LASIK Surgeons
If you are tired of relying on reading glasses, monovision LASIK is an option to consider. LASIK surgery is typically used to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. It works by correcting the shape of the cornea. However, for those who have developed presbyopia, monovision LASIK can correct one eye for close work such as reading, while correcting the other eye for distance vision.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is the age-related vision loss that most people begin to develop around the age of 40, requiring them to use reading glasses, bifocals, or trifocals. It can strike even if you have never had vision problems in the past.
In presbyopia, accommodation is lost. Accommodation is the fine tuning the lens of the eye performs to focus on details up close. Symptoms of presbyopia include:
- Holding reading materials at arm’s length
- Difficulty or inability to read fine print
- Blurred vision when reading, texting, sewing or doing other close work
- Fatigue, eyestrain or headaches from doing close work
How Monovision Works
You may not have noticed it, but we all have a dominant eye and a non-dominant eye. In monovision LASIK, your dominant eye is corrected for far vision if it needs correction, or it is left alone. Your non-dominant eye is corrected for close work. Your brain automatically chooses the best image, so you do not see the blurry image. It can take some time to adjust, but most people adjust well to monovision.
If you want to try it out before committing to surgery, you can try monovision contacts first.
The Downside of Monovision
Monovision does not affect the lens of your eye. So, your near vision may continue to deteriorate as your age. In the future, you may need another procedure to correct you near vision or you may need to use reading glasses again. However, if you develop cataracts as so many people do with age, your near vision can be permanently corrected when you have cataract surgery which replaces the lens of your eye.
Monovision LASIK can reduce your depth perception. You may need to wear glasses for night driving.
Reversing Monovision
If you cannot adjust to monovision, or are unhappy with the results, it can be reversed. The eye that was corrected for near vision can be corrected for distance vision, although you will be dependent on readers again.
If you are interested in monovision LASIK and other options to treat presbyopia, find an ophthalmologists near you.