Monovision


As we age, our eyesight changes. Most of us are aware of this even if we don’t know the technical term for the process, which is known as presbyopia. The problem leads to trouble seeing objects nearby which makes reading challenging. For years, the corrective method for this condition has been glasses but these are not the best answer for everyone. For some people, monovision is the best choice.

What is Monovision?

Bifocals are a type of eyeglasses, which enable vision at all distances through one lens.  With bifocals, the goal is to combine two prescriptions so users can look through one lens for seeing things from far away and for seeing things close-up. Monovision works differently. Your eye doctor/optometrist will determine which eye is the dominant one. That one is then focused for far sightedness. The weaker of your eyes is focused for near sightedness. Because each eye is intended for one type of vision, it’s called monovision (mono = one).

Types of Monovision

Several approaches can be taken to focus the eyes as desired for monovision. One of the easiest methods is through the use of special contact lenses. However, LASIK eye surgery can also be used. Your eye care specialist will probably recommend one treatment method over the other. You may also have a preference given that contact lenses are not a permanent solution and can be easily replaced with bifocals or bifocal contacts if you are unhappy with monovision. Eye surgery permanently changes your eyesight to monovision. For this reason, you may want to try using the contacts for a period of time first to make sure monovision is the right choice for your eyesight needs.

Monovision Problems

Although monovision can be a great choice for many people who have presbyopia, there are some potential drawbacks. Although many of the people who choose monovision as their correction of choice have no trouble adjusting, some do find they need to move their heads around in order to see things appropriately. After a while however, that may become almost automatic.

You may also have some loss of depth perception. Normally depth perception is created when the eyes are able to work together to see something. With monovision, the eyes no longer work together instead they take on more independent roles.

Who Should Consider Monovision

While monovision is not the right solution for everyone, you should consider your lifestyle to decide if this might be something you would be interested in. For example, if your career requires you to have good eyesight at short distances or if you enjoy reading for long periods of time, this could be a good choice. People who feel that glasses will make them feel old or who have trouble adjusting to glasses may also find monovision to be a good choice. If you are not interested in contact lenses or surgical vision correction, however, monovision is not going to be an option for you.

Overall, monovision is an effective alternative for many people who don’t want glasses but who need a solution to their presbyopia.

LASIK Monovision & Blended Vision

The refractive error presbyopia, can be treated by monovision where one eye is used for distance vision and the other for near vision.  The optical imbalances mean that this treatment is not always effective.  Blended vision is milder than monovision in that the near eye sees much better at distance than the near eye set with traditional monovision, similarly the blended vision distance eye sees more up close than the distance eye set with traditional monovision.  This makes adaptability more successful in blended vision than in monovision.  Monovision is still often an option and has been combined with LASIK eye surgery.  LASIK monovision works by correcting one eye for distance vision and the other eye is corrected for near vision.  Contact your local optician or eye clinic to find out if you could benefit from introducing monovision.


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