Posted by: Manhattan LASIK Center
Monovision, also sometimes referred to as blended vision, are the name of a treatment that is used to correct near and distance vision. It is a surgical option where the patient’s dependency on reading glasses is reduced by correcting the dominant eye for distance, while the other eye is left slightly nearsighted to allow for a balanced near and distance vision. Patients who choose monovision will find that they no longer need to rely on glasses or contact lenses to see clearly from day to day.
Who is a Good Candidate For Monovision Treatment?
As we age, the lenses in our eyes naturally lose their flexibility and it becomes harder to focus on near objects. This natural phenomenon, called presbyopia, is a common and progressive eye condition that typically begins around the age of 40.
Patients with presbyopia find it difficult to focus on nearby objects, such as reading a book and may hold them at a distance in order to try and achieve greater visual clarity. Presbyopia is one of the leading reasons why people over the age of 40 typically need reading glasses.
How Does Monovision Work?
Monovision works by correcting the dominant eye for distance while leaving the other eye slightly nearsighted. All patients have a dominant eye which is better able to transmit accurate information to the brain about what we can see than the non-dominant one. Your eye doctor in Roslyn, NY will be able to perform a simple test to tell them which is your dominant eye and it will be this one that is corrected for distance vision. Meanwhile, your non-dominant eye will be left slightly nearsighted.
By leaving one eye slightly nearsighted, you compromise the sharpness of the distance vision, however, this allows the eyes to work together to help maintain reading vision, consequently reducing the dependence on reading glasses.
Adjusting To Monovision
It is important to be aware that while most people do adjust to monovision well, it can take some patients a little time for their eyes to get used to working together in this way. During this time, you may notice that your depth perception isn’t as good as it would be usually, and you may occasionally feel a little off-balance, however, this nearly always settles with time and before too long, you may not even notice which is your ‘distance eye’ and which is your ‘close eye’. Patients who may be considering monovision treatment may be recommended to try our monovision contact lenses first to ensure that they are happy with the treatment before undergoing surgery.
If you would like to find out more about monovision treatment, or if you would like to schedule an appointment to learn if you would be a good candidate for this extremely effective and sight-restoring treatment, please contact our eye doctors in Roslyn, NY at Manhattan LASIK Center today.
