Is Monovision LASIK Right for You?
Dr. Jonathan Woolfson
Advances in technology have led to more ways to correct vision. Now, instead of relying on glasses and contacts forever, we have LASIK surgery, which reshapes the cornea of the eye to correct vision. One option in LASIK is something called monovision.
Here are some important points about LASIK and monovision:
- The ideal candidate for LASIK surgery is anyone in good health, not pregnant, and over the age of 18. Good health also includes eye health. Candidates for LASIK should also have stable vision, with minimal changes over the last 12 months.
- Monovision corrects one eye to see far and the other for near.
- The ideal candidate for monovision is also in good health, over 40, and looking to treat presbyopia, which is a condition that reduces the eye’s adjustable focus. Presbyopia results in the inability to focus on close objects. Ideally, a candidate for monovision LASIK has successfully experienced monovision in contact lenses.
- Monovision relies on your brain to simultaneously process the images from the eye that is corrected for near and the images from the eye that is corrected for far. With monovision there is an element of readjustment to a new way of seeing, but the convenience of being free of reading glasses or bifocals is very satisfying to most patients who try it.
- Before deciding on monovision, the doctors at Woolfson Eye Institute conduct a series of tests to determine that this is a sensible procedure for you. We often encourage a contact lens trial for those who have not yet done so just to be certain that monovision is a good fit for your lifestyle.
- LASIK is minimally invasive, involves minimal discomfort, and is performed as an outpatient procedure.
- Not everyone is a candidate for monovision. Monovision can decrease depth perception, night vision, and make driving more difficult. Patients who are required to operate heavy machinery or perform precision work are sometimes poor candidates for monovision.
Why choose Woolfson Eye Institute for monovision?
At Woolfson Eye Institute, our goal is to provide a comfortable experience and to deliver the knowledge to help you make a well-informed decision about your eyesight. Make an appointment with Woolfson Eye Institute, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of monovision.
During this consultation, we can discuss your candidacy, and even demonstrate monovision to determine whether you are likely to adapt well to this mode of vision correction. Give our office a call, or contact us today at a location nearest you!