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Hypermetropia, or simply farsightedness, is a violation of visual functions in which a person has difficulty looking at nearby objects, while distant objects are seen quite clearly. However, this statement is completely true only for those people who are faced with age-related deterioration in near vision. If a person has already had refractive pathologies during his life, then after 40 years he will most likely see poorly at any distance. According to statistics, about half of pensioners suffer from nearsightedness and farsightedness at the same time.
Young people with hyperopia think about wearing contact lenses for obvious reasons: firstly, these devices do not spoil the image, on the contrary, they can make their appearance brighter by changing the color of their eyes. Secondly, the lenses do not need to be removed and put on during the day. Thirdly, modern samples are distinguished by excellent hygienic properties, gas permeability, and complete comfort in use. However, contact lenses also have obvious disadvantages: the need for careful maintenance and regular replacement at a relatively high cost. So what do you prefer – glasses or contact lenses?
People are often interested in: is it possible to wear lenses instead of glasses? Which of these methods of optical vision correction is better? Are there contact lenses specifically for senile farsightedness that can deal with multiple problems at once and provide clear vision in any conditions? At what age is it allowed to wear contact lenses, and how to choose the best option? Finally, how to use lenses correctly to avoid discomfort and complications? We will consider all these nuances in detail below. In addition, you will learn about contact lenses for correcting hyperopic astigmatism and special night lenses used in orthokeratology.
Can I wear contact lenses if I’m farsighted?
With the help of contact lenses, even a high degree of hypermetropia (+6 D and more) can be corrected, so the answer to the question is quite obvious – it is possible. But the fact is that it is necessary to treat the selection of these optical devices with all responsibility, because wearing inappropriate lenses is fraught with a further drop in near vision acuity, the development of asthenopia (eye fatigue, a feeling of sand poured into them, headaches), as well as the occurrence of complications ( cataracts, glaucoma, inflammatory eye diseases).
Farsightedness refers to refractive errors and is expressed in the fact that the rays of light passing through the optical media of the eye are not focused on the surface of the retina, as provided by nature, but on a conditional plane behind, sometimes far beyond the eyeball. If the deviation from the norm is insignificant (within 3-5 diopters), it can be compensated by accommodation (change in the curvature of the lens). But with age, this mechanism is also depleted, then there is a need for surgical, laser or optical vision correction.
You need to understand that wearing contact lenses is not a method of treating farsightedness, age-related or congenital, but if you use these products correctly, you can achieve stress relief from the eyes and slow down the wear of the visual apparatus. Modern SCLs (soft contact lenses) are very comfortable and safe, so they are allowed to be worn not only by adults, but even by children over 8 years old. In addition, there are special lenses for correcting nearsightedness and farsightedness at the same time, which is especially important in the case of presbyopia (“senile vision”).
Video: how to choose the right lenses and can they replace glasses:
What are contact lenses for farsightedness?
Many people are interested in what you need to pay attention to when choosing such products? Indeed, after passing an examination by an ophthalmologist, you will only know what refractive power in diopters they should have, as well as what lens design is best suited to correct your particular visual impairment. But in addition to these aspects, there are others that directly affect the convenience, quality and cost of products. Let’s consider the most important criteria for choosing an SCL in more detail.
Materials and characteristics
Currently, hydrogel and silicone hydrogel SCLs are most widely used. The second option is preferable because it is characterized by maximum safety and comfort. A few years ago, contact lenses made of water-gradient material appeared on the shelves of optics stores, which are superior to their old counterparts in all basic parameters, but are much more expensive.
In addition to soft products, there are also hard contact lenses (LCL). They are made from polymethyl methacrylate and an organosilicon polymer, but they are used extremely rarely – only about 10% of visual impairments are corrected with LCL. We will talk about this in more detail below when we discuss night lenses and the orthokeratology technique.
Mode and duration of wearing
As for the service life of the LCL, on this basis they are all divided into four categories:
One-day;
Biweekly;
One-month;
quarterly.
We emphasize that we are not talking about continuous wear. Even a product intended for long-term use (3 months) is usually worn only during the day, and removed at night and stored in a special solution. In any case, after the expiration date, the lenses must be disposed of, as they lose their functionality and may even harm the eyes.
The operating mode of the MKL is as follows:
Daytime – we described it above;
Flexible – allows continuous stay in the same lenses for 2-3 days;
Prolonged – the product can not be removed for a whole week or more.
Practice shows that people who regularly use products with a prolonged mode of operation develop inflammatory complications more often, and sometimes even a rapid deterioration in visual acuity is observed. So think about it, is it worth risking your health because of laziness? In any case, keep in mind that only silicone hydrogel SCLs, that is, “latest generation” products, are suitable for long-term wear.
Video: complications when wearing contact lenses:
Older people are most concerned about the question of whether there are lenses for the correction of presbyopia and associated visual impairment, and which is better – to get suitable glasses for the long term or to regularly spend money on buying SCLs?
As for the functionality of modern contact lenses, they are in no way inferior to glasses, and in some aspects even surpass them. For example, if we are talking about astigmatism against the background of hypermetropia. With such a common diagnosis among pensioners as nearsightedness and farsightedness at the same time, LCLs also do an excellent job. Let’s take a look at how they do it.
So, presbyopia is corrected with the following types of contact lenses:
Bifocal. Otherwise they are called variables. These are the simplest of all SCLs designed to correct age-related visual pathologies. In such lenses there are two optical zones: the upper “for distance” and the lower “for near”. The disadvantages of bifocal SCLs include a too sharp transition, the absence of a segment for a clear visualization of medium-distance objects, as well as a narrowing of the field of view. That is why many older people cannot get used to wearing such devices.
Multifocal. This is an improved version of the previous MKL. In addition to the optical zones for near and far vision, there is a third, “middle” zone located between them. Adaptation to such products is usually easier, but it’s also not always possible to see the objects on the side well – you have to turn your head in the right direction instead of squinting your eyes. The disadvantages of multifocal SCLs, of course, include the high cost.
Spherical. Such contact lenses are used to correct age-related farsightedness using the monovision method (monovision). The doctor determines which eye of the patient sees better near, and which one – far. Then a lens is selected for each eye that can provide respectively clear near and far vision. When the human nervous system adapts to different SCLs, the brain will choose which eye to look in a given situation. The downside is that products of this type are not suitable for drivers, since they cannot guarantee full binocular vision.
Aspheric. In other words, they are called progressive. Are made strictly individually, under the order. The central optical zone of these lenses allows you to see well near, and the peripheral one – far. Moreover, the transition between them is smooth. This design takes into account the natural mechanism of constriction and expansion of the pupil. After all, when we look at nearby objects, our pupil narrows, and when we look at a distance, it expands. Aspheric LCLs are the most perfect and are able to provide even a high-quality side view. Of the shortcomings – only a high price and a rather long period of addiction.
Concentric. They are otherwise called circular and, in fact, are a modification of bifocal SCLs, with the only difference being that the optical zones for near and far vision are concentric circles alternating 4-5 times. At the same time, in the center of one lens there is an area “for near”, and in the center of the other – “for distance”, so that, as in the case of spherical SCLs, the brain itself chooses the “leading” eye depending on the situation. These products are not easy to get used to, and they are also not suitable for driving.
Toric lenses for farsightedness and astigmatism
Astigmatism – a very complex refractive error, which is characterized by the presence of several focusing points of refracted light rays on the retina or even a focus in the form of a line, figure eight, irregular figure. Often this pathology is combined with other defects, including hypermetropia. So, there are lenses for farsightedness that can correct astigmatism at the same time, and they work better than glasses, because they are attached directly to the cornea, while the lenses of the glasses are about 12 millimeters away from the eyeballs, and this distance has a bad effect on efficiency of optical correction.
Such devices are called toric contact lenses (TCLs), are made of the same modern materials as conventional SCLs, and have the same advantages: convenience, safety, clarity of visualization. They can also be both transparent and colored. Only the design differs – the TCL is spherical in shape, that is, one lens has two optical powers at the same time. The first value is responsible for correcting astigmatism along the desired meridian, and the second for correcting the concomitant pathology of refraction, in this case, farsightedness.
Night lenses for farsightedness
This is a very special type of optical products, designed to temporarily correct visual impairment using the orthokeratology method. Night contact lenses can be used for both myopia (nearsightedness) and hypermetropia (farsightedness). But they are not suitable for correcting age-related refractive pathologies, since in older people the cornea is usually already thinned, and there may be other contraindications.
The essence of the technique is to wear rigid gas-permeable lenses during the night rest. From the outside, they look like ordinary SCLs, and the inner surface is shaped so that when pressure is applied to the upper layer of the cornea, its curvature changes. If a person suffers from myopia, the night lens should flatten the cornea, pressing it in the central part. If the patient has farsightedness, then the impact is on the periphery, so that the center, on the contrary, arches outward. During the night, the cornea acquires the necessary refractive power, which is maintained throughout the next day, providing clarity of vision.
sph +4,5; cyl-3,5
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