I can easily recall (just a few years ago)
when I was wearing regular single vision glasses and I could see
just fine. My patients that were entering that critical "time
zone" of their early forties were all complaining about their
diminishing reading ability. When I eventually mentioned the need
for bifocals all those faces turned pale and skeptical. "WHAT?
My grandmother wears bifocals! Don't you have those no-line bifocals?"
Having studied, analyzed, and fitted hundreds
of them, I was never keen on "pushing" them too hard
because too many people would have complaints about them. They
would take longer to get used to them. Patients would return with
them thinking the prescription must be wrong. (Never) I actually
had fewer complaints with the more standard FLAT-TOP bifocal.
So it was rare for me to actually mention the no-liners as an
option, but if patients asked I gave them my very careful speech
about ADAPTATION. Then, when I personally hit that "time
zone"...no way was I going to wear those old flat-tops!
I finally understood my own adaptation speech.
Boy, was I right-on. These things can drive you nuts. I could
read again but taking those first steps was a real trip. (Pun
intended) The gradual change in power as you move your eyes down
the lens was pretty nice. There was no sudden JUMP in the image
as you dropped your eyes to read and then back to straight ahead.
You didn't get caught between the distance and near lens while
looking at those "end-of-your-arm" objects, you just
elevated your head slightly and all was clear. I guess what bothered
me the most was that side distortion. It was really noticeable
in large rooms when you wanted to glance to the side. It took
more head movement to the side if you wanted a clear image. I
fully understood what I had been preaching for years, "turn
your head and point your nose at what you're looking at."
I have changed my bifocal speech since February 1994. A new design was created by the Varilux company, the inventors of the no-line. They call it the Varilux Comfort lens. This design follows the Varilux Plus and Varilux Infinity versions. There may be close to a hundred different designs of no-line bifocals
and I have used several. There are many good
ones with different pros and cons, but I have pretty much settled
on the Varilux Comfort. It has become the choice of most "independent"
optometrists. Varilux's campaign to introduce this new version
may have something to do with its popularity, since they offered
every eye care practicioner a "trial" pair. I must admit
that I was impressed. The side vision is less distorted and the
actual usable reading area is wider and higher. I've been in mine
for nearly 10 months now and have included it as an option in
my "bifocal speech."
I'm not quite sure yet how much of the improvement
is actual design and how much is simply my own acceptance and
adaptation. I do know that Varilux hired a high-tech telescope
engineer to aid in the development of this new lens, and that
the demand for the new lens was much higher than expected. They
suffered a major back order problem in the Spring of '94 but have
since gotten up to speed. The price of the lens is only marginally
higher than its predecessor, the Varilux Infinity.
One final comment on the Varilux Comfort (or
any progressive multifocal); when it comes time to consider a
TRIFOCAL (usually around age 50), the progressive lens IS ALREADY
THERE. The infinite number of power changes in the no-line multifocal
means that at any distance you can find a clear spot through your
lenses. So when you are adapting to your new no-liners, that will
be your LAST major adjustment!
I guess you can tell that I'm finally sold,
and with a little perseverance, you "time zone" folks
will get there too.