After turning 40, has it become a little difficult for you to read the newspaper or a message on your phone? Have you had to move your hand a little further because the letters seem blurry? This is something that happens to many people. But when you put on glasses for near vision, you have to take them off when you see far. Changing these glasses is a real hassle for some people. So, have you heard of a technology called 'Monovision' that comes as a good solution to this? Let's talk about it simply today.
Simply put, what is monovision?
It's very simple. Monovision is a method of training your eyes to focus on things that are close to you (e.g., reading a book, looking at your phone) and your other eye to focus on things that are far away (e.g., driving, watching TV) . It's like giving your eyes two separate tasks.
Think of it this way. One of your eyes is very good at seeing up close, and the other eye is very good at seeing far away. Your brain somehow combines the images from these two eyes, creating a complete image that allows you to see both near and far clearly. Some people call this 'blended vision'. This means that you can almost completely get rid of the need for glasses for near vision.
Why do we need something like this?
As we all age, usually after the age of 40, it becomes harder to see things up close. You've probably seen older people squinting while reading a newspaper. In medicine, we call this condition 'presbyopia' .
This is because the flexibility of the lens inside our eyes decreases with age. The small muscles inside the eye (the `ciliary muscles`) are unable to bend this lens as needed to focus on something close. This is called the 'Accommodation reflex' which weakens.
Monovision bypasses this weakening process. Also, people who have cataract surgery in one eye can sometimes have a lens implanted with this monovision system.
What are the ways to achieve monovision?
There are several ways you can achieve this monovision. Some are temporary, others are permanent.
- Contact Lenses: This is the best and safest way to see if monovision is right for you. Your doctor will put a near-vision lens in one eye and a distance-vision lens in the other eye for a while. This is a good time to see if you can get used to it and if you have any discomfort.
- Laser Vision Correction: If you find that wearing contact lenses is successful, you can consider laser surgery, such as LASIK or PRK, as a permanent solution. This involves changing the shape of the cornea of the eye to permanently provide monovision.
- Intraocular Lens Surgery: During cataract surgery, an artificial lens placed inside the eye can be adjusted for monovision.
The most important thing is to always try a trial period with contact lenses to see how well the monovision system suits you before undergoing any permanent surgery.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this method?
Like any medical treatment, monovision has both advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a look at what they are.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Dependence on glasses for near vision is greatly reduced. | Some people have a hard time adjusting to this new perspective. They may feel dizzy and disoriented. |
| You can try contact lenses before resorting to permanent surgery. | Because both eyes do not work together, 3D vision and depth perception may be somewhat reduced. |
| Contact lenses can be used as an alternative for those who are afraid of or uncomfortable with surgery. | Vision can be a bit blurry in low-light areas, especially at night. |
| Many daily tasks can be done without glasses. | A dangerous situation called the 'Pulfrich effect' can occur. |
What is this dangerous 'Pulfrich Effect'?
This is something to be careful of. Simply put, because the clarity of the images that go from your eyes to your brain is different, the time it takes for your brain to process the two images is slightly different. The image from one eye arrives at your brain a very small fraction of a second later than the other.
This small difference makes it impossible to accurately understand the distance, speed, and direction of a moving object.
Imagine you are driving a car. How dangerous would it be if you couldn't accurately judge the distance between you and the vehicle or person crossing the road in front of you? This effect can be especially pronounced when driving at high speed and in low light .
Therefore, if you are someone who drives frequently, you should definitely talk to your doctor about this before deciding on monovision.
Things to consider when living with monovision
Once you get used to monovision, it's very important to take care of the health of your eyes.
- Get regular eye exams: Get your eyes checked at least once a year or two, as recommended by your eye doctor. If you have other medical conditions, such as diabetes mellitus , you may need to get them checked more often.
- Special glasses: Your doctor may prescribe a special pair of glasses for you to use only for night driving or for very delicate tasks, such as working on a computer. This will ensure that you have the best vision during these risky situations.
Monovision is a great way to help many people with nearsightedness get rid of glasses. But it's not for everyone. Whether you can get used to it and whether it causes side effects varies from person to person.
Take-Home Message
- Monovision is a method of training one eye to see near and the other to see far. This is a good solution for the condition of presbyopia that occurs with age.
- This method is not suitable for everyone, so before going for permanent surgery, be sure to try it out with contact lenses.
- If you are a frequent driver, talk to your eye doctor about the risk of the 'Pulfrich effect'.
- A separate mirror may be required for some special situations (such as driving).
- It is very important to seek advice from an experienced ophthalmologist to choose the treatment method that is best for you.
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