The effect of add power on distance vision with the Acuvue Bifocal contact lens

Abstract

This study was designed to determine if subjective evaluation of quality of distance vision with the Acuvue Bifocal contact lens could be correlated with high- and low-contrast acuity scores. LogMAR visual acuities of 20 non-presbyopic subjects were measured using high and low-contrast Bailey-Lovie charts. Each subject wore an Acuvue Bifocal contact lens with add powers +1.00, +1.50, +2.00, and +2.50, each optimized for best distance acuity. Subjects showed significantly decreased acuities with increasing add; a low-contrast target heightened this effect. Subjects reported a reduction in quality of distance vision, increasing fluctuation, ghosting/shadows, and halos around lights that correlated with increasing add power. Our findings suggest that the Acuvue Bifocal contact lens may be expected to perform best for presbyopes with low-to-moderate bifocal add requirement, and that clinicians should anticipate decreased low-contrast acuity and reduced overall quality of vision as add powers are increased.