contacts are great but can't read with them

I am considering Lasik or something similar to correct my nearsightedness. I
have some astigmatism in one eye, but nothing too exciting. I currently have
contacts, but mostly wear glasses.

My glasses are an old prescription and don't correct my myopia all that
well, but good enough. At least I can read the newspaper with them on and
can sort of see distant things.

If I wear my contacts - a recent exam (last summer) is when I got them - I
have great vision - probably 20/15 or so, but I can't see anything within a
4-6 ft. radius clearly. They're a pain for that reason.

Now - if I get Lasik - will my eyesight be just like with contacts or what?
My wife has pretty good distance vision, but only needs glasses for tiny
print. I'd hate to have to wear glasses for everything within 4-6 ft. With
my contacts I can't clearly read the speedometer in the car. Now, I can't
drive with reading glasses. Is this normal presbyopia? If so, I'll stick
with my current glasses which aren't too great for distance, but good
enough. I don't know too many people in their 50s who have such bad close up
vision problems as I do with my contacts in.

I'm hoping that Lasik's version of 20/20 will reduce the presbyopia radius
to something normal like tiny print at 12" or so! But I guess that's too
much to ask for, huh? And I don't like the idea of monovision really.

I'm a 51 yr old male, with moderate myopia, some astigmatism.

"Bob" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:ujYcd.8125$(E-Mail Removed) t:

> I am considering Lasik or something similar to correct my
> nearsightedness. I have some astigmatism in one eye, but nothing too
> exciting. I currently have contacts, but mostly wear glasses.
>
> My glasses are an old prescription and don't correct my myopia all
> that well, but good enough. At least I can read the newspaper with
> them on and can sort of see distant things.
>
> If I wear my contacts - a recent exam (last summer) is when I got them
> - I have great vision - probably 20/15 or so, but I can't see anything
> within a 4-6 ft. radius clearly. They're a pain for that reason.
>
> Now - if I get Lasik - will my eyesight be just like with contacts or
> what? My wife has pretty good distance vision, but only needs glasses
> for tiny print. I'd hate to have to wear glasses for everything within
> 4-6 ft. With my contacts I can't clearly read the speedometer in the
> car. Now, I can't drive with reading glasses. Is this normal
> presbyopia? If so, I'll stick with my current glasses which aren't too
> great for distance, but good enough. I don't know too many people in
> their 50s who have such bad close up vision problems as I do with my
> contacts in.
>
> I'm hoping that Lasik's version of 20/20 will reduce the presbyopia
> radius to something normal like tiny print at 12" or so! But I guess
> that's too much to ask for, huh? And I don't like the idea of
> monovision really.
>
> I'm a 51 yr old male, with moderate myopia, some astigmatism.
>
>

If you elect to go with monovision LASIK, make sure that you try it out
first with contact lenses. Some surgeons neglect this important step.

DrG

Glenn - USAEyes.org <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:(E-Mail Removed):

> For a detailed article on monovision LASIK, visit
> http://www.usaeyes.org/faq/subjects/monovision.htm
>
> Glenn Hagele
> Executive Director
> Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance
>
> Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org
>
> http://www.USAEyes.org
> http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org
>
> I am not a doctor.
>


I like this warning on Glenn's monovision web page.

"... however monovision is not for everybody and some people really dislike
it effect."

DrG

>
>I like this warning on Glenn's monovision web page.
>
>"... however monovision is not for everybody and some people really dislike
>it effect."


I done real good English too.

Glenn Hagele
Executive Director
Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance

Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org

http://www.USAEyes.org
http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org

I am not a doctor.

>
>If you elect to go with monovision LASIK, make sure that you try it out
>first with contact lenses. Some surgeons neglect this important step.

Yes they do, and for the life of me I can't figure that one out.

Without the contact lens trial the doctors have no way of knowing if
the patient will like monovision at all, if 0.75 or 1.75 diopter
undercorrection is better, if the patient will be able to drive at
night with monovision, etc. If they get it wrong, then they have all
the overhead expense of doing the surgery again. Doing monovision
without a contact lens testing just makes no sense to me.

EVERYONE considering surgically induced monovision should try it with
contacts for several weeks before they have it lasered into their
eyes.

Glenn Hagele
Executive Director
Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance

Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org

http://www.USAEyes.org
http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org

I am not a doctor.

Glenn - USAEyes.org <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:(E-Mail Removed):

>
>>
>>I like this warning on Glenn's monovision web page.
>>
>>"... however monovision is not for everybody and some people really
>>dislike it effect."
>
>
> I done real good English too.
>
> Glenn Hagele
> Executive Director
> Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance
>
> Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org
>
> http://www.USAEyes.org
> http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org
>
> I am not a doctor.


Guess I have not room to brag. Whoops, I mean "no" room to brag.

DrG

BTW, will you be in New Orleans for the AAO?

"Glenn - USAEyes.org" <(E-Mail Removed)> schreef in bericht
news(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>>
>>If you elect to go with monovision LASIK, make sure that you try it out
>>first with contact lenses. Some surgeons neglect this important step.
>
> Yes they do, and for the life of me I can't figure that one out.
>
> Without the contact lens trial the doctors have no way of knowing if
> the patient will like monovision at all, if 0.75 or 1.75 diopter
> undercorrection is better, if the patient will be able to drive at
> night with monovision, etc. If they get it wrong, then they have all
> the overhead expense of doing the surgery again. Doing monovision
> without a contact lens testing just makes no sense to me.

One of the forgotten problems in the statement above from Glenn is the
increase of presbyopia over the years.
It is not only about either 0.75 or 1.75 diopters at the specific moment you
measure.
If done on a relative young presbyopic you have most certainly a lesser
addition as done on an older presbyopic.

Which addition should you choose, to strong and thereby having some spare
for the without any doubt increasement of presbyopia but at the same time
having a short reading distance, or a lower addition, knowing later on the
client has to wear glasses or contactlenses to overcome the increasment in
needed addition?

One of the advantages in contactlenses is the possibility to change the
addition when needed , when having LASIK it is impossible.
This has to be explained IMHO before surgery.

--
Jan (normally Dutch spoken)

Neither pro, nor anti, LASIK,LASEK,PRK etc......

Glenn Hagele - Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance
(E-Mail Removed) wrote in
news(E-Mail Removed):

> BTW, will you be in New Orleans for the AAO?
>

I didn't realize that optoms were welcomed.

DrG

I agree, Glenn. When I see an unhappy post-op LASIK monovision
patient, they always look at me like I'm from another planet when I
ask them if they tried monovision in contact lenses before they had it
lasered into their eyes. Trial fitting MUST BECOME a standard of
care.

Incidentally, I have stumbled upon a "new" way to explain monovision.
I mention to the patient that his/her brain is always making choices
between the two sides of the body that they never "think" about. For
example, if you approach a curb and have to "think" about how to step,
you could simply fall while deciding. So, you simply step with your
"favorite" foot.

When monovision works, the brain decides at a subconscious level to
use both pictures simultaneously and share the best of both sides,
picking one when it "has to."

This is consistent with the work of Dr. Jan Jurkus from the Illinois
College of Optometry, who has shown that people who have total
"one-handedness", as if the second half of their body can't catch
anything, are very poor monovision wearers. Their brains don't want
to share the picture from side to side, as they have never done so for
anthing else.




Glenn - USAEyes.org <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>. ..
> >
> >If you elect to go with monovision LASIK, make sure that you try it out
> >first with contact lenses. Some surgeons neglect this important step.
>
> Yes they do, and for the life of me I can't figure that one out.
>
> Without the contact lens trial the doctors have no way of knowing if
> the patient will like monovision at all, if 0.75 or 1.75 diopter
> undercorrection is better, if the patient will be able to drive at
> night with monovision, etc. If they get it wrong, then they have all
> the overhead expense of doing the surgery again. Doing monovision
> without a contact lens testing just makes no sense to me.
>
> EVERYONE considering surgically induced monovision should try it with
> contacts for several weeks before they have it lasered into their
> eyes.
>
> Glenn Hagele
> Executive Director
> Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance
>
> Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org
>
> http://www.USAEyes.org
> http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org
>
> I am not a doctor.