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Near Vision

Monovision:

With monovision, the vision in your dominant eye is corrected for distance vision, while your other eye is intentionally left somewhat nearsighted to allow you to see close objects. Both eyes still work together, allowing you to see clearly at any distance. While this way of seeing may sound complicated, many people find they adapt well to this technique. In fact, with both eyes open, they may not be able to tell which eye is set for distance and which is set for near.

However, monovision is not for everyone. Some people find they simply cannot adapt to it. This is why it is usually recommend that the patient tries monovision with contact lenses first before committing to surgery

Understanding Near Vision Loss

In our 40s and 50s, we begin to experience the naturally frustrating effects of blurry near vision. Reading the newspaper, seeing the computer screen or sending a text message becomes a struggle. We end up depending more and more on reading glasses or contact lenses to see up close. This natural loss of reading vision is called presbyopia (prez-bee-OH-pee-ah), and it eventually affects all of us, even if we never needed vision correction before.

The eye’s natural lens is normally elastic and flexible. It works like a camera lens to automatically adjust and focus our vision. This lets us automatically switch our gaze from something near to something far away. Over time, the lens in your eye begins to stiffen. It can’t bend into the right shapes to bring close objects into clear focus. To compensate, you end up moving objects further away to help your eye to focus.

Presbyopia continues to progress over time. For example, someone who is 45 may only notice it when trying to read tiny print in low light. However, someone who is 50 may need to use reading glasses many times throughout the day.

BEFORE: When the natural focusing ability of the eye diminishes, near vision becomes blurry.

Common Vision Conditions

The eye is a tiny organ that measures about an inch long and weighs about 1/4 of an ounce. It is part of a complex system that translates light into images. Light enters our eye through the cornea and into the pupil. The pupil is the black hole in the middle of the iris, the colored part of the eye. Behind the iris is the natural lens. It focuses the light onto the retina, the inside layer of the eye. The retina contains cells that are sensitive to light. The image is then converted into electrical impulses that are sent through the optic nerve at the back of the eye to the brain.

All of this happens continuously and instantly to give us clear vision from near to far distances. But, our eyes don’t always work perfectly. Their exact size and shape affect how well they focus light. These differences can cause some of us to have refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism. In addition, over time, we all lose our ability to focus on near objects. This is a refractive condition known as presbyopia.

  • Presbyopia is the clinical term for near vision loss that starts affecting us in our 40s and 50s
  • Over time, the eye’s natural lens becomes too stiff to focus up close
  • Print and other nearby objects become blurry
  • Ability to clearly see near objects, but distant objects are blurry
  • Occurs when the cornea is too rounded or steep, or the eyeball is too long
  • The eye’s refractive power is too strong
  • Ability to clearly see distant objects, but nearby objects can be blurry
  • Occurs when the cornea is too flat or the eye is too short
  • The eye’s refractive power is too weak
  • Light coming into the eye is focused inconsistently
  • All objects are stretched or distorted
  • Occurs when the cornea has an irregular oval shape
  • Can occur simultaneously with nearsightedness or farsightedness

Discover the Option of Monovision

The Option of Monovision

Presbyopia is the reduction in near focusing ability resulting from the changes to the eye’s crystalline lens. It is a natural consequence of aging, and most people begin to notice symptoms– difficulty with small print, need for more light when reading, holding reading materials further away—around the age of 40.

For generations, patients relied on reading glasses or bifocals to provide clear near vision. But in the 1990’s, many find these options limited and cosmetically unappealing. Monovision is another option to provide good near acuity without compromising appearance and comfort.

Monovision involves one eye, usually the dominant eye, being corrected for distance viewing, and the other eye being corrected for near viewing.

Monovision is actually a misnomer, since both eyes work together when viewing distance and near. When driving, for instance, the out of focus eye is slightly suppressed by the brain, but it still contributes important visual information regarding the periphery. This degree of teamwork between the two eyes will vary from patient to patient; therefore, a trial with monovision spectacles or monovision contact lenses is strongly advised before choosing monovision via refractive surgery.

Monovision does involve some degree of compromise. The most common complaints can be addressed as follows:

  1. Visual fatigue or strain due to prolonged near work (such as needlepoint). Part-time reading glasses can be prescribed for the distance viewing eye.
  2. Blurred vision may require part-time distance glasses to correct the reading eye.
  3. Blurry intermediate vision, such as computer tasks, may benefit from part-time intermediate correction for both eyes.
  4. Patients with monovision correction may notice flare, burn and glare with night driving. Again, part-time compensation driving glasses may be prescribed.

Monovision can be an excellent alternative to bifocal spectacles and current bifocal contact lens designs. The compromises associated with monovision seem to be more acceptable than a high degree of dependency on reading glasses.

You and your doctor can decide what is best for you by communicating your exact visual tasks, both occupational and recreational, and by participating in a monovision trial. Monovision collection is available through various refractive surgery techniques.

  • Find Out if you're a Candidate. Book Your Consultation.

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About Us

Our knowledgeable doctors and staff are committed to helping improve the vision and quality of life for every patient through surgical, vision, and optical care.

Contact Information
Montgomery Lasik
2080 Berryhill Road Montgomery, AL 36117
334-387-2020
Our Hours
  • Monday 8:00AM – 5:00PM
  • Tuesday 8:00AM – 5:00PM
  • Wednesday 8:00AM – 5:00PM
  • Thursday 8:00AM – 5:00PM
  • Friday 8:00AM – 5:00PM
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