Comparison between "readables" aspheric spectacle lenses and conventional spherical spectacle lenses for overcorrection of presbyopic single-vision contact lens wearers.

Binocular spectacle overcorrection for near with "Readables" progressive-addition lenses and with lenses having spherical surfaces were compared by 36 successful presbyopic wearers of single-vision contact lenses. The two forms of near correction were each worn by these subjects for 3 weeks in a randomized cross-over study and were also directly compared for 1 week in which both overcorrections were available. "Readables" spectacle correction was significantly better than the conventional overcorrection in four of the five patient response categories studied (visual comfort, close vision, intermediate vision, and function without removal) and was not significantly different in one of the five categories (ability to adapt). When asked to choose between the two near corrections, 81 percent of the subjects (29 of 36) preferred their "Readables" spectacles. It appears that "Readables" spectacle lenses offer a viable alternative to single-vision lenses when used for near correction of presbyopic patients wearing single-vision contact lenses for distance correction.