Q: If I choose to have monovision, does that mean I will never need reading glasses?

A: No.  Presbyopia continues to worsen as you get older, whether or not you have monovision.  At some point, the presbyopia will advance to where reading glasses will be necessary. Still, there is a benefit to having the monovision in that there won't be a complete dependence on glasses for viewing things up close. For this reason, patients usually don't "give up" their monovision as they get older. They still read better with the monovision than they would if both eyes are corrected for distance, even though for certain things, reading glasses become necessary.

Q: What will my distance vision be in my reading eye with monovision?

A: The distance vision in the eye set for reading will be less than 20/20. The reading eye is left slightly nearsighted to allow for better close vision. The amount of residual nearsightedness may be different for different patients, depending on age at the time of surgery, how "good" the patient wants the reading to be, and how much distance vision they are willing to give up.

Q: I tried monovision with contacts and didn't like it. Will it work better with surgery?

A: If you had a reasonable trial of monovision with proper fitting contact lenses and did not like it, you will probably not like monovision created with a laser.

Q: How do you decide which eye to correct for distance and which for near?

A: Usually, but not always, the dominant eye is set for distance. If you are right handed, this is usually the right eye. Your ocular dominance/preference will be tested in our office.

Q: How will monovision impact my ability to perform in certain activities?

A: The distance component of vision in people with monovision is more pronounced at night, so if you do a lot of night driving, you may want a special pair of glasses to correct both eyes for distance for this activity. Also, some sport activities demand more particular binocular vision than others. At the consultation prior to surgery, all of these questions can be answered.