Presbyopia, which is the visual inability of the lens of the eye to focus on objects that are close, may take years to develop. Patients usually begin to show symptoms of presbyopia in their early- to mid-40s. Bifocal or multifocal eyeglasses will provide patients with presbyopia the ability to see clearly at all distances.
Bifocal and multifocal lenses allow patients to focus on both nearby and distant objects without the need to switch glasses or contact lenses. More than one prescription is combined into a single lens of the eyeglass.
Types of Eyeglass Lenses
- Bifocal eyeglass lenses contain two lens powers. prescriptions (distance-viewing at the top of the lens and near-viewing at the bottom) with a sharp separation in the middle.
- Trifocal eyeglass lenses contain three lens powers.
- Multifocal eyeglass lenses contain two or more lens powers.
The advantages of a bifocal or multifocal lense prevent the "jump" in vision when glancing from a nearby object to one further away. Bifocal and multifocal lenses do take some time for adjustment, but once the adjustment has been made, patients never want to go back to separate regular reading and distance glasses.