Monovision FAQ

Please select your question from the following list of FAQs:


Monovision: what is monovision and at what age do people consider the use of monovision?
Monovision is a situation for patients with PRESBYOPIA in which one eye is corrected for near while the other is corrected for distance. This technique is generally employed for people who desire not to use reading glasses. Contact lenses are used for monovision correction. Not all patients will adapt to monovision, as there is a loss of depth perception (since one eye is focused at distance and the other eye is focused at near). Therefore, persons considering monovision for laser vision correction should first adapt to monovision with contact lenses

Please provide more information on monovision
For patients who tolerate monovision, one can consider correcting one’s eyes for monovision with LASIK or PRK. However, there are some very important points that persons should be aware of when considering this. First, presbyopia is a continuous condition that starts at around age 40 and continues into the mid-60’s. Every few years, the ability to focus at close objects will decrease, requiring an increase in the amount of near vision correction. So a person age 42 who wants monovision will generally shoot for one eye being close to 0 while the other eye will end up about –1.50. The problem is that when the patient hits age 50, the –1.50 will be to weak. So since this is a progressive situation, careful consideration of the benefits versus risks of the monovision correction must be considered.

What are some problems with planning monvision LASIK?
A second and very important issue is that although the LASIK and PRK can provide excellent results, there is a scattering of the final refractive error. In general 70-75% of patients will end up with 20/20 vision. That means 25-30% of patients will be close to 20/20 but not exactly on the money. This can be a problem when shooting for monovision, because monovision works by having a precise spread in refractive error between the 2 eyes. It is possible for one eye to be overcorrected and the other undercorrected, enlarging the spread between the eyes to an uncomfortable level.

Final comments on monovision
This should provide the background information needed for a person to decide whether they should consider monovision LASIK or PRK. Of course, careful discussion with one’s surgeon is extremely important when considering this form of treatment.

General presbyopia/monovision?
Here is a general chart for monovision. The number listed is the optimal goal refraction – so for someone who has –5.0 myopia, one eye will wear contact lenses to correct completely for distance, while the second eye will wear a contact lens to end up with the refractive error posted in the chart Age 40: -1.50 Age 44 -1.75 Age 48 –2.00 Age 52 –2.25 Age 56 –2.50