Multifocals?

No new news on multifocal contacts? (See my earlier post inquiring about
N&Ds.) Is LarryDoc still here?

 

I tried them last year. Didn't work so well for me. Stayed with N&D
monovision. Am still interested in going the multifocal route, if I find
some that work for me.

 

I stop by only occasionally and rarely reply. Too much BS here.

Here's some new
Purevision remains the only Si-H multifocal as of this writing and is
now available in a modified material version. Actually, all Purevision
lenses are being manufactured in the (somewhat) modified material, which
may provide better comfort and wetting for some people. I anxiously
await their arrival in my office.

Coopervision's Biofinity Si-H lens is due out USA nationally next month.
The multi version likely, too. Word on the street is the Biofinity lens
is excellent.

Coopervision's Biomedic EP is their aspheric multi in the Proclear
material. Excellent comfort and vision, but limited to lower add powers
(of course you could use extra plus in a modified monovision protocol).
Wearing them as I write this. They have a modified mono separate
near/distance version which works great for people who are natural
strongly one-eye dominant or used to monovision, horribly for everyone else.

Ciba's multi is said to be coming "very soon", but I don't trust
anything I hear from that company.

Synergyes is rolling out their hybrid mutlifocal next month.

That's the soft multifocal update (with the hybrid stuck in there, too.)
RGP news is no real new news, the latest entry being the Menifocal Z.
RGPs almost always provide better visual acuity in multifocal designs
than any soft to date. But the picture IS getting clearer!

LB, O.D.

 

Thanks for all the info, Larry.

I'm glad more options are coming out.

I used to wear RGPs, but have got to like the increased comfort (and EW) of
soft si-hy lenses. I guess that's a trade-off.

Have you been prescribing/wearing the Menifocal Z lenses? How do you find
them? Are they really comfortable to wear at night? Do people really wear
them for 30 days straight?

When I tried the Purevision multifocals, high add, I found that the add was
not nearly enough to give me decent reading vision (I'm now nearing 55), so
I had to try them in a modified monovision format, and the minus power had
to be lowered so far in my left eye to give me decent reading vision, that
it was really just about as much monovision as doing straight
(non-multifocal) monovision, with similar difference between the eyes.
Besides, I found them slightly less comfortable than the N&Ds, so went back
to monovision N&Ds. I don't like the big difference between the eyes though,
so would be happy if a good multifocal solution could be found. ('I'm
currently wearing, and have for the last couple years, -5.25 in the right
eye, and -4.5 in the left eye. I think the right eye is a slight
under-correction, but the left is a big under-correction, as the left eye is
really much more nearsighted than the right. But I have to go that far to
get decent reading vision, without reading glasses.

Do multifocals usually only work (without monovision added) for people who
only have a small amount of presbyopia? (I notice you write that you are
wearing modified monovision yourself.) Or will some of the newer designs
perhaps work for higher levels of presbyopia, without adding monovision to
the mix?

Is the hybrid lens supposed to give the comfort of soft lenses, with the
acuity of RGPs? Will they be EW? (Currently wearing my N&Ds for a week at a
time (occasionally two weeks), cleaning them and leaving them off overnight,
disposing and changing them after a month.)

Do you know the dK of Biofinity? Similar to N&D? Also approved for 30 day
wear?

Thanks again for all the info! I appreciate it. (You seem to be the most
knowledgeable doc on multifocals. I wish your practice was closer to my
residence!)