Dr. Dattolo in an exam room in her practice. She says that having a multifocal like NaturalVue ® Enhanced Multifocal 1 Day ® Contact Lens allows her to fit presbyopes of all ages in contacts.
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By Jennifer A. Dattolo, OD, FCOVD
June 7, 2023
As patients age and presbyopia progresses, the multifocal contact lens that worked like a charm when they were younger often no longer delivers superior vision near and far. My patients and practice are fortunate to have a multifocal, NaturalVue ® Enhanced Multifocal 1 Day ® Contact Lens, that gives both younger and older presbyopes what they need to live their best lives.
A Lens that Accommodates the Changing Needs of Presbyopes Over Time
I have been using NaturalVue Multifocal in my practice for the past seven years. I started using this lens for a few reasons. I love that it is a daily disposable, which I believe is the healthiest modality for my patients, especially for those who suffer from allergies and dry eyes. I also love that this lens is a distance-center multifocal.
In multifocal contact lenses that have near-center designs, patients lose some of their distance to achieve the near vision they want and need. Patients are forced to decide which is more important and deal with the other vision being slightly blurrier than they would like.
In addition, this lens only has one, universal ADD, which makes it easy for patients to stay in this lens as they age. There is no need to keep changing lenses/powers. There are 6 to 8 diopters of plus power in the periphery of this lens and the plus starts building close to the center, so patients can easily transition from computer to near and all distances in between.
With the plus power transition in the periphery, a virtual/optical pinhole effect is created, giving optimum vision at all distances. The brain figures out how much of the plus it needs and suppresses the rest. This is also why they don’t need multiple ADDs, because as the patient ages and needs more plus for near, it is already in the lens for the brain to use.
My older patients have noted that their distance vision is better in NaturalVue Multifocal than in previous lenses, especially driving at night (less glare and haloing effect at night.) They also comment that their exams are a breeze because their prescription doesn’t have to be changed every year.
It is not uncommon with other brands of multifocals to have to switch a patient to a different brand altogether because the higher ADDs cause more aberrations and distortions with patients’ vision. This can frustrate the patient, having to try multiple lenses and discovering that what they have happily worn for the past few years no longer works. NaturalVue Multifocal, by contrast, is good for the long-haul.
Successfully Address the Challenges of Older Presbyopes
I would consider an “older presbyope” to be anyone who needs over a +2.00 ADD. Sometimes, especially if these patients are still working and heavily use electronic devices, it is difficult to achieve clarity at all distances. NaturalVue Multifocal helps solve this problem with the amount of plus power the lens offers.
VTI (Visioneering Technologies, Inc.), the makers of NaturalVue Multifocal, conducted a study to see if they could make the lens more comfortable and enhance vision. As a result of what they learned, the edges of the lens were thinned and hyaluronic acid was added to the saline solution in the lens blister pack, making the lens more comfortable and better for patients with dry eyes.
Dry eye is a huge challenge, especially for women. As we age, we make less tears and our eyes become dryer. Add medications, electronic devices and menopause to the list, and our eyes aren’t feeling so great.
The addition of hyaluronic acid to the lens packaging solution adds a layer of moisture to the eye, enabling patients to successfully wear the lens for at least eight hours a day. My older patients have mentioned a high level of end-of-day comfort and less drying out of their eyes with NaturalVue Multifocal.
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Make Dropouts Much Less Likely
It is huge for a practice to have a lens that makes dropout less likely. Patients will return year after year, and continue to purchase from you, and hopefully buy glasses/sunglasses as well when they can happily stay in the same multifocal contact lens for years. And to have a lens that makes patients happy results in them telling their friends and families about you, which adds patients to your practice! Around 85 percent of my patients who I started in NaturalVue Multifocal are still wearing it today, and still love it.
Keeping Patients AND Practice Happy
NaturalVue Multifocal is just as good for your practice as for your patients. Patients cannot shop around for this lens. In order to help promote the safety and integrity of their products, VTI sells only to private practitioners. I had a handful of patients want to switch to a lens they can buy cheaper online, and every patient I fitted a different lens on hated their vision and stayed with NaturalVue Multifocal and purchased from me. VTI is very much there for the private practice owner and wants us to succeed.
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Jennifer A. Dattolo, OD, FCOVD, is the owner of Eyes on Towne Lake in Woodstock, Ga. To contact her: jdattolo@eyesontownelake.com
Disclaimer: Dr. Dattolo was compensated for her time in preparing this article.
