammno]

As I understand it, it’s not possible to make a bifocal contact lens. Bifocal glasses work because your eye can move independently and you can look through any part of the spectacle lens. Contact lenses are shaped to fit over the iris and move with your eye so you are always looking through the centre of the lens.
Bifocal lenses, therefore, are just a lens over one eye with the right power to provide near-sight capability and another lens over the other eye for distance-sight.

No, different lenses on each eye is a different solution to the same problem that some are happy with.
Bifocal contact lenses work by using concentric rings of the two correction factors, the eye learns which to use for distance or close up. My optician compared the effect with a shop window, you can focus on the reflection in the window, or the far side of the window.
I did a trial of many different combinations of strength for the near and far corrections I needed, but wasn't comfortable with either correction. So, for example, as I told the optician, I ride a bike and need to see a drivers eyes for cars waiting to pull out to give me some confirmation the driver has seen me. I found the bifocal contact lenses weren't good enough to allow me to see that.

[peetee]

Well I never. I sit, well and truly corrected. I can only assume my optician doesn’t stock these as they were never offered or mentioned to me as an option.

[Jdsk]

"corrected"

: - )

Jonathan

[toontra]

As per my post above, you can get multifocal contacts, which work surprisingly well, given the compromises involved. They do rely on some interpretation by brain power, but not on using one eye for near and the other for far vision.

I've been using these for a few years now and on the whole they work well, although it took a while to adapt. I'm quite short-sighted and used to use lenses for this, latterly monovision, but as age-related reading issues progressed in I moved over to multifocals. The only real downsides are difficulty reading in low light and being dazzled by bright lights at night.

[briansnail]

Some friends find it difficult to adapt to bifocals.Note also many people get cataract surgery 50 - 100 years.