Many people are like the idea of wearing contact lenses. With contacts, one hopes to read menus in dark restaurants without reading glasses.
However, those same people quickly realize that the 20/20 vision they expected cannot not be delivered by contacts. Documents are still tough to read. Small labels are fuzzy. Life does not significantly improve. Despite their glamour and technological advances, contacts have not lived up to their hype.
Reading Glasses are still needed with multifocal contact lenses
Market demand has given us the multifocal lens. These lenses, which are dispensed in both soft and hard lens form, enable users to see near as well as far objects. Multifocal contact lenses are intended to address the needs of people who are afflicted by presbyopia. But it has been discovered that people using multifocal contact lenses encounter many problems and still need eyeglasses.
According to Primary Care Optometry News, the problems faced by users of contacts include an uncomfortable fit, difficulty with use, inconvenience, and the lack of visual improvement. Apparently, the resources expended for the eye exams, follow-up visits, and fitting fees, do not produce the intended results.
Certain eye care professionals even tell their patients that wearing multifocal lenses is not enough. Patients will still need glasses to read small printed text or when they drive at night.
How monovision lenses fall short
Another advancement is monovision contacts. Monovision contact lenses feature two optical powers, a different power in each eye, that enables the user to see far and near objects. Monovision contacts would be perfect if the eyes were like binoculars, with two lenses producing a single image. Unfortunately, human eyes don’t work that way.
Thus, with monovision contacts, the wearer may need to bend his or her head in an awkward angle just to find the stronger eye to read a printed document. Furthermore, the greater and more dangerous problems of monovision contacts are the reported double vision at night and impaired depth perception. Thus, monovision is not a suitable improvement.
Why reading glasses still reign supreme
The so-called advanced technology of contacts does not provide the same level of visual clarity that reading glasses provide. At the same time, reading glasses present no vision problems. A person can see clearly, whether the object is near or far. A wearer can read clearly, both day and night. The risk of damaging the eye when using reading glasses is less than with contact lenses.
Financially, reading glasses are a better investment because they’re more affordable and durable. And the fun part is that reading glasses are stylish and attractive!