To find a monovision surgeon near Stockton and Modesto, contact Heritage Eye Associates today. We can help you find the best vision correction surgery for your needs.
Heritage Eye Associates
445 West Poplar Street
Stockton, California
Ph. (866) 922-0405
Fax. (209) 465-2562
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Presbyopia is an eye condition that commonly appears around middle age even in individuals who previously had excellent vision. It is a form of farsightedness that cannot be treated with LASIK and other laser surgeries, requiring those who are affected to rely on reading glasses or bifocals as they grow older. Monovision surgery, available to our patients from Stockton, Modesto, and other nearby communities, is a treatment strategy for presbyopia in which one eye is corrected for near vision while the other is corrected for distance vision. After surgery, the brain learns to rely more heavily on the appropriate eye for each situation, making clear vision possible at different focal depths.
Good candidates for undergoing monovision surgery at Heritage Eye Associates are healthy adults in Stockton, Modesto, Sacramento, and other nearby areas who suffer from presbyopia and are tired of relying on corrective lenses for close vision. It is important to remember that farsightedness caused by presbyopia is different from farsightedness caused by hyperopia. In brief, presbyopia is thought to develop as the eye's lens grows stiffer with age, making it more difficult to change focal depths. A detailed eye examination will be required to determine which condition is present and identify the best treatment strategy. Monovision can be produced using different surgical techniques, and good candidates for the procedure need to be eligible for those techniques.
Monovision surgery can be performed with either LASIK or intraocular lens implants (IOLs). Each alternative has distinctive advantages, and different patients will be best suited for each form of monovision surgery. In each instance, the patient's dominant eye (the one on which the brain relies most) is corrected for distance vision, while the other eye is corrected for near vision.
The monovision LASIK surgery is similar to conventional LASIK: our surgeons use a microkeratome blade to create a corneal flap, exposing the inner cornea. The inner cornea is then reshaped using an excimer laser and the flap is closed for healing. The principle difference between monovision LASIK and regular LASIK is that the two eyes are adjusted for different focal depths rather than both being adjusted for a variety of focal depths.
Because presbyopia is thought to be linked to problems with the eye's natural lens, one possible treatment option is lens implant surgery. One possibility is to produce monovision results with IOL treatment for presbyopia, in which different lenses intended for different focal depths are implanted in each eye. Another option is to choose special IOLs designed to correct for presbyopia that are capable of either accommodation, which mimics the eye's natural focusing, or multifocal vision, in which different areas of the lens are used for different focal depths. This procedure is known as refractive lens exchange.
Many different lenses are available to meet different needs; our surgeons will discuss each with you before settling on the best lens for you. Whatever the case, the implantation process is similar to cataract surgery: the existing lens of the eye is broken up and removed through a small incision in the eye and the new lens is inserted in its place. A single stitch is generally enough to close the incision until it can heal.
For patients who are not good surgical candidates, monovision can also be achieved using contact lenses. Though this does not offer all the benefits of monovision surgery, it is still a good option for many of our patients. This approach is also a good way for surgical candidates to experiment with monovision before committing to surgery.
If you are tired of relying on reading glasses or bifocals in order to live with presbyopia, monovision surgery can help. Serving Stockton, Modesto, and other nearby communities, Heritage Eye Associates offers a variety of options for helping presbyopic patients reduce or eliminate their dependence on glasses. Contact our practice today to set up an appointment.