Experience with multifocal contacts.

[N80]

I've gone down the typical path of hitting forty and losing my near vision. Did readers for years. Now losing distance as well. Went to eye doctor last yer and got progressive glasses. Took me a while to get used to them and then for a while they were so much better than readers hanging around my neck.

Now I'm getting sick of the glasses. They are always dirty. I have a very hard time hunting with them in regard to scopes and binoculars. Also, you can't really look sideways at something whether it is a deer in the woods or an approaching car at an intersection....you have to turn your whole head. They are very frustrating when working on a car or tractor in tight spaces. They don't stay on when looking underneath something, etc. Plus I've chipped the lenses (and these suckers were expensive).

So, I'm thinking about multifocal contacts. I think I can get used to the 'multifocal' aspect of them but not sure about the 'contact' aspect of them. I've never worn contacts.

So I'm curious about folks in their 50's or so who have transitioned to multifocal contacts. How did you do with them? Like them better than glasses? Problems? Expense? Daily wear? Extended wear? Etc.? Any help appreciated.

 

[dmccarty]

...
So I'm curious about folks in their 50's or so who have transitioned to multifocal contacts. How did you do with them? Like them better than glasses? Problems? Expense? Daily wear? Extended wear? Etc.? Any help appreciated.

Even though I am not YET in my 50's, , I have tried the multi focal contacts. My doc let me try a pair for free but I did not like them all. Having to move my head to get the right focal length lined up correctly to see was not working for me. We struck a balance on my contact prescription that gives me some close vision at the expense of far objects. I still have to use reading glasses I get from the dollar store. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Worst part is shooting a pistol and getting a focus on the front site. Reading glasses would help but are not really practical in that situation but if I squint everything works out. Also, I figure The Squint makes me look "bad" like Clint! Clint Eastwood that is! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Or maybe I just look like I am in my 50's with bad eyes? :confused3::shocked:

Before I turned 40, the eye doc said to get ready, you will need reading classes soon. I figured no way! I figured wrong and he sure was right.

Later,
Dan

 

[N80]

I have tried the multi focal contacts. My doc let me try a pair for free but I did not like them all. Having to move my head to get the right focal length lined up correctly to see was not working for me.

You have to do that with progressive glasses but I don't see why you would have to move your head with multifocal contacts. Of course there are different types of multifocals. The 'concentric' ones interest me the most.

For shooting a pistol or using a peep sight, my progressive glasses actually work okay. Technically even with good eyes you can't precisely focus on the front sight and the target. My progressives do this fairly well (and it did take a good two weeks to get used to them. I've heard the same about the contacts.) Driving with these glasses is okay too, as long as you are looking straight ahead the dash and straight out the window are both sharp. Looking side to side or looking in the mirrors are hard. I take my 350Z to the track (or used to until I crashed it at VIR in October...not because of the glasses) and looking straight up the track or even through the corners is okay. Keeping track of cars behind and beside me was difficult with the glasses.

Truly hoping these contacts are the answer.

 

[gsganzer]

I went through this same issue. I had progressive glasses, but I hated the field of view. You'll also notice you can't tell if anything is level, plumb or flat wearing progressives. I also hunt a lot and I hated the fogging glasses and the hassle with binoculars. I couldn't get used to contacts or putting something in my eye either.

I ended up getting LASIK in my shooting eye , corrected for distance, my other eye can read just fine without correction. I did have some issues with my LASIK, that ultimately required me to have PRK instead with a much longer healing time.

That being said, you might want to try 2 different contacts. Have them put in a correction for distance in your shooting eye and a correction for reading in the other eye. If it works out for you, you can have LASIK that mimics the contacts and you'll be free of glasses and contacts. I will say this, give it about 6 months to get used to the contacts, it takes the brain a while to adjust. I had mine done in August and I'm still getting used to it. I'm not quite fully adjusted, but I think I'll get there. If you try it with the contacts, everything is fully correctable and reversible.

 

[RSKY]

I am nearsighted, can see up close but not far off. So I have no contact in my right, dominate, eye and a fairly strong one for my left eye. When I read I do so with my right eye, for far vision I depend on my left. You still have stereoscopic vision because you are using both eyes but you unconsciously ignore the information from the blurred eye. Sounds weird but it works.

If I am doing some work that calls for very close work I will take my contact out so both eyes are short range. I also have a box of contacts for the eye that I normally do not wear them in. They are about half strength of the others. This is for hunting or whatever but I rarely wear them. The box is probably out of date by now.

I started wearing contacts when I was in my twenties and I am very close to sixty now. My first set were hard flexible plastic and could only be worn for about twelve hours without having sore eyelids the next day. I now wear the oxygen permeable throw away type. I take very good care of my eyes. Even though you can wear the lenses for a month I throw mine away about every seven to ten days. As soon as they start getting dirty, and you can tell, they go in the trash.

If you do get this type you will probably do as I do and have bottles of eye drops stationed around your house. I put these in as soon as possible after I wake up and that is the only care I give my lenses other than inserting a new one after throwing a dirty one out. If they get dirty they are discarded, never cleaned.

With contacts you can wear sunglasses, welding goggles, safety glasses, or a scuba mask with no problem. I have worn them for so many years that I have no problems putting them in or taking them out. I can sit here and put my finger up against my eyeball with no problem. Some people cannot do this. A friend and I spent over an hour one time trying to put a contact in his sixteen year old son's eye. The doctor had inserted them the day before, Greg got them out that night but could not get them in the next morning. We got him on the floor, his dad would hold his upper eyelid and I would hold the lower and would try to insert the contact. He would blink. Finally had his dad using both hands on the upper lid, his mom holding the lower lid with both her hands, and me trying to put the lens in. He would blink. When we finally gave up the kid looked like he had gone three rounds with a heavyweight boxer. He still wears glasses twenty years later.

I simply cannot imagine my life without my contact lenses.

 

[grsthegreat]

I've gone down the typical path of hitting forty and losing my near vision. Did readers for years. Now losing distance as well. Went to eye doctor last yer and got progressive glasses. Took me a while to get used to them and then for a while they were so much better than readers hanging around my neck. Now I'm getting sick of the glasses. They are always dirty. I have a very hard time hunting with them in regard to scopes and binoculars. Also, you can't really look sideways at something whether it is a deer in the woods or an approaching car at an intersection....you have to turn your whole head. They are very frustrating when working on a car or tractor in tight spaces. They don't stay on when looking underneath something, etc. Plus I've chipped the lenses (and these suckers were expensive). So, I'm thinking about multifocal contacts. I think I can get used to the 'multifocal' aspect of them but not sure about the 'contact' aspect of them. I've never worn contacts. So I'm curious about folks in their 50's or so who have transitioned to multifocal contacts. How did you do with them? Like them better than glasses? Problems? Expense? Daily wear? Extended wear? Etc.? Any help appreciated.

personally im in my 50's and i wear contact lenses. LOVE THEM. hate glasses.

I use a setup called monovision . The left lens is set for reading and the right is set for distance. I can read anything without any issues, and can see distance just fine.

The eyes learn to compensate. It took a few weeks to get used to it, but ive been using them for over 5 years now. very happy . I tried bifocal glasses...hated them. I didnt like my vision to change as i tilted my head.

 

[kenmac]

George, If / when you decide to try these . Please report back and let us know how they work out for you. I also have these progressive glasses (just started wearing glasses) and like you, if there's something better I would change in a second. I really don't like these glasses

 

[Stick895]

I started with hard contacts in 1970 and have progressed through every permutation since then, YMMV, but as you get older your eyes dry out and don't lubricate even the soft lenses as well, hence they don't float and stabilize as they are supposed to, a hindrance for progressives. My $.02 and solution, just go back to glasses as the adjustments are at least consistent.

 

[bucktaker]

same issue hear with the progressives simply hate them going to the doc soon to explore the options for contacts.....have worn them a little over the years but was never a fan due to tired eyes. But these progressive lenses are the worst.

My wife really likes it when I wear contacts so thats a plus...

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I have been wearing contacts for about 36 years. (I'm 53 now).

I started with gas permeable hard lenses.

Now that I need something for reading, I have gone to soft multifocal lenses. I am not having much success with them. In fact, I picked up a new trial pair yesterday. My problem is that I can not read with the multifocal and have to carry a pair of 'cheaters' with me anyway.

My eyedoctor thinks it may be a 'dry eye' issue. He says that the contacts will be blurred if my eyes are too dry. I am trying to use more eye drops through the day to see if that helps.

I can read and see distance just fine with my glasses, but I just don't like wearing glasses. Most of my work is outdoors, and I prefer to wear safety sunglasses.

I asked about surgery, and my doctor said that is probably not a good option at my age.

And, yesterday I tried one lens for reading and the other for distance, and I couldn't see anything.

I also have the issue of only being able to focus directly in front of my eyes when wearing the glasses.