Bifocal Contact Lens Designs

Various Bifocal Lens Designs

Bifocal contact lens comes in many types or designs. Based on the way powers distributed on the lens, these lens designs can be divided into translating or alternating, simultaneous, and concentric vision styles.

Translating or Alternating

Translating contact lens is similar to that of a segmented or bifocal eyeglass, with distance vision on the top and near vision at the bottom. Here you'll see a line separating the powers.

The bottom edge of a translating contact lens is flat and weighted so it won't rotate on your eye. When you look straight ahead you'll use the distance portion of the lens. But when you look down, the lens will bring the near segment into your line of sight.

With translating designs work well both for a weak and a strong near vision correction. These designs also work for large pupils. But they aren't for you if your upper eyelids have begun to droop or if you have dry eyes. Both of the eye problems can cause difficulty in lens re-centering.

Aspheric Contact Lens

In aspheric design, the lens power changes gradually from the center to the edge of the lens. Here both the distance and near correction are within your pupil area. It means that whenever you look at an object you will see two images, one clear and the other blurred.

If you wear simultaneous contact lenses your eyes will locate and adjust the proper power for the correct distance. And your brain will then learn to see the clear image and ignore the blurred one.

Concentric Multifocal Contact Lenses

In concentric vision contact lenses the design places both distance and near correction in several concentric rings. Each of the concentric ring's circles provides different vision correction. In this design, the distance power is located in the center and the near power is on the periphery part of the lens, or vice versa. An extra ring for intermediate prescription may be added between the other two.

In a certain designs the intermediate and distance prescriptions are blended for a smooth transition from one to the next. These contact lenses work like progressive eyeglass lenses because the powers are finely distributed to different parts of the lens.

If you're an early presbyope, which means your near prescription is not too strong, this design might work well for you. But it isn't suitable for you if you have large pupil diameters.

Which Bifocal Contact Lens Design is Right for You?

The suitability of a certain design of bifocal lenses to your vision needs depend on the following factors: age, type of work, lighting conditions (for reading), shape of eye and size of pupil. An experienced eye doctor can adjust the variables to find the best contact lens fitting.

Some wearers are not satisfied with bifocal contact lenses. The main reasons are difficulty in fitting or longer adjustment periods and the quality of their visual clarity. But if you can accept compromise, bifocal contact lens is a good option.

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