When discussing laser vision correction with my patients at Stahl Eyecare Experts, one of the most confusing aspects that we go over is something called monovision. In fact, for many patients when I start discussing this topic they look at me as if I am from Mars. The purpose of this blog will be to attempt to explain this subject.
When should I consider monovision?
Typically, in our mid 40s our eyes lose the flexibility that they once had. When we are young with our contact lenses or glasses we can see faraway and up close. Beginning around the age of 43 (with some variability) if we are seeing well at distance we are unable to read. Similarly, if we can see up close clearly, we cannot see faraway well. With monovision what the doctor does for you is let one eye see at distance and one eye see up close. In fact, some of you are already familiar with this concept because you are wearing contact lenses which do the same thing. So, to answer the question, we TYPICALLY start thinking about monovision for patients when they are in the late 30’s and older
How did we discover monovision otherwise known as bifocal vision? In the first days of laser vision correction, as with most new technologies, we only did the surgery one eye at a time. There were patients, in their mid 40-s who had mild to moderate nearsightedness on whom we corrected one eye, and when they returned they said they didn’t think they need the other eye done. In other words, having one eye see clearly at distance gave them great distance vision and having the other eye for reading gave them great reading vision. In fact, these are some of our happiest patients. Other patients, indeed, said that although the distance vision was good they wanted to make it better by correcting the other eye and they did not mind wearing reading glasses. The great majority of our younger patients, however, wanted both eyes corrected for distance because the concept of reading glasses was still many years away.
One of the things we offer our patients at Stahl Eyecare Experts is the opportunity to try monovision or bifocal vision before they make their decision as to what is best for them. What we offer them is the opportunity to wear contact lenses that make one eye good for distance and one eye good for reading. In other words, let the patient rent this vision before they actually buy this vision. Still other of our patients who are having laser vision correction in New York, correct their dominant eye for distance and try monovision for a few weeks before they make a decision about their non-dominant eye. The take-home message therefore is that at Stahl Eyecare Experts we are going to work with you to find a solution that provides the vision you want for the longest period of time.
Should I do monovision lasik?
If you are the right age (late 30’s and older), it’s definitely something to consider. For some people this is a leap of faith, but we can adequately show you what monovision is with a contact lens trial. To us, the upside of monovision is significant (no glasses for distance, no glasses for reading, and its half price because you are only doing one eye). The downside is not so significant. Basically, if you don’t like it, we can take you back and do the laser vision correction on the untreated eye.
How long does it take to get used to it?
This is also a very common question, and in our experience, no one really dislikes the monovision. People aren’t dizzy, and they aren’t bumping into things. Some people love it day 1! For others, we typically let them live with the experience for about 6 weeks, and then if they still are not happy, we do the LASIK on the untreated eye.
