It is quite common to find a lot of individuals, young or old, suffering from vision-related issues. Whether it is being far sighted or near sighted, or even both, eyesight issues are quite common and occur due to a number of causes. Wearing eye glasses can be a great option for those who wish to see the world in a clear and comfortable way.
However, there are many individuals who do not like the look and feel of eye glasses. In those cases, contact lenses can be a game changer. There are several types of contact lenses you can go for; and the two main ones are- multifocal and bifocal contact lenses.
Key difference you will find between bifocal and multifocal contact lenses
Bifocal Contact Lenses
As the name suggests, bifocal contact lenses distinctly divide the contact lens between two segments; one is for distance vision and the other is for near vision. These kinds of contact lenses can be worn by users who have trouble seeing near and far, both.
However, the little disadvantage of bifocal contacts is the fact that since the lens is so distinctly divided between two sections, the section in between the segments might not be particularly clear. This could give some issues in viewing the world clearly, for those who opt for these kinds of lenses.
Multifocal Contact Lenses
Multifocal contact lenses are far more versatile. They have multiple powers within the one contact lens; bifocal, progressive and trifocal lenses. These lenses allow the wearer to constantly change in between near and distant vision, without facing any blurriness in between. For this reason, multifocal contact lenses are gaining fast popularity and becoming the more popular choice between bifocal and multifocal contact lenses.
Bifocal or multifocal contact lenses are usually popular amongst people above the age of 40. This is because the eye sight starts to naturally get weaker after a certain age. While bifocal lenses were the more popular option once upon a time, multifocal lenses are now gaining fast popularity.
A few types of multifocal lenses you should know about
1. Simultaneous vision lenses
In these contact lenses, both the distant as well as the near power of the lenses are placed at the front of the lens. This means that your eyes and your brain are exposed to both the powers at the same time. After continued usage of these lenses, the brain slowly becomes accustomed to it, and is able to clearly differentiate between both powers without any issues in between. The types of simultaneous vision lenses you can explore are-
- Concentric Ring Designs; where either of the distant or the near power is placed in the middle of the lens, with the alternating power placed outside it in the form of a ring.
- Aspheric Designs; a progressive style of multifocal contact lenses where the near and distance visions are both blended together at the surface of the lens.
2. Alternating vision, or translating lenses
These multifocal lenses are designed just like bifocal lenses; the top part of the contact lens has distance power while the bottom part of the lens has near power. As the wearer looks up or straight ahead, the distance part of the contact lens is used for viewing the world. As soon as the wearer looks down, he is able to view nearer objects with clarity.
Multifocal contact lenses are gaining a lot of popularity due to their versatile nature. However, bifocal contact lenses are still a very popular choice, and can be worn according to the comfort level of the wearer. After using both contact lenses for a period of time, you can decide which one works better for you and your needs.
