Simultaneous lenses bring distant and near objects into focus at the same time. The center of the lens corrects distance vision; the outer part corrects near vision. * Segmented lenses correct distance vision in the top half and near vision in the bottom half.Monovision An alternative to bifocal contacts, monovision lenses correct distance vision in one eye and near vision in the other. Modified monovision allows wearers to put a bifocal lens in one eye and a single-vision lens in the other.Implants Designed for mild nearsightedness, KeraVision Intacs are placed in the periphery of the cornea by an ophthalmic surgeon. Made of polymer, a type of hard plastic, they require no maintenance and can be surgically removed. The outpatient procedure has a 97-percent success rate of 20/40 vision or better.

Simultaneous lenses bring distant and near objects into focus at the same time. The center of the lens corrects distance vision; the outer part corrects near vision. * Segmented lenses correct distance vision in the top half and near vision in the bottom half.Monovision An alternative to bifocal contacts, monovision lenses correct distance vision in one eye and near vision in the other. Modified monovision allows wearers to put a bifocal lens in one eye and a single-vision lens in the other.Implants Designed for mild nearsightedness, KeraVision Intacs are placed in the periphery of the cornea by an ophthalmic surgeon. Made of polymer, a type of hard plastic, they require no maintenance and can be surgically removed. The outpatient procedure has a 97-percent success rate of 20/40 vision or better.

One, he didn''t think they were available from any other source," "and two, he had heard they weren''t as highly controlled as those dispensed through doctors."Neither assertion is true. got on the Internet sfxtheatricalfrostyblindedeyecontactlenses and found her lenses on several Web sites for $35.95 for a box of six pairs. (Her doctor was charging $50 a box.) says her doctor told her that lenses offered by places like may have failed manufacturers'' quality checks. Bausch contacts and other lensmakers say there''s no difference in quality between the lenses sold through doctors and those sold directly to consumers. STATES CRACK DOWN. Attorneys general in 32 states have sued the American Optometric Association sfxtheatricalfrostyblindedeyecontactlenses and two of the top contact-lens manufacturers (Vistakon, a division of contacts, and Bausch), alleging that the AOA tried to get manufacturers to agree to selllenses only through optometrists or other eye-care professionals. The attorneys general say they also have evidence that doctors agreed to withhold prescriptions from people who sought to buy lenses from other sources, despite the fact that at least 22 states have laws requiring eye doctors to give out contact-lens prescriptions upon request.Although the AOA says patients should be able to buy their lenses anywhere, the organization has reservations about mail-order purchases. "The difficulty when someone goes through mail order is sfxtheatricalfrostyblindedeyecontactlenses that they don''t come back for regular checkups," says AOA president Dr. Harvey Hanlen.