Multifocal lenses are related to a symptom called presbyopia that many suffer from. People stand chances of suffering from presbyopia more with advancing ages. One needs to wear multifocal lenses to find relief from such a condition. With a multifocal lens, one can focus on objects both close enough to and far away from the eyes. For instance, if you are reading something, then you still should be able to retain focus on the words and be able to make them out as you move the page away from you eyes, till a certain distance - and if you are missing such capabilities then you probably have presbyopia and need multifocal lenses.

You can use both eyeglasses and contact lenses if you need a multifocal lens. The advantage of contact lenses is that they make you look younger, and on the other hand eyeglasses on an average might prove to be a shade cheaper. However, both variants solve your problem and you can try either of the two options. Multifocal contact lenses are available both in the soft and rigid (gas permeable) form, and even in the disposable form.

Every bifocal lens is a multifocal lens, and one would go by the power prescribed by the optician. A bifocal lens is a combination of two different powers - one is a plus power intended for you to have clearer vision near you, and the other is a minus power that allows you to view better further away. In a sense, a bifocal/multifocal lens is a combination of more than one power in one entity.

There are two major classes of bifocal lenses. One is the translating lens, in which the shift of power happens along the lens. As you keep shifting your view upwards and downwards, the lens lets your eyes alternate between the different powers. The other kind is the simultaneous vision lens, in which your eyes can look both nearby and far away at the same time without shifting the gaze. Concentric ring is the popular build for this, and aspheric design is the other.

How do you select the right kind of multifocal lens for your eyes? Consider the near (plus) prescription you have received from your doctor. If it is low, aspheric multifocal lenses might works well for you. If this is high then a translating lens would work better. But remember that you must go by the power prescribed by your doctor - it is a critical requirement to get back an accurate vision irrespective of the type and build of your multifocal lens.

With the high cost of traditional retail ‘brick and mortar’ contact lenses, many people are now seeking to purchase contact lenses online. Traditional Opticians have such expenses as building costs, optician and staff salaries, and overhead expenses. These costs get transferred to the consumer. More people are discovering that buying contacts online is a much more affordable way of acquiring contact lenses.

Contact lenses ordered though an Optician can be very expensive. Legitimate online contact lens suppliers sell all the major brands and types of contact lenses at prices that can be up to 70% below retail store prices. These brands include: Dailies, Purevision extended wear, Acuvue Oasys, Bausch & Lomb, CIBA Vision , Cooper Vision, Johnson & Johnson, Ocular Sciences, Wesley Jessen, and more. There are also a variety of colored contacts available.

Most online contact lens retailers will deliver contacts using such shippers as USPS or FedEx. The orders are processed and shipped usually within 72-hours and can arrive in about 5 - 7 business days. The legitimate contact lens websites use secure payment servers that will protect your credit card information by using the best encryption technology. You can submit your information and prescription online or by phone. The contact lenses are delivered right to your door.

Contact lens online sellers can sell cheaper contact lenses because they do not have high overhead costs. As well, they buy contacts in bulk directly from the manufacturers and ship from warehouses. The longer the contact lens supply that you buy, the cheaper the prices of the contacts will be.

Online retailers require a valid prescription for all contact lens orders. Federal Law now requires the eye care provider to release a copy of your prescriptions. Federal Law also requires the online contact lens retailer to verify all prescriptions with the appropriate eye care provider. The copy of your contact lens prescription belongs to you. The consumer can give a copy of their prescription to the online retailer, or provide them with the name, phone number or fax number of the issuing authority and give them permission to contact the eye care provider to verify the prescription and its validity. The eye care provider will respond to the company’s request for verification.

When you shop online for contacts make sure that you have a current prescription, purchase a good quality brand name contacts, make sure that the online company is a valid and legitimate online contact lens retailer that allows you to track your shipment, and you should find out the total costs of the contact lenses before making the online purchase.

Legitimate online retailers offer quality service and the lowest prices on most brand name contact lenses. Millions of consumers are now taking advantage of the services and products offered by online contact lens retailers. These online companies stock millions of brand name contact lenses and ship directly to the consumer’s home. Buying contact lenses online is a cheap and convenient means of obtaining your contact lenses.

Whether you think you need vision correction and are considering contact lenses, or whether you’ve been using glasses or contacts for years, you may be curious about the difference between a routine eye exam and a contact lens exam. Perhaps you’ve never thought about it, always assuming that both are one and the same. The truth is, there are some fundamental differences between these two types of exams.

The information below will give you an overview about each type of exam and explain the difference between the two so that you can ensure you are scheduling the right type of appointment with your eye care professional.

Routine Eye Exam

A routine eye exam exists for the purpose of detecting vision problems, eye disease and general eye health issues. An eye exam can help identify any of these concerns before you are even aware that they exist. It is generally recommended that everyone have a routine eye exam every 1 to 3 years, depending on age, risk factors and physical condition.

What to Expect

Eye doctors use a variety of tests and procedures to examine your eyes.  You will most likely be asked to read an eye chart.  First you will read the chart with both eyes uncovered. Then you will read the chart while you cover one eye (and then the other eye).  Your eye doctor will then perform tests which may or may not include these common tests:

Retinoscopy

For this test, the lights in the room are dimmed and you will be asked to focus your eyes on a target. While you stare at the target, a light will be shined into your eye and flip different lenses in a machine in front of your eyes.  The way the light bounces off of your eye will provide a general approximation of what your prescription (should you need one) will be.

Refraction

This test helps your eye care professional determine the exact level of augmentation that your vision requires. Refraction is done with a     machine called a phoropter. The doctor will show you a series of lens choices and ask you which of the choices looks clearer. Based on your answers, the doctor will be able to determine your level of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and/or presbyopia.

Slit-Lamp Examination

A slit-lamp is an instrument that allows your doctor to examine the health of your eyes using a machine that highly magnifies all the structures contained therein. This way, your eye doctor can examine each part of your eye to evaluate them for infection or disease.

There are various other tests that eye doctors can choose to use during an eye exam to determine the general health and well-being of your eyes. A contact lens exam is different in that it focuses on only one aspect of your eye health.

The Contact Lens Exam

If you wear contact lenses or are considering starting, you should make sure to schedule a contact lens exam versus a regular eye exam.  Basically, your eye doctor will need to run tests that will evaluate the surface of your eye’s cornea in order to ensure a proper contact lens fit. Your doctor will also ask a series of questions about your lifestyle and preferences in order to determine the best type of contact lenses to prescribe for you.  The doctor will measure the surface and curvature of your eye using an instrument called a kerameter.  Then your pupil and iris will be measured.  Finally, your eye doctor will select contact lenses for you and instruct you in proper insertion and care.

Multifocal lenses are related to a symptom called presbyopia that many suffer from. People stand chances of suffering from presbyopia more with advancing ages. One needs to wear multifocal lenses to find relief from such a condition. With a multifocal lens, one can focus on objects both close enough to and far away from the eyes. For instance, if you are reading something, then you still should be able to retain focus on the words and be able to make them out as you move the page away from you eyes, till a certain distance - and if you are missing such capabilities then you probably have presbyopia and need multifocal lenses.

You can use both eyeglasses and contact lenses if you need a multifocal lens. The advantage of contact lenses is that they make you look younger, and on the other hand eyeglasses on an average might prove to be a shade cheaper. However, both variants solve your problem and you can try either of the two options. Multifocal contact lenses are available both in the soft and rigid (gas permeable) form, and even in the disposable form.

Every bifocal lens is a multifocal lens, and one would go by the power prescribed by the optician. A bifocal lens is a combination of two different powers - one is a plus power intended for you to have clearer vision near you, and the other is a minus power that allows you to view better further away. In a sense, a bifocal/multifocal lens is a combination of more than one power in one entity.

There are two major classes of bifocal lenses. One is the translating lens, in which the shift of power happens along the lens. As you keep shifting your view upwards and downwards, the lens lets your eyes alternate between the different powers. The other kind is the simultaneous vision lens, in which your eyes can look both nearby and far away at the same time without shifting the gaze. Concentric ring is the popular build for this, and aspheric design is the other.

How do you select the right kind of multifocal lens for your eyes? Consider the near (plus) prescription you have received from your doctor. If it is low, aspheric multifocal lenses might works well for you. If this is high then a translating lens would work better. But remember that you must go by the power prescribed by your doctor - it is a critical requirement to get back an accurate vision irrespective of the type and build of your multifocal lens.

With the high cost of traditional retail ‘brick and mortar’ contact lenses, many people are now seeking to purchase contact lenses online. Traditional Opticians have such expenses as building costs, optician and staff salaries, and overhead expenses. These costs get transferred to the consumer. More people are discovering that buying contacts online is a much more affordable way of acquiring contact lenses.

Contact lenses ordered though an Optician can be very expensive. Legitimate online contact lens suppliers sell all the major brands and types of contact lenses at prices that can be up to 70% below retail store prices. These brands include: Dailies, Purevision extended wear, Acuvue Oasys, Bausch & Lomb, CIBA Vision , Cooper Vision, Johnson & Johnson, Ocular Sciences, Wesley Jessen, and more. There are also a variety of colored contacts available.

Most online contact lens retailers will deliver contacts using such shippers as USPS or FedEx. The orders are processed and shipped usually within 72-hours and can arrive in about 5 - 7 business days. The legitimate contact lens websites use secure payment servers that will protect your credit card information by using the best encryption technology. You can submit your information and prescription online or by phone. The contact lenses are delivered right to your door.

Contact lens online sellers can sell cheaper contact lenses because they do not have high overhead costs. As well, they buy contacts in bulk directly from the manufacturers and ship from warehouses. The longer the contact lens supply that you buy, the cheaper the prices of the contacts will be.

Online retailers require a valid prescription for all contact lens orders. Federal Law now requires the eye care provider to release a copy of your prescriptions. Federal Law also requires the online contact lens retailer to verify all prescriptions with the appropriate eye care provider. The copy of your contact lens prescription belongs to you. The consumer can give a copy of their prescription to the online retailer, or provide them with the name, phone number or fax number of the issuing authority and give them permission to contact the eye care provider to verify the prescription and its validity. The eye care provider will respond to the company’s request for verification.

When you shop online for contacts make sure that you have a current prescription, purchase a good quality brand name contacts, make sure that the online company is a valid and legitimate online contact lens retailer that allows you to track your shipment, and you should find out the total costs of the contact lenses before making the online purchase.

Legitimate online retailers offer quality service and the lowest prices on most brand name contact lenses. Millions of consumers are now taking advantage of the services and products offered by online contact lens retailers. These online companies stock millions of brand name contact lenses and ship directly to the consumer’s home. Buying contact lenses online is a cheap and convenient means of obtaining your contact lenses.

Whether you think you need vision correction and are considering contact lenses, or whether you’ve been using glasses or contacts for years, you may be curious about the difference between a routine eye exam and a contact lens exam. Perhaps you’ve never thought about it, always assuming that both are one and the same. The truth is, there are some fundamental differences between these two types of exams.

The information below will give you an overview about each type of exam and explain the difference between the two so that you can ensure you are scheduling the right type of appointment with your eye care professional.

Routine Eye Exam

A routine eye exam exists for the purpose of detecting vision problems, eye disease and general eye health issues. An eye exam can help identify any of these concerns before you are even aware that they exist. It is generally recommended that everyone have a routine eye exam every 1 to 3 years, depending on age, risk factors and physical condition.

What to Expect

Eye doctors use a variety of tests and procedures to examine your eyes.  You will most likely be asked to read an eye chart.  First you will read the chart with both eyes uncovered. Then you will read the chart while you cover one eye (and then the other eye).  Your eye doctor will then perform tests which may or may not include these common tests:

Retinoscopy

For this test, the lights in the room are dimmed and you will be asked to focus your eyes on a target. While you stare at the target, a light will be shined into your eye and flip different lenses in a machine in front of your eyes.  The way the light bounces off of your eye will provide a general approximation of what your prescription (should you need one) will be.

Refraction

This test helps your eye care professional determine the exact level of augmentation that your vision requires. Refraction is done with a     machine called a phoropter. The doctor will show you a series of lens choices and ask you which of the choices looks clearer. Based on your answers, the doctor will be able to determine your level of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and/or presbyopia.

Slit-Lamp Examination

A slit-lamp is an instrument that allows your doctor to examine the health of your eyes using a machine that highly magnifies all the structures contained therein. This way, your eye doctor can examine each part of your eye to evaluate them for infection or disease.

There are various other tests that eye doctors can choose to use during an eye exam to determine the general health and well-being of your eyes. A contact lens exam is different in that it focuses on only one aspect of your eye health.

The Contact Lens Exam

If you wear contact lenses or are considering starting, you should make sure to schedule a contact lens exam versus a regular eye exam.  Basically, your eye doctor will need to run tests that will evaluate the surface of your eye’s cornea in order to ensure a proper contact lens fit. Your doctor will also ask a series of questions about your lifestyle and preferences in order to determine the best type of contact lenses to prescribe for you.  The doctor will measure the surface and curvature of your eye using an instrument called a kerameter.  Then your pupil and iris will be measured.  Finally, your eye doctor will select contact lenses for you and instruct you in proper insertion and care.