Contact Lenses
CLs for over 40s
From mid-forties and on, everyone's vision changes as the eyes' focus become less flexible. The process is called presbyopia, and the outward sign of it is people holding books further away, reaching for reading glasses, getting bifocals etc. So what contact lens options are available for the 40s-plus age group?
There have been quite a few ways devised for contact lenses to achieve both distance and near focus. Each method has its own features and limitations, and what will work best for you depends not only on your eye health and optical prescription but also on your visual needs and expectations. Most methods require some adaptation time.
Presbyopic contact lens options include
- Multifocal contact lenses
- Monovision correction -changing the contact lens strength in one eye to aid reading
- Near work glasses to wear over the top of contact lenses
- as well as combinations of the above
Multifocal contact lenses vary in strength across the lens. Unlike bifocal or progressive spectacle lenses which vary in strength depending on where you move your eyes to look through, multifocal lenses supply light at different focusses to your eye, and your eyes and brain sort out which focus distance to concentrate on.
Monovision relies on wearing a contact lens that is clear for long distance in your dominant eye, and a contact lens clear for near work in your other eye. It may sound a little strange at first, but this method works successfully in many people.
Combinations of contact lenses and spectacles are often used to help out near work, especially if reading correction is only needed occasionally. 'Over-readers' can also be used to top-up the focus for fine tasks for wearers of multifocal contacts.
There are lots of different type and combinations possible; so if you're at the age where you need assistance for reading, come in to Sharpe and Fowler and find out what contact lens options can work for you.
Eye Health Facts
Do exercises help eyes?
Each eye's movements are controlled by 6 different muscles - so when you move your eyes 12 different muscles are needing to work in co-operation. Luckily for most people, this all happens without having to think about it. Some people do have trouble co-ordinating the movements and the focus of their eyes, and so for these people eye exercises are helpful, leading to clearer and more comfortable vision.
However it's important to know the limitation of eye exercises. For many conditions eye exercises don't help at all. Be sure to know the cause of your vision problem before starting eye exercises - so that the right treatment is given, and so that you don't spend a lot of time exercising for no benefit.
Ask an Optometrist
Do you have questions about eye health?