Styles of Bifocals
- An optometrist can help you choose the type of bifocals best suited for your needs.Cartoon Eye image by hellotim from Fotolia.com
The lenses in our eyes become less elastic as we age, resulting in a condition known as presbyopia. This deterioration in the clarity of sight is often alleviated with bifocals. Bifocals feature two lenses integrated into one piece of glass, improving the ability to focus at objects both near and far. The technology integrated into bifocals has increased by leaps and bounds since their invention by Benjamin Franklin in the 1700s. - Bifocals were originally of the lined variety, and featured a seam running horizontally across the lens. The seam on invisible bifocals has been polished and is not visible. These models are also called blended or seamless bifocals, and vision may be blurry at the point where the two lenses are joined. Invisible bifocals do not offer sight improvements over seamed versions, and are often worn by people who are concerned over their appearance.
- Progressive lenses consist of one piece of glass that has been ground to three different depths. These bifocals feature varying powers within one lens, with the standard being sight areas for long distance, near distance and normal daily activities. People who opt for progressive lenses often find that wearing them requires a period of adjustment. In addition, progressives usually have a blurry spot at the sides.
- Bifocal contact lenses are available in both hard and soft varieties. These lenses frequently cause vision problems for the wearer, and rarely offer the acuity found in single-vision contacts. Close-up vision is often blurry with bifocal contacts, and the quality of distance vision may vary.