So, you’ve been wearing contact lenses your entire life and now the near vision starts to get a bit blurry and your arms don’t feel long enough anymore.

You visit your friendly Optometrist and they suggest reading glasses over your contact lenses, but is there another option?

We’ve got some good news for you!

Multifocal contact lenses are a reality and they do work for a lot of people.

Some of the soft contact lens options are:

 

1.Monovision:

This is when normal single vision contact lenses (like the ones you’ve been wearing) are used to correct your distance and near vision. One eye is corrected for distance and the other for near vision.

This is the least expensive option and although some people really love this, others have a bit of difficulty adapting to the lenses.

Monovision can give you clear vision both at distance and at near, but it can affect your night driving abilities, as it does cause a reduction in 3-D vision.

Unfortunately, that also means that when you go and watch a 3-D movie with these lenses, Ryan Gosling’s abs won’t look as impressive as they really are…

 

2.Modified Monovision:

This option involves one single vision contact lens in front of the one eye and one multifocal contact lens in front of the other.

Modified  Monovision is ideal for someone who wants to see at distance and near, but needs perfect vision for especially one of these distances.

Due to the one eye being corrected with a normal single vision contact lens and the other with a multifocal contact lens, the adaption process may be a bit longer.

Although 3-D vision and depth perception may be slightly reduced, it won’t be to the same degree as with normal monovision.

 

3.Multifocal contact lenses:

Multifocal contact lenses have different powers in just one lens. Therefore, both distance and near vision information is received at once.

Now, we know this sounds VERY intimidating, but never fear when your optometrist is near. Your optometrist will do all the difficult work, you just need to have the will to try.

With these lenses, you may achieve very good distance and near vision, but it might not be 100% perfect. It also depends on how sensitive you are to specific distances as some people prefer to have better vision at distance than at near and vice versa.

Different lighting conditions can also influence your vision when wearing these multifocal contact lenses.

 

Even if all these options sound like they won’t work for you, you’ll never know until you try.

 

Don’t let your eyes make you feel old, age is just a number and you’re only as old as you feel.

We know that you love your HD- vision (with or without glasses), but don’t always know how exactly to make sure that your eyes are healthy and protected.

With this blog- post we’ll focus on some great tips to keep your eyes and vision spectacular.

1. Invest in sunglasses:

UV-rays from the sun can damage our eyes, eyelids and can cause small benign growths (typically pterygiums or pingueculae) on our eyes. Not only will sunglasses protect your eyes from UV-rays, but they also ensure that the front surface of your eye and eyelids are being looked after. When buying your next pair of fashionable sunnies, try to invest in a pair that has 99 to 100 percent UV protection.

Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.

2. Put annual eye tests on your “To Do- List”:

One of the best decisions you can make is to prioritize your eye care needs. Eye tests once a year can pick up any visual problems earlier to ensure that appropriate management and treatment takes place as soon as possible. As they say: “Prevention is better than a cure”.

3. Please don’t ignore changes in vision:

The popular belief that if you leave something long enough, it will go away is a very risky business. I highly recommend taking changes in your vision seriously.

Every change in vision will have a cause, it’s better to find out what the cause is sooner rather than later (linking to my little prevention quote in tip number 2).

4. Know your family history:

Yes, this will involve speaking to your grandparents more (maybe even scoring some “koeksisters” in the process… WIN). The benefit of knowing your family history and telling your optometrist, will be that they’ll be able to keep a close eye on any risk factors or changes in your eye which will enable them to care for your eyes in the best way possible. Also, then your optometrist will be able to answer any questions that you have regarding any known family eye diseases.

5. Quit smoking or never start:

This definitely sounds very challenging, but it’ll be a wonderful decision for your overall and ocular health. Some studies suggest that smoking increases the risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) later in life. Smoking can also make you more prone to dry eyes, which can be quite uncomfortable.

6. Think safe, be safe and buy your contact lenses at a registered practitioner:

Now, I know this might sound silly, but contact lenses are medical devices.

Therefore, always buy your lenses from a registered optometrist (and only after they give you the OK to use them).

Avoid using/buying contact lenses at festivals or flea markets, as these contact lenses may not be safe for your eyes.

And, the most important tip of all: Love your eyes.

80% of our memories are determined by what we see, so love and cherish the windows to your soul.