Contacts designed for people ages 40+

As you break out the cake and ice cream for the big 4-0, you may also be breaking out a pair of reading glasses or a new type of contact lenses. Beginning at age forty your eyes begin to change--you may notice (or have already noticed) yourself holding your menu or book further away from your eyes to allow your eyes to focus. This is a natural part of the aging process where the crystalline lens inside your eyes becomes less flexible. Your eyes begin to develop presbyopia.  

Fortunately, if you're not a fan of glasses (don't worry, we get it ) there are contacts you can wear to help you focus near and far. Below are a couple of options to help you maintain that 20/20 vision.  

Monovision lenses: Monovision lenses require the wear of two different types of contact lenses.  The prescription strength of your lens is different in each eye. One contact will allow you to see  objects nearby, and the other contact will help you see images further away. These types of  contacts are effective, but they aren't as common because your eyes aren't working together to  focus on images.  

Multifocal lenses: These types of contacts have two different lens powers, allowing you to focus  both near and far. Wild, right? Your eyes will use different parts of the contacts depending on  your line of sight. For example, when you're looking off in the distance to see a deer leap over  the fence your eyes utilize the "distance" part of the lens, but if you glance down at your phone  to pull up your camera your eyes shift and use the "near" focus part of the lens.  

Switching to multifocal lenses can be a bit of an adjustment, so take your time getting used to  them. It may be helpful to take turns wearing your multifocal contacts one day and then your  regular contacts with reading glasses the next day. The adjustment can take anywhere from a  few weeks up to a couple months. A wide variety of multifocal contacts are available--dailies,  monthlies, soft lenses, different brands, etc. Talk to your doctor about finding the multifocal  contacts that are the best fit for you.  

As you're reading this article you may be wondering if you'll eventually have to retire contacts all together. Rest assured there is no maximum age limit to wearing contact lenses--it's up to you and your eye doctor.