Monovision LASIK for Presbyopia

Presbyopia, commonly known as “Lao Hua”, is a condition where the eye loses the ability to accommodate and focus at near objects. This occurs as part of the normal aging process which usually presents from the age of 40 onwards. It is a result of an age-related decrease in the elasticity of the eye lens and weakening of the accommodation muscles. People with presbyopia tend to hold near objects further away in order to see better. Their difficulty in seeing near objects becomes worse in dim lighting conditions. However, their distance vision is not affected.

Monovision LASIK presents an option for patients who wish to overcome presbyopia to reduce their dependency on reading glasses. In a monovision LASIK procedure, the dominant eye is usually fully corrected for distance vision, while the less dominant eye will be intentionally over or under corrected for near vision, leaving it mildly near-sighted. The mild near-sightedness of one eye will allow the patient to see near objects clearly even without glasses.

After monovision LASIK surgery, the dominant eye will be responsible for providing clear distance vision while the non-dominant eye will provide clear near vision. With time, your brain will slowly adjust and adapt to the monovision treatment, and automatically obtains the best image of what you see. At various distances, your brain will signal the appropriate guiding eye to lead to see. The adjustment period usually takes a few days to a few weeks.

It may take up to a few weeks for some people to adapt after monovision LASIK. The vision may appear slightly less sharp at the beginning as the brain learns to adjust. For most individuals who have undergone monovision LASIK, the convenience of being able to see reasonably well at both near and far distances without glasses can make up for the minor loss of clarity in distance vision.