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Thread: Mixing monovision and bifocal contact

  1. #1
    OptiBoard Novice
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    Mixing monovision and bifocal contact

    Hi,
    I am a long time RGP wearer and a few years ago had my prescription changed to monovision. I lost the close-up lens and the (different) doctor prescribed bifocal lenses. The doctor gave me a pair of soft lens to hold for the week or so until my RGPs come in. I couldn't see a thing with them. Not being sure if problem we the change to soft lenses or the change to bifocal lenses I went back and got a trial pair of monovision soft lenses.

    I lost the close-up soft lens immediately. Maybe I never got it installed in my eye, but it was gone by the time I got to work. So I stuck the bifocal lens in giving me a distance lens in one eye and a bifocal lens in the other.

    This seems to work pretty well for me. I believe I have lost a little clarity in distance viewing (from the change to soft), but other than that its pretty good.

    Since the theory of bifocal lenses is essentially that your brain adjusts, my thinking is that this solution I have is the optimum solution. I can see pretty well at most distances today, and it may get better with time.

    So my question, Am I breaking new ground here or does anyone prescribe this kind of combo intentionally? Is there any known probelms with this kind of thing?

    Thanks
    Elmo

  2. #2
    OptiWizard
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    It's called modified monovision. We do it all the time. Good luck
    :cheers: Life is too short to drink cheap beer.

  3. #3
    OptiBoard Apprentice
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    I am interested in knowing more about this. I get a lot of questions from people who aren't good candidates for LASIK and decide instead to pursue better contact lens correction. If "modified monovision" is a distance lens plus a bifocal lens then are there views as to whether this may consistently give better overall distance vision than standard monovision? I have never worn a bifocal contact lens so I have no sense of what it is like.

    Thanks in advance for any info/views.

  4. #4
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    People interested in the "best" vision wear rigid contact lenses. In these is is usually possible to correct each (both) eye with bi-focal contact lenses and eliminate the stupid monovision concept all together.

    For those who wear soft contact lenses is not always possible to get good distance and near vision on each eye with bifocals. In some circumstances (like an astigmatism problem in one eye) then this eye may be correctable in a single vision (usually toric) lens and the other eye may be acceptable in a bifocal. This allows the patient to have depth preception amoung other things at distance.

    Monovision is usually used by practioners who lack the skills or are too lazy to fit bifocals. Monovision is also used in some circumstances when bifocal lenses fail and occasionally the patient will be quite happy with this. But most monovision patients have never used both eyes together in contact lenses and don't really realize how well they would see with binocular vision.



    Chip

  5. #5
    Master OptiBoarder Joann Raytar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rebecca Petris
    I am interested in knowing more about this.
    Here's a link for you.

    http://www.acuvue.com/ce2003/cemod2/index.html
    (The website require Macromedia Flash Player)

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