LASIK Surgery with Monovision

By the age of 40, we usually begin to lose the ability to properly focus the lens of the eye. This is a common occurrence, and is usually not caused by an illness or disease. Glasses or contact lenses at different focal lengths are required for near and distance vision. In the case of Monovision, the eye that is correct for distance is the dominant eye. You can generally tell which eye is dominant by raising a thumb in front of an object both eyes are focused on. Once the object is blocked, close one eye or the other. The eye that cannot see the object is the dominant eye.

Patients over the age of 40 have to make a choice. Either both of the eyes are corrected for distance, or one eye is corrected for near and the other for distance. If the patient is unsure, contacts can be used after surgery for desired results. If you are presently wearing reading glasses or bifocals, your initial consultation with the eye surgeon can inform you if Monovision LASIK will be the best procedure.

If you are a patient over 50 and do not wish to have Monovision LASIK, reading glasses will usually be required after the surgery. For patients over 50, and who wish to bypass Monovision or the use of reading glasses, far and near vision may be managed by exploring the options of lens replacement. Consulting with your surgeon is the first step, and will answer all your questions and concerns. Understanding everything involved will help to give you realistic expectations about the surgery and all possible outcomes.

If you can close the gap between knowing and uncertainty and you decide to undergo LASIK, you will more than likely review the final results in a far more positive light.