People suffering from presbyopia, which makes people unable to read at the usual distance from the eyes and need to place the reading material at a distance further away, were initially prescribed bifocal glasses that could be used to correct two different kinds of problems with the eyes. These bifocal were difficult to manage, so scientists designed contact bifocals for people who wanted to avoid the hassles of bifocal glasses.

The same mechanism is involved in bifocal contact lenses as with bifocal glasses. There are contact lenses available with two different vision options at the top and bottom of the lenses. One advantage with contact lenses is there are lenses where the lens is accommodated with different powers on different parts of the lens. Eyes can adjust the power according to the distance from the object, which is not be possible with glasses where in the maximum number that can be accommodated is two, one type at the top part and the other at the bottom part of the glasses.

Soft and RGP contacts are the two main varieties available for patients suffering from presbyopia. As with the regular wear lenses, they can be disposable or made for long-term usage. The disposable kind is the most popular since the user has the option of using a new pair every day.

Bifocal lenses also come in different designs to accommodate people with different eye problems. With the perfect design, the eyes can adjust the distance and adjust the vision.