Multi-focal contact lenses

[mattonthesea]

Last year I took advantage of a month's free contact lenses offer. They have these wonderful concentric focus lenses so rather than looking down to see near, you brain works out part of your retina is seeing in focus (or something like that). Fantastic for sailing I thought. I can wear sunglasses and take them off when checking the chart below. However, I find that, good though they are, I cannot read small print (ie the chart) with them. I am not sure whether this is a failing of the lenses or the prescription and my needs seem to be outside the ordinary for the opticians.

Has anyone else had this problem? I have wondered about asking for lenses focussed for infinity and nearby and then using reading glasses. My needs are complicated by the sun; I sneeze in bright sunlight but reactolites aren't fast enough to see the chart below without too long a pause from up on deck.

 

[DinghyMan]

I wear varifocal glasses and for contacts have one for distance and one for close up, and like you say the brain sorts it out, a bit weird at first and took a bit of getting used to but great for sailing and diving.
Might be worth asking your optician about it as its easier than having to use reading glasses for se up stuff.

 

[sailingmartin]

I’ve had the same problem with varifocal contact lenses. As far as I understand the issue, the lenses are too small to cope with the extremes of both long and short sight at the same time, unlike larger gasses lenses. You can chop off the extreme at either end, but will then have to wear glasses for reading or distance. However, having to have reading glasses around rather defeats the object of using lenses! I reverted back to using my varifocal glasses. Hopefully the technology of lense manufacture will solve this problem eventually.

 

[doug748]

As you are suggesting, I use reading glasses for close work, they are cheap, light to wear and convenient to buy. It is a bit of a fuss to take off sunglasses and put on reading glasses and sometimes just better to have a magnifier by the chart table.

Depending on your age you will probably be forced do it anyway, in the fullness of time.

 

[Hacker]

I’ve had my lens replaced with intraocular implants (had a rip in one of my lenses). I was very short sighted -11 and of an age where laser surgery wouldn’t work. I had a discussion with the surgeon about single or multifocus lenses (bi or tri focal). The relevant issue for me was a potential increase in flare and halo’s when going for multi focal. In the end I plumped for monofocal set to correct for middle to long distance (as I wanted them to be usable for sailing and hockey). I decided to have a pair of varifocal glasses with plain glass at the top and a reading adjustment in the bottom. This works brilliantly for me as I didn’t want to be taking glasses on and off

 

[blush2]

I tried them when they were fairly new. I found I couldn't read very small print (I have take my varifocals off to do this).

But more problematical was driving when distant traffic lights appeared doubled. The optician said this was common. It probably would have been a problem when navigating but as I suffered from dry eyes I stopped wearing them for more than a couple of hours at a time, IE for vanity purposes only.

 

[Ningaloo]

I also had lens replacement following cataracts and went for multi focal lenses. Transformed my life, having been -6.5 shortsighted since a child.
I now have perfect distance and midrange vision and good near version. I do have some difficulty in low light or low contrast (restaurant menus with yellow on brown or similar), and I do have a pair of reading glasses for these situations but I can read a book or newspaper fine without them.
I only wish this surgery had been available to me earlier in life. There is a reluctance to replace a natural lens until it is damaged by cataracts, but if it doesn't focus, why not use an artificial lens that will?

 

[Stemar]

Milady had the same thing. She now has as near perfect distance vision as we can tell without a proper eye test, and can see better than she ever could, even with glasses. Cheap and cheerful reading glasses take care of reading.

All the same, I do understand the reluctance to do it until it's really necessary. Any surgery has risks, and a small number of cataract operations do go wrong, which can leave people blind in one eye. I understand that's why they do one eye at a time, so a faulty batch of lenses or a failure of asepsis doesn't take out both eyes.

 

[Ingwe]

Couple of things to pick up on from the replies above.

On the contact lens side of things multifocal contact lenses are a compromise for any one over the age of 55, basically the better you make the reading the worse the distance gets and vice versa, also on the higher reading powers they start to cause contrast sensitivity problems and issues with driving at night. You can achieve a reasonable compromise on most people to give them good distance vision and the ability to read about 12 point print in good light and the patient uses a pair of cheap +1.50D reading glasses over them for small print - but you aren't going to achieve the ability of reading a chart whilst still maintaining good distance vision just with contact lenses, without going to monovision but that causes other problems from a sailing point of view.

Regarding doing implants it isn't so much that the consultants want there to be some cataract present it is more that they want the patient to be old enough so that it is unlikely that they will live long enough to require a replacement implant , as most people recon on an average lifespan for an implant of 30 years (they build up protein on them eventually) most of the consultants I know are happy to consider clear lens replacement (cataract operation without cataract present for refractive purposes) once someone is in their late fifties.

 

[Daydream believer]

I have 2 pairs of glasses which are always hung round my neck on cords. One pair long range. The other is a shorter range but adjusted more for watching TV, working in my workshop, or on the boat where range is suited best at 10 ft. That suits many tasks on the boat. Down below I can read most things but I do have a large glass magnifying glass for when my eyes are tired or at night to help read small figs on a chart. I have spares at home & in my workshop as well.
My optician has suggested varifocal glasses, but I am concerned that as a heavy seasick & more importantly Migraine , sufferer, my eyes may not adjust quick enough to the different range focus. One does not look at a single point for more than a second or two but ones vision is constantly on the move requiring instant range adjustment to the brain.
How do others find that varifocal spectacles affect seasickness- if at all ?

 

[Muxey]

I have used the for few years for riding motorcycles I told the optician what I wanted them for but needed to read the sat nav and written directions stuck to my tank,
They gave me a prescription plus a little extra power lenses and they have been excellent for a few years,
I have just used up my supply had a new eye test but with the correct
Prescription distance perfect but need the extra for close up .
Have a word with the optician, they said it's not a problem as ì only use them when riding the bike.

 

[mattonthesea]

Thanks for all your ideas. I think what I might do is try the one eye short and one eye long for awhile. If I can't get used to that then I'll probably go for varifocal long and medium and use reading glasses with them for close up.

 

[neilf39]

I have had multifocals for three years now. I have my dominant eye set for distance and my other set for reading. Works fine unless light levels are very low or your eyes are very tired. Distance not so much the issue then but I find I need low power reading glasses then. It is great having contacts for sailing when it is misty or raining. I could never see a thing then in glasses.

 

[Ningaloo]

Regarding doing implants it isn't so much that the consultants want there to be some cataract present it is more that they want the patient to be old enough so that it is unlikely that they will live long enough to require a replacement implant , as most people recon on an average lifespan for an implant of 30 years (they build up protein on them eventually) most of the consultants I know are happy to consider clear lens replacement (cataract operation without cataract present for refractive purposes) once someone is in their late fifties.

Thanks for this. I hadn't factored in the lifetime of the artificial lens. Super happy with mine. I was late 50's when I got them. Apart from my inherent short sightedness, I was really struggling with cataracts and was advised that I only qualified to drive with my right eye.
20 minutes operation for such a change!

 

[Concerto]

I have been wearing contact lenses for over 40 years and I am now 68. For about 20 years I have worn bifocal contact lenses. Only in the past 6 months have I had any problem with reading. Been trying a few different combinations. Everyone talks of 20 20 vision, but for decades I had 24 24 vision. This has now dropped to 22 22 vision and my optician says I have way above average vision with my contact lenses. Earlier this year I set a way point to cross the Thames Esturay via Fishermans Gap and I could pick out the buoy at 2¼ miles without binoculars. This used to be closer to 3 miles when I was in my late 20's, but still better than any other crew member I have ever sailed with.

 

[sailingmartin]

How do others find that varifocal spectacles affect seasickness- if at all ?

For me, a sometimes fellow seasickness sufferer, I find my varifocal glasses make no difference to seasickness.

 

[tudorsailor]

I have multifocal contacts and I too have one eye dominant for reading and the other dominant for distance. I rarely use reading glasses now. Distance is still good. Took a little to time to get the prescription balanced for reading and distance. So worth persevering

 

[mattonthesea]

Update

After chatting with my optician I am trying mid/distance lenses plus reading glasses at the chart table. Over last three weeks from Kent to Harlem we've had sun, wind and rain and it's great to be able to see at sea again. The only thing is that I'm having to remember how to relax vision when reading; otherwise I get a bit woozy.

 

[Concerto]

The idea of touching your eye feels unnatural. Then putting something on the pupil takes a fair bit of getting used to, not to mention removing the lens. Once you are used to contact lenses, you will realise just how liberating they are. No rain spots or condensing up like glasses are the biggest benefits.