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Bifocal Alternatives

Bifocal glasses correct vision for distance and vision for near viewing -- but these lenses have a number of downfalls. For example, many patients want to avoid the unsightly division line between the two powers in bifocal lenses. Bifocal lenses also have areas that appear blurry because of the change in lens power. Newer alternatives do not have these problems, and come in a variety of types.

  1. Bifocal Contact Lenses

    • Bifocal contact lenses work in a similar way to bifocal lenses, in that each lens contains two powers. The top power corrects vision for distance, while the bottom power corrects vision for near viewing. Bifocal contact lenses are available in soft and rigid varieties, though patients sometimes find it too hard to adjust to bifocal contacts and opt for another solution.

    Monovision Contact Lenses

    • Monovision contact lenses are unique because the left and right lenses are corrected differently. With this alternative, one eye is corrected to see distance, while the other is corrected for closeup tasks including reading. Monovision contact lenses take some adjustment and not everyone can tolerate this approach. However, monovision contact lenses can be very effective for users who cannot adjust to bifocal contacts.

    Progressive Lenses

    • Progressive lenses are eyeglasses that provide the same power change as bifocals, but without the visible line between the powers. Progressive lenses also eliminate the blurry sections found in bifocals, designed to give you more comfortable vision at all distances. Progressive lenses are a simple alternative, with most patients completely adjusted after only a few hours.

    Refractive Eye Surgery

    • When the excimer laser was developed in the 1980s, eye surgery became considerably safer and more effective. This new laser allowed surgeons to remove incredibly precise pieces of tissue from a patient. Refractive surgery is designed to reshape the cornea to correct vision problems, including those associated with bifocals -- nearsightedness and farsightedness in particular. Refractive eye surgery is usually painless and the improvement in vision is noticeable almost immediately.

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