Monovision, what’s that? (part one)

I'm a contact lens wearer since 1987 and have thoroughly enjoyed the system (I use soft lenses I change every 2 weeks). For about 15 years, I used them in "monovision" see far with my director's eye and close with the other. As I grow older and my eyes keep on changing, that ability has deteriorated and I recently had to use reading glasses, but following my last eye-doctor visit, I have returned to mono-vision. 

For those who don’t know, monovision is having one eye corrected for distance vision (typically the dominant eye) while the other eye is corrected for near vision (reading or close-up tasks). 

This setup allows our brain to blend the two inputs, giving us functional vision across distances without needing bifocals or progressive lenses. It’s commonly achieved through either contact lenses (as I’ve done), LASIK or other refractive surgeries, or intraocular lenses during cataract surgery. 

The greatest benefit of monovision is that it allows me to live without reading glasses (my situation for about 15 years). It’s of course super convenient for active lifestyles (skiing, biking, running, etc). It’s also very much appreciated by folks who dislike switching between glasses or wearing bifocals. Then in my case there’s also familiarity with it as my brain has long been trained to adapt to it. 

It can also be tailored to my dominant eye and visual needs. It also comes with some downsides, like loss of depth perception, as each eye is focused differently, depth perception may be slightly compromised (not seeing the edge of a sidewalk is I think the most typical situation). For some, it’s also hard to adapt to, I can’t really remember what my particular getting used to it was. 

There’s also some reduced clarity in low light, in particular night driving or dim environments may feel more challenging. Again, it might not be perfect for all tasks: One might still need reading glasses for very fine print or prolonged close work. Tomorrow we’ll see how it might work after cataract surgery, so older folks, please stay tuned!