I was holding back on this one. I have become overly excited in
the past when a new contact lens BIFOCAL was to hit the market.
Too many disappointments, too much money invested, too much hype.
That is the history of bifocal contact lenses….until now???
Most of you are not yet aware of Johnson & Johnson's new Acuvue
Bifocal. That is because Vistakon (J & J subsidiary) has not
yet gone BANANAS promoting all the virtues of their little MIRACLE.
Oops, I get a little sarcastic at times, especially when I've
been burned in the past by an inventory of promises and old, useless
bifocal contact lenses. It is different this time, however, and
I'll try to explain why.
Whether it's the design of this contact lens that sets it apart
or simply the manner in which it is fitted and dispensed, it matters
not. The fact is, this lens will be the most successful SOFT BIFOCAL
CONTACT LENS to date! No, it's not that miracle that I mentioned,
nor is it sliced bread, but for many a BOOMER frustrated with
"monovision" or contacts PLUS reading glasses, it will
rank as a windfall.
First, the design: it is known as a "concentric, simultaneous,
non-translating" bifocal. Wha?? Or, looking at it another
way, it has specific circular "zones" in the lens that
alternate between distance prescription and reading prescription.
So no matter where you turn your eyes, you needn't concern yourself
about "looking through the bifocal", you will ALWAYS
be looking through it. But doesn't that mean that distant objects
are then blurred? Well, yeh, sorta, but here is where it gets
real SUBJECTIVE. Some people will be bothered by that subtle blur
and others will barely notice it. It depends on many factors including:
expectations, lifestyle, occupation, hobbies, as well as more
earthly factors such as age, astigmatism, past contact lens experience
and so on. As a prime example I just completed the fitting on
an airline pilot who was quite thrilled with her ability
to handle all the tasks in the cockpit (various ranges of vision)
and still see distance clearly. A gentleman just prior to her
fitting measured 20/25 at distance and near and was gravely disappointed
in the lenses. That's what makes the lens so subjective.
The good news in all this, and the reason that this bifocal contact
lens will be the most successful to date is this: You may TRY
a pair and wear them for a week before you actually buy them.
This disposable trial mode is an absolute MUST for success. It
is impossible for anyone to judge how well a bifocal lens will
work based on a 20 minute roost in the reception room, reading
People magazine. (By the way, I only keep CURRENT issues in MY
reception room)
All of the soft bifocal contact lenses of the past had their moments,
and there are still a few around, but their cost and the difficulties
with fitting have prevented them from becoming mainstream. I think
the Acuvue Bifocal, at the very least, will open the floodgates
in research and development, and there will be a renewed interest
in new soft bifocal designs. The Acuvue people have a nice head
start. Trust me when I tell you that they have no easy job, however,
selling this product to eye doctors! And the docs' reluctance
is quite understandable.
So, if you're "in that age range" and have been happy
with your contacts until you noticed that you have to place the
paper ON THE FLOOR to read it, call your eye doctor and ask about
the Acuvue Bifocal contact lens. It's a bit short of a miracle
but it might just MAKE YOUR DAY.