Monocular Vision - When you get to be 40 + you often lose your ability to read (presbyopia) up close. At Natural Vision (tm) we can use this to your advantage by correcting one eye for near and the other for distance. One of the best ways to define monovision, in the context of contemplating refractive surgery, is that you can aim to have each eye corrected to a natural focus at any distance you choose.  As a rule, we don’t suggest monovision if you are under the age of 35 for two reasons. The first being that it will be a number of years before there will be any benefit from it and second being that it is very possible that there will be a better (or at least as good) surgical way to help correct the effects of presbyopia by the time it is a problem for you. We also would most likely recommend against it at any age for people who may need to see better than average for certain tasks. Some examples of this type of person might include airline pilots, race car drivers, someone who drives for a living (especially at night), and avid tennis or baseball players (especially for playing at night). In our experience, most people over the age of 40 to 45 who try monovision and take a few months to become accustomed to it, like it and find it very useful. 

Those who have monovision will be able to generally see well enough both at distance and near to do most things at any age without corrective lenses. Depending on the exact result obtained (as is true for everyone having refractive surgery) there might still be some situations when the very best vision or the maximum visual comfort might require wearing glasses (or possibly contacts). Night driving and prolonged reading are two examples that are mentioned frequently, but it could be anything for which you feel the need or the desire to see the very best possible. We suggest that if significant you aim to have your vision corrected for good general vision and plan to use reading glasses when necessary. 

Amblyopia - The term amblyopia, sometimes called ‘lazy eye’ (which usually occurs in one eye, but occasionally both), is generally used to mean that your vision is less than 20/25 even with glasses, but with no obvious disease or injury to account for it. Amblyopia is usually a developmental outcome often as a result of improper development of the visual system in very young children prior to the age of about 8. If it is not discovered and treated prior to this age, it will be permanent. It is important in relation to refractive surgery because regardless of any treatment or surgery, including refractive surgery, the best the vision can be with or without correction is what it was with best correction prior to surgery. We can help you as much as possible with your understanding of this condition and what to expect if you choose to correct your eyes. Be sure you understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives before proceeding with "any type" of surgery. 

Corneal Topography – This is an essential test performed prior to any refractive surgery. A pattern of circular lights are placed in front of your cornea and then photographed and analyzed. Recently, laser light systems are being used to create optical wave fronts to measure the entire refractive power of the eye.  These computers are being linked to the actual Excimer Laser, such that real time custom ablation patterns are under investigation. There is debate as to whether ‘Wave Front Analysis’ versus ‘surface topography’  is the better solution.