Can LASIK Reduce the Need for Reading Glasses?
Though aging brings various challenges, needing reading glasses is a constant aggravation for many. If you hope to see things like recipes, directions, and labels clearly, you need your glasses close to hand, but they never seem to be around when you need them.
But is LASIK eye surgery an answer for such a trivial complaint? The answer depends on the patient.
For many men and women over 40, the struggle to read small print is significant, especially in these days of constant screen use. The good news is that LASIK is not only for improving the ability to see in the distance. It can also help you distinguish print on a page or a screen.
Modern LASIK corrects the vision issue medically termed presbyopia. Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Brian Will offers a contemporary solution to this age-related problem with KAMRA inlay for his Portland and the Pacific Northwest patients.
KAMRA Inlay
This relatively new eye treatment involves placing a ring in the eye’s cornea. It works similarly to a camera by creating a pinhole effect that controls and minimizes the amount of light entering the eye to increase your perception of objects close by. The process will restore your ability to focus on nearby objects.
A KAMRA inlay is thinner and smaller and lighter than contact lenses and helps presbyopia patients read without glasses. KAMRA effectively restores near vision without compromising your long-distance vision. This benefit allows you to minimize your reliance on eyeglasses.
What About Monovision?
Monovision is a standard treatment for patients who wear contacts and farsighted people who want laser vision correction. Monovision modifies the eye to adjust for distance vision while the other eye sees things close up. In addition, it can be a successful option for presbyopia patients who dislike reading glasses.
But despite its success, it does have disadvantages. For example, the eye set for near vision can’t see well in the distance, which is more manifest in dim light conditions. Prescription glasses can help with this shortfall.
Is It Time for Lifestyle LASIK?
With Lifestyle LASIK, there is no vision loss for distance in either eye, so the patient retains their normal distance vision in both eyes and maintains normal depth perception. As a result, the Lifestyle LASIK patient enjoys corrected vision and can focus from near to far without relying on reading glasses.
The primary disadvantage of Lifestyle LASIK compared to the KAMRA corneal inlay is it not for everyone. It requires both eyes to have an underlying refractive error like nearsightedness or farsightedness. Therefore, patients who need reading glasses with no distance vision problems are not candidates for Lifestyle LASIK. However, they are typically ideal patients for the KAMRA inlay procedure.
If you would like more information on how to get corrected near vision with LASIK in Portland and the Pacific Northwest, schedule a complimentary consultation with our board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Brian Will.