BIFOCALS FOR KIDS? PART II, BY DR. BENJAMIN CLINGAN, OD

The bifocal strength will generally be less for kids than adults. In terms of “ADD power”, adults range between +1.50 to +2.50. Children will remain around +0.75 or whatever the lens manufacturer’s lowest power happens to be. They don’t need the stronger powers for vision, but just need the “ADD power” to relax their eyes.

There are lined bifocals and no-line bifocals (PAL – progressive addition lenses). While the new and best technology is in the PALs, most of you don’t want to spend $500 on lenses for a child. They will break, they will get scratched, and you will have to replace them long before you are ready. Children respond well to lined bifocals and they tend to not break the bank. PALs do have several advantages over lined bifocals, and several types of PALs exist. So, using a less expensive PAL lens design can be a decent compromise depending on the child.

Below is a link to lens design for accommodative relief and the digital age:

https://essilorusa.com/products/eyezen?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj83RzoeS2QIVlol-Ch1PBQiYEAAYASAAEgLlfPD_BwE

If your child is already in contacts, then multi-focal contacts are also an option. They work in basically the same way as the bifocal glasses. We would, again, give the child the low “ADD power”, and they would wear the lenses like normal contacts.

A technology that has recently resurfaced just because of its myopia control properties is Ortho Keratotomy (Ortho – K). The next few blogs will give you information on that topic.

As always if you think that you or your child may need to slow myopic progression, please call our office schedule an appointment.

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