About 160 million Americans of all ages wear eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct their vision. If your vision requires multiple corrective prescriptions and you want a one-fits-all pair of glasses, then bifocals or trifocals—also called multifocals—from an optometrist may be right up your alley.
When you need your first or updated pair of prescription eyeglasses or contacts, count on the office of Paul Thompson, OD. Our main concern is to provide you with the precise type of lenses that your eyes need. Our optometrist will examine your eyes and precisely calculate which prescription(s) is perfect for your eyes.
A multifocal lens contains different prescription strengths. When you look down to read fine print, the text is clear. When you look up to view things in the distance, those objects are also clear. Multifocal lenses eliminate the need to constantly switch between glasses or frequently take one pair on and off.
Bifocals lenses have two strengths—one on the top and a different one on the bottom. They’re available as eyeglasses and contacts. Trifocals have three corrective lenses, which allow you clear views close up, middle distance and faraway distance.
Most folks adjust to wearing multifocals after a week or two, but it can take longer. The short-term effects can include balance problems, headaches, nausea and blurry vision. Older adults who have never used multifocals may take a bit longer to adjust because of the considerable difference between the tops and bottoms.
Some multifocal glasses use a line across the middle to divide the strengths, while the differentiation between the lenses on other multifocals is progressive, so they have no lines.
These suggestions will help you get used to your new multifocals and enjoy their benefits.
- Build up your tolerance by wearing them for an hour right after you get out of bed. Add an hour every morning until you’re comfortable with them.
- Don’t alternate between your old and new pairs.
- Look straight ahead when you walk and turn your head in the direction in which you want to look. In other words, don’t use only your eyes to look left and right.
- Instead of reading by moving your head or eyes, move the reading material.
The office of Paul Thompson, OD has a well-established reputation for providing high-quality treatments and compassionate service. For more information about our many services, please contact us today.
By Paul Thompson, OD
June 28, 2022
Blog Posts
Don't Wait! Schedule Your Appointment Today.
At Paul Thompson, OD we value your time and make it easy to book an appointment for care! You can either reach out to us with a phone call or submit this simple online, 'Request an Appointment' form. We respond promptly to all online requests.
Request Appointment