Eye Health Facts
Is that a cataract I can see growing over my eye?
Probably not. Cataract refers to cloudiness or opacitiy in the lens of the eye. The lens of the eye sits in behind the pupil, well inside the eye. Most of the time cataracts are not visible looking at the eye. In very advanced cases you might notice the pupil is greyish rather than black, but that's all you'd see.
If you're look at your eye and seeing something growing over it, chances are you're looking at a pterygium. Connective tissue growths, they are typically seen in people who spend lots of time outdoors, appearing white, but easily become inflamed in dry or dusty conditions. They can be removed surgically if they encroach too far across the eye.
If you're watching anything growing across your eye, it's best to get it checked out.
Eye Health Facts
Can I get bifocal contact lenses?
Multifocal contact lenses are available, with the lens varying in strength from the centre to the edge.
They work in a different way to bifocal or progressive glasses - instead of moving your eyes to look through a different section of the lens, with multifocal contact lenses light at different focusses is available at any point of gaze. Your visual system then figures out, somehow, which to ignore and which to give attention to.
See here also for other ways contact lenses can be used to correct vision for close work.