Pros and Cons of Multifocal Lenses
“I am struggling to adapt to my multifocal glasses.”
Our vision goes through several changes as we age. Many people over the age of 40 become more dependent on their glasses for both reading and distance.
Keeping track of multiple pairs of glasses can be a frustration. We often forget our car keys on the way to the car as we leave the house. Remembering all the different glasses we need to take is a frustration and impractical. For this cause, people wear multifocal glasses for convenience, or many people use it because they need their focus fields to be clear at more than one distance.
A multifocal lens is an astounding piece of engineer work. It seamlessly combines multiple focus fields in a single lens. As a result, it eliminates the visible lines between the borders of the different focus fields when blended into the lens. It would help if you thought of multifocal lenses as no-line bifocals. This technology enables you to see better in more instances as it corrects near (reading usage), intermediate (computer usage), and distance at the same time. It also makes the transition between prescriptions much smoother.
A view through a multifocal lens:
There are a lot of misconceptions about how difficult it is to adapt to multifocal lenses. First-time wearers often say the combination of prescriptions in one lens makes them feel uncomfortable. It does take a bit of time to adapt as you now have three prescriptions in one. But the practicality of multifocal lenses FAR outweighs the initial short-term adjustment period.
Symptoms you might experience:
- Headaches
- Depth perception problems/you are not sure how far away some objects are from you
- Dizziness or nausea
- Swim and sway effect
- Peripheral vision distortion (feels like a narrow field of vision)
- Difficulty adapting during the first few minutes
- Difficulty focusing between different intermediate and near distances
Most people have very few complications during the initial adaptation period. If you do experience complications, trust the adjustment process. And I promise you the symptoms will go away.
Adapting to multifocal lenses requires you to use your head, eyes, and posture slightly differently to get the most out of the different focus fields.
How quickly can I adapt to my new multifocal lenses?
Please contact me if you have any questions or need advice.
Make this the year of 2020 vision – Love Your Eyes!
(Remember: With a little patience, you’ll be enjoying one pair of glasses for all your vision needs!)
Elke Smit
Elke is the owner of Eyestyle Optometrist. Her passion is to promote eye health and eye care but she is even more passionate about the people behind the eyes. The most important factor is good eyesight which gives us the ability to see the beauty in all things around us.
Your eyes are the window to your soul and most spectacle wearers wear their glasses for the better part of the day.
Choosing the appropriate eyewear is not always easy! Eyewear should feel comfortable, and suitable for everyday challenges.
