Contact lens. Monovision vs. multifocal lens

[syncroid]

I went in to get my eyes checked last Friday. Up until about two years ago my presciption was identical in both eyes. (-2.75) Since then I graduated up to -3.00 in one eye and -3.25 in the other. My distance vision was better then 20/20 but my close up sucked big time. I have been wearing readers for the last year. I hate them.
My doc suggested I try the multifocal lens. I wore them for a week. The close up is just okay and same for the distance. just okay. The biggest annoyance is the lack of comfort with them. The other option she suggested was to try a monovision set of lens. My stonger eye with a -3.00 lens and the weaker with a -2.00. I am road testing them as we speak. So far, I think I like them.
My close up vision is fantastic! NO readers needed. My distance is pretty good too. Best part is the comfort is back like my old lens. BTW, these are Accuveiw Oasis brand. I have not driven with them yet but I don't think it will be a problem.
Anyone else out there tried either one of these methods?

[Rloop]

I have tried both and prefer monovision. Doc claims I might lose some depth perception with monovision, but it seems OK. I tried monofocal lenses and had the same issue, the comfort factor is low. If they can fix the comfort issue, I will try monofocal lenses again. I believe the lens must be thicker/stiffer in order to create multiple focal zones, and that is why the lens are not comfortable.

[syncroid]

Thanks for answering back. I was beginning to think I was the only guinnea pig out there tring this. Yeah. Comfort is everything! I'm diggin the monovision so far. No depth perception issues for me though.

[mattdavis11]

Your not a guinnea pig, I am. I got checked out last Wednesday and there wasn't a lens for me to test drive. I let them know a toric lens doesn't work, it slides around.

-0.50 -3.00 x 091
-1.50 -2.50 x 091

Be glad your eye isn't shaped like a football.

[ddbach]

Monovision contact lens wear has been around for years. On average about a third of the people who try it will be sucessful. Women generally more so than men. Easier to adapt to when the reading strength added to the non-dominant eye is relatively low so less of a difference in focal length between the two. How strongly dominant one eye is compared to the other also seems to influence this. was the multifocal you tried an Acuvue Oasys as well?

Think of Multifocal contacts (lens implants too) as being simultaneous focus so that part of the light coming into the eye is focused at near and part for distance. Most people will notice a modest degradation for both distance and near more noticable w/ the contacts and more notable at night with rings or halos often reported at least initially until adaptation occurs.

Matt toric lenses are more challenging to fit with higher amounts of cylinder (you qualify). It pays to know what brands you have tried in the past that have not worked to avoid reattempting them. There are two main designs for stabilizing the lens, prism ballast where the optical zone of the lens is off center essentially acting as a weight at the bottom of the lens and thin zones which use how the lens interacts with your lids to provide stability. A gas permeable (hard) lens will give you the best clarity but will take longer to build comfort and if you work in a dusty gritty environment may not be the best choice. If you need near correction now too I've only had at least moderate success with one soft lens (Proclear Toric Multifocal) but be prepared for sticker shock, hard lenses definitely have the edge here. Over time the toric soft lenses continue to improve so keep trying from time to time. Not unusal to have to order trials in your power.

[charlesbahn]

The new multifocal lenses (soft) are actually quite good now, even the torics for astigmatism. The brand I've had the most success with is Prolcear. You frequently have to spend a bit of time dialing them in to get them as good as possible, so you want to have someone fit you who has done a lot and is willing to spend the time and get the trial lenses.

Generally, they are much better than monovision because there is depth perception and when fit right, they also work at the computer distance for the older patients.

My success rate with these lenses is about 90% for the nearsighted or farsighted patient without astigmatism, and about 80% for those with astigmatism.

The old weighted bifocal lenses are a waste of time, as are the gas permeable and hard bifocal lenses.

Only bad is I lose money fitting them because they take a lot of time. Good is the patients are happy in the end, so it is worth it.

Charles

[bornrich]

I tried the multifocal lens last year. They are okay but they are a conprimise on both close-up and distance vision. I can see fine close up with out glasses at all so I think I will just use my glasses for distance and driving. The multifocal also seem to cause me more headaches during long term wear 6+ hours.

[syncroid]

The first multifocal lens that the doc prescribed for trial were Air Optix. Very uncomfortable. I had degradation with both distance and close up. The monovision lens are Acuvue Oasis. I have worn the Oasis lens for at least six years. Hands down they are the most comfortable. I think I want to try one more pair of multifocal lens in the Oasis line. As mentioned before, the Air Optix are not comfortable at all.
I still, for the most part like the monovision. I had my first "I don't like this moment" yesterday. I was grocery shopping and the store was all florescent lighting. Driving has been good day or night. Reading is great with no readers.
I do have astigmatism as well. (football eyes...LOL)
I used to wear hard lens many many years ago. They were not bad except you had to be carefull rubbing your eyes because they would fly out of your eye when least expected.
BTW, My wife has the EXACT same prescription as I do. She mirrors the same complaints I have. She has not tried the monovision yet though. Right now she is happy with the multifocal Acuvue Oasis.

Thanks for the inputs people!

[ddbach]

Everyone's eyes are not the same so what is comfortable for one is not for another.
I have only tried the Air Optix with a few people and feel more have complained about comfort with it compared to other lenses. The Proclear range of lenses tends to be my lens of choice as a good place to start. Since you have been comfortable with the Oasys lenses as I said earlier I would try those then the Proclear. Both multifocals and monovision will have an adaptation period while your brain adjusts sometimes as long as 3 weeks

[desertt5]

I just went back to the eye doc after trying MF contacts for 10 days. Didn't like them at all. Close and distant vision was not working for me. Went with mono vision. Have to go back tomorrow and get one of them switched. So far I like them. Didn't take but an hour for my eyes to adjust. My regular contacts are both -5.00 so this is much better than glasses.

[AirKuhl]

Up until about a year ago I wore Acuvue Oasys monovision, one eye correcting for distance and the other for close. I have myopia with some presbyopia, no astigmatism. A year ago I switched to Acuvue Oasys for Presbyopia which are multifocal.

My experience with both has been pretty good. I probably have slightly better overall vision with the monovision, but I'm still 20/20 or better with the multifocal. I like the idea of the multifocal better because both eyes are always "on" instead of switching back and forth.

One funny thing about the monovision, if you like to have a few drinks occasionally, you'll go into double-vision mode way sooner since the focal planes of each eye are so different.

I will say that the multifocals took a couple of weeks to get used to. I almost called my doc back a few times to trade them back out. But I stuck with it and got used to them. It also takes a few minutes every morning for everything to come up to speed.

It's almost time to re-order and to be honest I'm not sure what I'll do next time around. They both work. One thing I've noticed is that either way, I see up close way better if there is plenty of light. No way I'm reading the port names on the back of a computer or seeing stuff up under the dash of my 911 unless I have a good flashlight handy.

[syncroid]

Originally Posted by AirKuhl

I like the idea of the multifocal better because both eyes are always "on" instead of switching back and forth.

Me too.

Originally Posted by AirKuhl

One funny thing about the monovision, if you like to have a few drinks occasionally, you'll go into double-vision mode way sooner since the focal planes of each eye are so different.

I can't remember my last double vision experience.
I can't remember my last double vision experience.


The monovision are okay but I still want to give another brand of multifocals a try. I guess I want my cake and eat it too. I want the same visual capabilities from both eyes. If they don't work out then monovision will be my choice.

[Rufblackbird]

Dan, try checking with your doctor (if it's not too late) to see if they have the Biofinity brand. Based on experience with a few years of wearing Oasys and 2 years of Biofinity, the Biofinity's are more comfortable than the Oasys. Give it a shot; the wife has prescribed mostly Biofinity's while practicing in Milpitas, and a majority of her patients preferred them over the Oasys.

[syncroid]

Jeff, No. Its not too late. I'm not sure if my doctor carries that brand or not. I will ask. My doctor is totally cool. I told her I felt bad for being so picky. She said not to worry about it. Thats why we're here and thats why the reps give us so many samples.
I tried the Proclear lenses for a week. They were okay. A little thick and more difficult to get out of your eyes. This week I have been wearing the Oasys multifocal lenses. (just realised I had been spelling that wrong this whole time) They are pretty comfortable.
My next appointment is this coming Friday. I will ask about the Biofinity brand. If they carry them, I'll ask to try some. If not then I will probably go with the ones I am currently wearing.
I appreciate all the input from all of you. Thank you!

[Rufblackbird]

wife prefers to fit multifocals as it's better when you use both eyes, but the contact brands are limited so if you may or may not find one that is comfortable. From the stories the wife tells me the multifocal fittings usually go on for a few weeks...

Oasys was great when it first came out, much better than the Acuvue II's they replaced. However the Biofinity's are newer, and breathes much better than the Oasys. On those rare instances that I've left my contacts in overnight, the Biofinity's feel much better than the Oasys. However, your mileage may vary since everyone's eyes are different, so give it all a try before deciding on which ones.

BiofinityŽ - Prescription Contact Lenses - CooperVision USA - CooperVision

As for Air Optix? I tried on their daily disposables, and immediately took them out and tossed them, they were that bad. However, the SIL loves them...

[jyl]

As someone who is mighty tired of never having reading glasses when I need them, this thread is very interesting.

[syncroid]

Originally Posted by jyl

As someone who is mighty tired of never having reading glasses when I need them, this thread is very interesting.

jyl, For the record... I have not worn my readers once since I started this thread. I was wearing them constantly at work before.