Varifocal contact lenses

[Eminybob]

Has anyone got any experience of these?

I’ve worn contacts with a reasonably high prescription (-8) for the best part of 35 years and am now needing to wear reading glasses over the top (+1.5)

I'm interested in trying varifocal contacts but can’t get my head round how they work. If anyone uses them or has tried them what are your experiences? Are they easy to get used to? Would you recommend?

thanks.

I have used them from time to time. The reading prescription is in the middle of the lends and the distance bit is on the outer rim. When I wear the contacts I don't have the same clarity as when I wear my critical glasses (so not suitable for me for work ) but good enough to wear for a night out or a day just not at work

I absolutely love them - and live in them. Cognitively I understand how they work, IRL no idea, they just do.
I can do fine work and wide vision. They were transforming - previously I was wearing -4.5 lenses plus reading glasses, I have never been able to wear varifocal glasses without getting seriously dizzy and headachey.
I do wear gas permeable rigid lenses (and have done for 30 years) which I realise may be different to other people's experiences.

I wore varifocal gas permeable lenses (hard) with a blue tint for over 40 years. Prior to that I wore single vision GP lenses. Found them great. GPL last for over 2 years (I had one pair for 7). For the last 5 years had to use reading glasses (cheapies) for an extra boost. Unable to wear lenses now as am an oldie (over 70) and had an issue with my eyelid skin.

Don't know anything about soft lenses.

Interesting.
I tried contacts once where one of the lenses is slightly too weak which is supposed to make near vision better, but I hated not having that clear crisp distance vision so I didn’t stick with them.
I have “boost” lenses in my glasses currently are a step before varifocals but my near vision has deteriorated since I got them. I’ve never really been able to wear glasses for long periods as they make my eyes really tired (probably because I’m not used to them as I’ve worn contacts for so long)

Maybe I could get a trial of the varifocal contacts without committing? I’m with specsavers is anyone knows if they do this?

Yes, I just started the Specsavers trial last week and have varifocal lenses.

But the reading bit isn’t right so they’re going to adjust.

I have used Specsavers and my lenses were fine. Are you wearing GP hard lenses? I have always had hard lenses.

I tried them with Specsavers they
made me feel sick.

No, soft daily disposables currently.

I wear varifocal contacts from an independent optician and they are fantastic. I can see perfectly with them and they are incredibly comfortable. Mine last 30 days (with cleaning and leaving in their little case overnight), they aren’t cheap but I think they are worth it.

Edited to add that mine are soft lenses.

I couldn't get on with varifocal contact lenses at all, though varifocal glasses are fine. Instead, I wear a contact lens for distance in one eye and one for near vision in the other. It works very well for me.

I wear soft daily disposable varifocal lenses. Prescription is -6, with add on for close up. I like them, and am currently wearing them most days, but I do get better vision with my (varifocal) glasses. I think there is a bit of a compromise at both ends, so although I can see well enough for most purposes it hasn't entirely done away with the need for reading glasses, and I struggle a bit with, for example, reading slides from the back of a lecture theatre.

I do the wearing one lens with a weaker prescription thing and as pp say, it works for me

i know you said it’s not right for you - but have you checked your prescription hasn’t changed? I thought it had stopped working for me and went to opticians expecting to have to go to varifocsls - but optician tweaked my prescription (my short sightedness had actually improved as my far sightedness had got worse) and it’s fixed the issue

I was about to recommend the “one eye slightly weaker” contact lens approach as it’s been brilliant for me, but I see you’ve tried that.

I have recently changed from the vision express version of Boost to expensive varifocal lenses. They’re ok, but so far no better than the Boost type (maybe even slightly worse as the reading bit is quite hard to find).

My prescription is similar to yours. For now I am sticking with “one eye slightly weaker” contact lenses, but I suspect I’ll have to progress to varifocal contact lenses eventually.

I am saving for lens replacement surgery when my prescription stabilises again. I am very wary of laser surgery as once your cornea is reshaped they can’t “unshape” it, but lens replacement seems fixable with more lens replacement!

I wear disposable varifocal contact lenses, which are incredibly comfortable. Not quite as good as the glasses, but can still wear at work and look at screens - although found my vision wasn’t quite as good as previously when looking at a presentation from the other side of a lecture theatre today.
I previously used +1.75 or +2.00 readers with my single vision lenses. Distance is -5.5 and -5 and I wear ‘high’ reading prescription in one eye and ‘medium’ in the other, which went up one in each eye after my trial. It now means I can check things on my phone or read a menu without having to root around for reading glasses or have them plonked on my head. They have been brilliant for sunny weather, as it means I can just have my sunglasses to hand and am not always chopping and changing.

I am -6 and wear coopervision varifocals, they are fine