BCLA CLEAR™ Presbyopia: Management with Spectacles and Contact Lenses 

Eye care practitioners should provide tailored care to contact lens and spectacle wearers living with presbyopia – according to a pioneering new report. 

The paper is the fifth in a series to be released as part of the new BCLA CLEAR™ (continued learning evidence-based academic reports) series, a global consensus report put together by the BCLA. This report outlines the history, market situation, clinical management and product performance related to the correction of presbyopia with both contact lenses and spectacles.

With a significant proportion of the global population living with presbyopia, clinical considerations are fundamental in the fitting and aftercare for presbyopic contact lens and spectacle wearers.

It reviews the current options for contact lens correction of presbyopia, including soft centre distance, centre near and multizone designs as well as extended depth of field designs rigid translating and rigid simultaneous options, in addition to monovision. Meanwhile, spectacle options include single vision lenses, bifocal options and a range of progressive addition lenses. 

The paper’s first author is Philip Morgan – Professor of Optometry, Head of Optometry, Deputy Head of the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, and Director of Eurolens Research at The University of Manchester. Philip was the BCLA Medallist in 2014 and the winner of the 2019 Max Schapero Award of American Academy of Optometry.
Philip Morgan said: “This study underscores the imperative for eye care practitioners to deliver personalised care to contact lens and spectacle wearers. 
“This report not only navigates through the historical context and market dynamics but also provides invaluable insights into clinical management and product performance related to addressing presbyopia. It’s a call for tailored solutions and informed decision-making in eye care.”
The paper, titled ‘Management with spectacles and contact lenses’, will be released as part of a new series of evidence-based guidance available to eye care professionals around the world on all aspects of prescribing and fitting contact lenses as part of a concerted drive to provide the best possible patient care. 

BCLA CLEAR™ Presbyopia was facilitated by the BCLA, with financial support by way of educational grants for collaboration, publication and dissemination provided by Alcon, Bausch+Lomb, CooperVision, EssilorLuxoticca, and Johnson & Johnson Vision. It will be published in the forthcoming issue of the BCLA journal ‘Contact Lens and Anterior Eye’ and will feature work from panels of globally respected experts. 

It will build on the impact of the first issue published in April 2021, which has proved an essential reference point for contact lens professionals across the world. The report will be made available to both BCLA members and non-members.