Question
I used to enjoy wearing contact lenses in my twenties and thirties but when I started to wear progressives in my forties I stopped wearing my contacts. I am considering giving contacts a try again, to wear occasionally for certain activities. What are my options?
Answer
The good news is that there are several solid contact lens options today for people who need correction for presbyopia. One popular choice is multifocal contact lenses. These work much like progressive lenses in glasses, with different zones or a gradient of powers built into the lens for near and distance vision, and your eyes learn to use whichever zone the moment calls for. Another approach is monovision, where one eye is fitted for distance and the other for near, and your brain learns to favor whichever eye suits the task at hand. Some people take to this immediately, while others never quite get comfortable with it, but since you will start out with a trial fitting rather than investing in a big supply of lenses right out of the gate it can be worth testing out to see if it works for you.
If you’d rather keep things simple, you could also wear single-vision contacts for distance, just as you did years ago, and layer reading glasses on top when you need near vision. This works especially well if you mainly want contacts for something like sports or a night out, and don’t mind reaching for readers when needed.
A practical note to keep in mind: fitting for either multifocal or monovision contacts tends to involve more trial and error than standard lenses, so you should expect to try a pair of lenses, wear them for a few days, and return for adjustments, which means budgeting for a couple of fitting visits. If you are due for an eye exam, start by booking an appointment and mention you are interested in revisiting the possibility of wearing contact lenses again. If you had an eye health exam recently but didn’t talk about contacts at the visit, feel free to schedule a fitting to explore your contact lenses options specifically. They can definitely be a great option to have for those times when you want to be glasses-free but also don’t want to miss a thing.
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At Mayfair Optometric Clinic we provide a welcoming environment for patients to receive eye exams and pick out the perfect eyewear that works for each individual. Please give us a call to book your appointment with Dr. Peddle or myself.
