Monovision Lasik and Presbyopia
Even if you undergo LASIK (laser-assisted in sitiu keratomileusis) or PRK (photorefractive keraterctomy) when you’re young and achieve 20/20 vision, you will still develop a condition called presbyopia usually between the ages of 40 and 50. Presbyopia is the inability of the eye to focus at all distances and is usually noticed when fine prints begin blur.
Medical professionals disagree about what is the cause of presbyopia, but most believe that stiffening of the eye’s lens contributes to the condition. Others believe that presbyopia could also be associated with continued growth of the lens or atrophy of the muscles controlling the lens. In the past, the remedy for presbyopia was to wear bifocals or reading glasses. Nowadays, however, surgical remedies for this condition are available for patients who meet certain criteria.
Monovision to Treat Presbyopia
Monovision was once possible only through the use of contact lenses, but advances in LASIK have now made it possible to achieve permanent monovision. Through LASIK, a highly trained surgeon can use an excimer laser to reshape the cornea so it can properly focus images, and your surgeon can correct distance vision in one eye and up-close vision in the other eye.
Typically, both of our eyes work together when we look at an object to produce what is called “binocular vision.” However, most of us have a dominant eye that our brain tends to favor.
Sometimes, LASIK surgeons produce monovision in their presbyopic patients by purposely leaving the non-dominant eye slightly near-sighted so that they can see up close without glasses. Some are wary of this technique because not everyone can become used to the absence of binocular vision. It has been suggested by some LASIK surgeons to try monovision with contact lenses or trial lenses first to be sure you can adapt.
FDA Approval
Monovision LASIK initially was used off label, meaning that it had not yet received official Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as an approach to correcting presbyopia. In July 2007, the FDA announced approval of the Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) and Visx CustomVue excimer laser for performing the monovision procedure.
One drawback of permanent monovision is that our eyes will no longer work together, and some patients find it difficult to get used to one of their eyes being blurry all the time. If you are considering LASIK for treatment of presbyopia, you may want to try monovision with contact lenses first to see how you adjust.
LASIK and Night Vision
Night vision problems have been reported as common side effects of traditional LASIK. If you have Custom LASIK, they are far less of a problem. That is because of the way your eyes are diagnosed in those two ways of doing LASIK.
Diagnosis for Traditional LASIK
In Traditional (early) LASIK, a phoropter was used, which is how prescriptions are determined for glasses and contact lenses. A phoropter is a floor-standing device with many lenses. You sit looking through its aperture at the vision chart while someone flips between lenses asking you to read the smallest line of letters you can clearly see.
The information thus gathered is used to correct three vision problems: Read more
Experiencing Dry Eyes After Lasik
As with anything in life, there are complications and risks. Dry eyes after Lasik is one of the risks associated with the procedure of Lasik eye surgery. If you experience dry eyes after Lasik, you know how it can be to have that type of symptom get in the way of your daily life. With the right medication, perhaps some eye drops and pills, you can overcome the dry eyes after Lasik and get on the way to recovery in no time. Without the recovery elements in place, however, you might be in for more complications as the results that come from dry eyes could get in the way of the natural healing process of your eyes.
Your eyes take time to recover and recuperate from the Lasik procedure. With dry eyes, you may experience a delay in that recovery time and may need to have some further assistance in getting to the point at which your eyes can recover from the procedure. As you learn more about the procedure and about dry eyes after the procedure, you can start talking to your doctor before the procedure about what to do if you experience dry eyes after Lasik and what to do after you cure your dry eyes. Read more
