It is normal to experience a loss of close vision after age 40. This process, called "presbyopia" (Latin for "aging of the eye") affects everyone who sees well in the distance -- regardless of whether the good distance vision is obtained by birth, glasses, contacts, or refractive surgery. Presbyopia causes the need for reading glasses ("cheaters") or bifocals in glasses. One option for people who wish to avoid reading glasses is to create "monovision" in which the dominant eye is corrected for distance and the non-dominant eye is corrected for mid-range vision. With both eyes functioning as a team, the presbyopic patient can see near and far, all without glasses. Monovision can be an excellent option for presbyopic patients, but there is a downside: the quality of the distance vision is often not quite as good as if both eyes were corrected for distance. This is particularly noticeable at night or under dim lights. A night-time pair of driving glasses can fill this gap and allow patients to enjoy the other benefits of monovision.

With the recent FDA approval of laser vision correction for farsightedness, people who have otherwise never worn glasses in their lives, but now need reading glasses, can be offered monovision. For these patients, LASIK is performed only in the non-dominant eye to allow it to see up close and the dominant eye is left for distance, allowing the team of both eyes to see well near and far without glasses.

Questions? Please email us at shapirolaser@shapirolaser.com