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REFRACTIVE SURGERY AND PRESBYOPIA
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Patients who undergo refractive surgery for the correction of myopia need to understand the concept of presbyopia and the impact of refractive surgery on presbyopia. LASIK is not used to treat Presbyopia, however, they are candidates for the new Crystalens procedure. For more information about Crystalens and treatment for Presbyopia, contact our office by calling the number below or scheduling a FREE Consultation online.
Schedule Your Free Consultation Today!
Call 888.834.4441 or Go Online.
When individuals become presbyopic, they lose their ability to focus up close. A nearsighted individual wearing glasses requires bi-focals to see up close. A nearsighted person wearing contact lenses requires reading glasses in order to see up close. However, nearsighted individuals who are presbyopic and choose not to wear glasses can remove their glasses or contact lenses in order to see at near. Therefore, even though they are presbyopic, because they are nearsighted they are able to see up close. Their focal point is for near vision activities such as reading, threading a needle, putting on makeup, etc. If nearsighted individuals who are presbyopic have refractive surgery so that their distance vision without glasses or contact lenses improves, they will no longer be able to see up close without glasses because they will no longer be nearsighted. In other words, their focal point will be pushed from near to distance.
Patients with myopia exceeding -1.50 diopters who are presbyopic, will usually see approximately 20/200 at distance, but can read very well up close. If they undergo refractive surgery for myopia, their distance vision will be excellent, but they will no longer be able to perform any reading or near activities without reading glasses if both eyes are corrected.
Monovision is an effective option for presbyopic individuals who want to see in the distance and up close without glasses. It can be easily simulated with contact lenses. The prospective surgery candidate is thus able to try out monovision. With surgically-produced monovision correction, as with monovision done with contact lenses, the dominant eye is corrected to enable an individual to see in the distance. The non-dominant eye is either left uncorrected for the mildly myopic individual or is partially corrected for the more myopic individual. Thus, the nearsightedness is only partially reduced so that the patient can use this eye for reading vision. Monovision is a compromise. Patients can achieve good distance vision with monovision, but distance vision is not as good as if both eyes were focused for distance. Patients with monovision can achieve good reading vision, but near vision is not as good as if both eyes were focused for near with reading glasses.
If your primary activities are distance activities that require good depth perception, monovision may not be a good option for you. If, on the other hand, your activities are primarily related to office activities, monovision is definitely an option for you. If your activities are solely near activities, such as computers and reading, and you currently do so without glasses to your satisfaction, you may not want to consider undergoing refractive surgery.
Schedule Your Free Consultation Today!
Call 888.834.4441 or Go Online. |
