Does anyone have soft bifocal contact lenses? Are you happy with the results? Did it take you long to get used to the lenses? I’m in the process of getting soft bifocal contact lenses and I’m having a very hard time. I have had 6 different sets of lenses in the past 8 weeks and still can’t see well. The eye dr. told me it could be a long process but I’m getting very discouraged.
Right now I’m not happy with my vision, both near and far. I’m stuggling to see distance and struggling to read. I’m getting headaches from straining so hard. Is this normal?
The eye dr. said it takes a while to ‘tweak’ things because if you change the distance, it effects the reading, and then vice versa. I’m so unhappy right now and I’m not enjoying knitting, reading, even watching tv, as much as I used to because I can’t see as well.
What they did for me was give me one side near and one side distant - seemed to work well for me. They didn’t want to go bifocal lenses because I only wear contacts to perform; so having the disparate eyes is easier to adjust then learning to cope with the befocal lenses.
I tried bifocals for about 10 years and finally gave up. As I got older my far vision started to improve so that now I only wear distance glasses for driving; and very weak (1.25 lenses) for very fine closeup work. Good luck. Ellie
I am only wearing one contact lense to correct both my near vision and my far.
Its called monoviosion. It took a little while to get used to but I love it.
I wear hard lenses and have the one for distance/other for near and it works well. They call it “Monovision”. It took a day to get used to but so far it’s been good except for siting a rifle…which I never do. I asked about the bifocals and my Dr. said they were just too difficult to get used to.
I have wore contacts my whole life, and have worn bifocal contacts for maybe 8 years? maybe more… long time… I LOVE them…yes your brain needs to learn how to focus on things near and far…I did not have a hard time…You need to go to a good dr…it is kind of a specialty to be able to fit them… make sure your dr… I would try different types…I just really love them…it s not perfect but my vision is like really bad withouth them…I hope things work out for you
I am in the group that did not like them. Like you I couldn’t see very good with them. I tried like heck to get used to them. It was as if I didn’t have glasses on. So back to the regular glasses again. This was almost 15 years ago and I see that it hasn’t gotten any better. Oh well . Good luck on either way you go.
Thanks everyone! I appreciate your responses. I guess I’ll hang in there a little longer with the bifocal lenses, but if it doesn’t get better soon I think I’ll try monovision. If that doesn’t work, I guess I’ll have to go back to glasses, but I haven’t worn glasses since 6th grade!
I have to chime in here…I never wore glasses till the 40 ish thing started happening…you start out with drug-store 100 then you can go all the way to 2.50, then it’s like what the --ll is going on here…Well my doc says “My eyes are getting older” happens to everyone…I CAN NOT DO BIFOCALS (LENSES OR CONTACTS) CAN NOT DO MONOVISION (makes me want to barf) well, right now I am “trying” my prescription lenses as contacts then using reading (drugstore 2.50 over them) then, I just picked up some glasses (waste of $75.00 my insurance picked up the rest) cause they are bifocals (without lines) hate em!!! So, as I type now,I am back too my good ole dollar readers…Good Luck Oh yea, one more thing I have astigmatism in my right eye so drug store readers work only on my left
I have never used contacts. When I needed bifocals I went straight to progressive lenses. I guess because I never used the lined ones I got used to progressive really quick. Other people have a terrible time getting used to them and some just don’t. I don’t think they can make my glasses any stronger but I do well with these. As long as i can knit and read I am all set.
I never could get used to mine so I’m back to dime store readers. I wonder if something was wrong with mine though. I don’t think I should see double after wearing them for awhile… right? :doh:
At age 11, my glasses were having to be strengthened every year and at the time, I was told that wearing contacts would slow this down and it did. I have astigmatism, a hazy outline on hazy main objects except for within 12-14" of my eyes. Believe me, you don’t want me driving without contacts. After wearing them for several years, only had to have them strengthened about every 5-6 years… they’ve been a sight-saver for me. Glasses actually have a short distance before they correct the vision and having side vision means turning your head. With contacts, although strange to put in the eye, this side vision is corrected and available. I’m not a candidate for lasic surgery so contacts will have to do.
Strangely though, when I reached 40 and a time when most people’s eyes start needing reading glasses, my nearsitedness actually improved and I’ve had the same strength lenses for the past ten years. My eye appt. is next week and I suspect that they’ll change them to a lower strength. I do wear glasses about 2 hours of the day. There is an extreme difference in my site with the glasses as opposed to lenses although they’re the same prescription.
I was going to have laser surgery on my eyes until my school board gave me my pink slip. (Hopefully, I will be rehired soon–state passed the education budget today!) Now, I’m going to try the biofocal contacts. I have an appointment latter part of June. Keep us informed on how your fittings go.
My vison got so bad that the last 5-6 years that I was wearing contact lens… I did have one eye for up close vision and one eye had a contact for distance vision… and when I had the lasik surgery about 5 years ago… they did the same thing when they corrected my vision… one eye does the up close vision and the other distance viewing… works for me.
I remember that the first time that I had the new contact lens in… it did take a few hours… to retrain the eyes to work together like they had to- with their new way of seeing things… but, it wasn’t difficult, a problem… no headaches or anything like that.
[B]but, my contacts were just regular semi-hard contact lens… not bi-focals…[/B] the only difference is that one lens was for looking up close and one was made for distance vison…
(Which I don’t understand how bi-focal contact lens would even work… since, the contacts float around in your eye… unless they are weighted or something so that the bi-focal part is always at the bottom?? So, you look through that… like you do with bi-focal glasses?) Maybe it’s like magic?
I wore contacts for about 30 yrs and then started with the bifocals. I could never see well with the bifocal lenses and finally just went with glasses. I have now had cataract surgery on one eye and am wearing a lens in the other eye until I have surgery on it in a few weeks.
I hated wearing glasses and could never see well up close unless I looked over the top of my glasses, even though they were progressive lenses.
Getting older is not for sissies!!:roflhard:
If you have astigmatism, the eye doctor can put extra weighting in the bottom of them to keep them from moving around. Contact lenses get uncomfortable when they dry out while you’re wearing them. They sell rewetting drops that you can apply to make them feel better. I discovered that all rewetting drops are is saline solution. A big bottle of saline is under $5. A tiny little bottle of rewetting drops is almost $10. I saved my tiny rewetting drops bottle, prised the cap off, and filled it up with my big saline solution bottle. Just a money saving tip for contact lens wearers.
I wear contact lenses and have bifocal glasses to wear when not wearing the contacts. Tried the bifocal contacts and could never get used to them so I just use the dimestore readers over my regular contacts. I am relying on them too much though and can see just going back to glasses. I can’t even read labels in stores without getting out these readers. Had to ask the clerk to check yarn dyelots for me one day when I forgot them - embarassing!
. Good luck on either way you go.