Monovision

Reading glasses are a fact of life for most people over 40, but many people find them extremely inconvenient. The hassle of having to bring your reading glasses with you wherever you go (to the restaurant, or to read a price tag in a shop,...) can cause significant disturbance to your lifestyle. If this sounds like you, you may be suitable for a form of vision correction called monovision.

Why do we need reading glasses?

As we age, the natural lens inside our eye becomes less flexible and is no longer able to focus the eye on close work. This normal condition is called presbyopia and occurs in most people between the mid-forties and about 60 years of age.

What is monovision?

Monovision is the use of one eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision reading. Usually your dominant eye is clear for distance, and the non-dominant eye is purposely left a little short-sighted so that you can read most things without glasses. This provides freedom from your reading glasses, although occasionally they may still be required for long periods of detailed close work.

Is monovision right for you?

If you are over 40 years of age and are starting to notice some problems with your reading vision, or if you already have reading glasses and find them less than satisfactory for your life-style, you could benefit from monovision. A good way to determine if monovision is right for you is to "test drive" the effect by wearing a pair of very thin and comfortable contact lenses for a few hours. We provide this service as part of our assessment for Laser Surgery or Conductive Keratoplasty, and have contact lenses to suit most eyes in stock here for this purpose.

What are the benefits of monovision?

The main advantage is freedom from your reading glasses. This can be particularly useful for people who need to see at a wide range of distances in their daily activities. People who are always on the move, with a combination of activities such as meetings, presentations, etc. find monovision particularly useful.

Are there any disadvantages?

Like all other good things, there is the occasional drawback. Some people are not ideally suited to monovision. This is often difficult to predict, so we usually simulate or "test-drive" the vision with a contact lens or spectacle lens so that you can experience it before you decide to have surgery. Some people notice slightly decreased depth perception, and this may make some activities more difficult, for example, when driving at night. Wearing a small prescription of glasses for driving can be helpful in these cases.

How is monovision achieved?

This type of vision is achieved by correcting the dominant eye for distance, and the non-dominant eye for close work. This can be achieved with contact lenses or, for the ultimate convenience, surgery. Often, only one eye will require surgery. Monovision can be achieved by a number of surgical options including Laser Surgery and Conductive Keratoplasty.

Which surgical procedure should you have?

Monovision can be achieved surgically by a number of procedures. Conductive Keratoplasty is a relatively inexpensive and non-invasive procedure, which generally suits people who have very good distance vision in each eye and have been wearing reading glasses for a few years, or are just starting to need reading glasses. For some people, Laser Surgery is more appropriate. These options will be fully discussed with you at your assessment, and the surgeon will recommend the procedure that will give you the best visual outcome.