title: Clinical experience with the SimulVue soft bifocal contact lens.
abstract: We fit the SimulVue bifocal contact lens, a soft lens with a simultaneous vision design, in 30 presbyopic patients. The lens has a central near correction surrounded by a concentric peripheral distance correction. Patients were evaluated prior to inclusion in the study and followed for a period of 1 year. The evaluation included visual acuity and contrast sensitivity at both distance and near with and without lenses. In addition, patients completed a questionnaire at the end of the study. At the end of 1 year, 16 of 30 (53%) patients were successfully wearing the contact lenses. Of these, 13 of 16 patients (81%) achieved J2 or better near vision, and 10 of 16 (63%) achieved 20/25 or better distance vision in both eyes. Greater reduction of contrast sensitivity occurred at near, with only 38% of patients (6/16) retaining their normal contrast sensitivity; whereas at distance, 81% of patients (13/16) retained normal contrast sensitivity. Fourteen patients failed to complete the study. The most common reasons cited were poor vision at distance (6/14, 43%), poor vision at near (6/14, 43%), and ghosting of images (4/14, 29%). We believe that the SimulVue contact lens is a viable option for the correction of many presbyopic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40536, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bierly
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Furgason
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Litteral
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: VanMeter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology; D005139:Eyeglasses; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011305:Presbyopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology