Last week I visited the optometrist for my bi-annual eye exam.  I was aware that my eyes were stressing to see with this current prescription. When I realized I was getting headaches and squinting to read the small fonts, I knew it was time to change my prescription again.

I have presbyopia, a common condition usually associated with people over forty that changes the ability to clearly focus from any distance. Usually people just discover they need reading glasses to correct the problem. I also have astigmatism and another condition known as dry eyes. My eyes are also very sensitive to light. Currently I wear bifocals with tinted lenses to help correct all those problems!

As I sat in the lobby waiting for my appointment, I began reading all the literature on the walls and in the magazines relating to contact lenses.  A girlfriend mentioned to me that she loved her contacts because it eliminated the peripheral vision problems she encountered from her bifocals.  Technology has changed so much in this field that now they even make contact lenses for bifocal vision and astigmatism correction.

The more I read, the more I was convinced that contact lenses would be perfect for me. When the doctor finally called my name I was eager to share my concerns with him.  The chance to see again without all the distraction from the sides was thrilling!

After the exam, the doctor discussed several options available, and YES, contacts were available for ME!  Using eye drops or tears would solve the dry eye problem immediately. The first option was the bifocal, or multifocal lenses which function like the eyeglass lenses with two different prescriptions on the same lens.  A line separates the two prescriptions allowing the corrected vision to be found simply moving the eye up or down.  This sounded great rather than moving the neck up or down using eyeglasses! 

The second option was the monovision. This option works a little differently.  Each lens corrects a different problem, so the brain has to adjust the image it receives, and the eyes begin to focus from a different perspective.  It may take a little effort to get comfy with this, but the brain can do it.  One eye focuses distance and the other eye focuses on the near prescription.  

The astigmatism lenses were the main concern because these lenses are slightly larger than regular contacts, but technology has grown to include corrective lenses.

The doctor escorted me to a fitting table, pulled two boxes out of his huge inventory, placed them on the table, and called a technician to help me learn to use contacts.  He instructed me to relax, learn how to wear the lenses and he would be back to check on me in a few minutes.   The technician was a great help.  He wore contacts and showed me how to put them in.  

I tried for thirty minutes to get those silly little soft lenses in my eye, but to no avail. Every time I got it up to my eye, the lens folded or curled.  It seemed the space between my eyelids wasn’t big enough to get the lens touching so it could adhere.  My eyelids were sore from being stretched and pulled.  As the doctor walked by, he realized I was having problems so he offered to help.   He quickly noticed that the lenses were in fact too large for my pupils.  This is a common occurrence with astigmatism lenses because they are a slightly larger to accommodate the weight on the bottom to keep them fitted properly.

Well, off to search for frames and back to the glasses for me. Just another reason for a little shopping spree.