Our resident multifocal expert, Leslie Donahue (who co-invented the Balanced Progressive Technology design used in Proclear), tackles some questions about fitting multifocals. Did we leave your question off our list? Leave it in our comments section and Leslie will answer it!
- Should we be fitting multifocal lenses in 2010?
Absolutely! Considering that in 2010, 1/3 of the US population will be between the ages of 40-59, the question should be, why aren’t we already fitting multifocals? With 1/3 of the US population between the ages of 40-59, and the majority of them are unaware that multifocal contact lenses exist, a huge opportunity exists for you to grow your practice and increase your revenue. We need to make an extended effort to let our clientele know there are products out there that may be right for them. It is true that older products and previous versions of multifocal lenses had limited performance in higher ADDs, meaning they would not perform as well as patients matured into presbyopia. With the Proclear Multifocal lens from CooperVision, this is not the case. This product works in both low ADDs AND high ADDs (+1.00, +1.50, +2.00, +2.50).
- How can multifocal contact lenses add revenue to your practice?
When you consider that 1/3 of the US population is in the presbyopic target market (sweet spot of 40-59), that breaks down to be about 100 million people in the fastest growing segment of contact lens business. You don’t want to miss out on that, do you?
Click here for a profitability example. CooperVision offers an easy and free way to target your emerging and existing presbyopic patients with multifocal postcards, an easy way to get the conversation started. Contact your local sales representative for more information.
- Are all multifocal fitting philosophies the same?
No, in the last 20 years, most lenses featured a full aspherical design. Our fitting philosophy of Balanced Progressive Technology at CooperVision is a little different, but that does not mean it’s difficult. The Proclear Multifocal design features center distance spherical in the D-lens and aspherical intermediate and near in the periphery in the N-lens. All multifocal lens designs work well in low ADDs (+1.00 and +1.50), however, when the patient grows into +1.75, +2.00, +2.50, patients fitted with the full aspherical design product will eventually have distance vision problems due to the aspherical design of the lens. This is not the case with Proclear Multifocal.
- How does the Proclear Multifocal differ in fitting philosophy in comparison to other multifocal lenses?
Proclear Multifocal differs because it has 2 different geometries in both eyes: the “D” lens is for the dominant eye and features spherical distance vision in the center, intermediate and near aspherical vision in the periphery. The “N” lens is for the non-dominant eye and has near center spherical vision, and intermediate and distance aspherical vision in the periphery.
This is why Proclear Multifocal needs to be fitted differently than other multifocal lenses. Proclear Multifocal has a simple 3 step fitting philosophy (as shown below or click here for the full Proclear Multifocal Fitting Guide), in comparison to the more complicated fitting philosophy of a competitor, involving 5-6 steps.
1. Determine the dominant eye. (We recommend fogging with a +2.00D lens.)
2. Select the spectacle Rx ADD power. If ADD is in between available ADD powers, round down to lower ADD power. Place the “D lens” in the dominant eye. Place the “N lens” in the non-dominant eye. Allow 15 minutes for equilibration. (vertex sphere if over +/- 4.00D)
3. Evaluate visual acuities (under normal light conditions) for distance and near vision binocularly. IF VISION IS NOT TO VISUAL ACUITY EXPECTATIONS, YOU NEED TO PERFORM MONOCULAR VERIFICATION. Please refer to the Proclear Multifocal Fitting Guide for more information on the importance of monocular verification.
5. How can I be successful in fitting Proclear Multifocal?
The most important thing about fitting the Proclear Multifocal lenses as suggested in the Fitting Guide is to determine if there is a binocular vision problem, and if so, correct with monocular verification. Here are some examples:.
Do you find these tips helpful? How else can we help you with fitting multifocal lenses? Let us know! Drop a question or a comment here. Or, feel free to call our multifocal fitting consultants at 1-800-341-2020 or email cvspo@coopervision.com.