Monovision
Monovision is a corrective procedure generally suited to those people who have presbyopia, the age-related loss of ability to focus on items up close, such as when reading or working on the computer.
People with presbyopia require bifocal glasses, or two different pairs of glasses for different purposes (one for distance vision and one for reading) to help them get through their daily tasks.
Monovision utilises laser vision correction technology to adjust each eye for a different purpose. One eye is adjusted in order to enable the patient to read items at close range, while the other eye is adjusted for distance perception. The aim is to provide the ability to simultaneously achieve good distance vision as well as the convenience of having acceptable near vision.
Typically in Monovision, the eye that is corrected for distance is the dominant eye. (You can determine which eye is dominant by raising a thumb, holding it out in front of both eyes and blocking an object with the thumb while both eyes remain open. Once the object is blocked, close one eye or the other. The eye that cannot see the object is the dominant eye).
For patients who may be presbyopic, monovision is one of the possible options available to them. Alternative treatments that may be suggested include both eyes being corrected to improve distance vision (which will require the patient to use glasses for reading or tasks that require up close vision) or non-laser techniques such as Refractive Lens Exchange.
During your consultation it will be suggested that you trial monovision with contact lenses before undertaking laser surgery, to ensure you can tolerate the vision imbalance between your eyes. After the procedure, it may take two to three weeks for your brain to adjust to monovision.