Does a magnifying contact lens in 1 eye work post cataract surgery instead of reading glasses?
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I have been very nearsighted all my life. I have just had my right eye operated on a week ago to remove a cataract, and so far am pleased with the sight results (J&J Eyhance toric lens, now have 20/20 vision in right eye). I will be discussing next week with the surgeon what implant to use in my left eye which also has a cataract. I am an attorney and sometimes read virtually all day. I also am an artist and I do a lot of near point painting. I believe I could obtain similar long distance/intermediate vision in my left eye with an Eyhance lens (requiring magnifying glasses thereafter) or in the alternative, use a monofocal lens for near/reading vision in the left eye with my now far/intermediate vision in the right. I have no objection to needing glasses after both surgeries by the way, I have worn glasses all my life. Interestingly, I have already adjusted well to seeing far and intermediate distances with my right eye and close up with my non-operated eye (using no glasses), so I think I could adjust to the monovision concept. Right now, I can also read perfectly with my Eyhance eye with +1 magnification reading glasses (blocking off my non-operated eye). My concern though is that ultimately I think I will prefer to see far distance in both eyes, rather than near in one eye and far in the other, and am OK using magnifying glasses for near point reading and painting. However, I'm curious if it would be viable to have Eyhance lenses implanted in both eyes, thus having far and intermediate vision in both, and to then wear a magnifying contact lens in one eye when doing near point work? I know it might get tiring to take reading glasses on and off all day long, and I know some who also don't like half-moon magnifying glasses on the ends of their noses all the time. I do see that magnifying contact lenses exist, but there is some conflicting information on the Internet about their effectiveness. Do such magnifying contact lenses work for people who have had cataract surgery (after being fully healed of course), and do they work as well as a pair of reading glasses? I will speak with my surgeon about this, but am wondering if there is any wisdom on the forum about "magnifying contact lenses", if they work like reading glasses in terms of the magnification power, especially after this surgery, etc. Thank you so much to anyone who has knowledge or experience, I would appreciate any thoughts or ideas.
0 likes, 5 replies
Guest chalcedonian1
Edited
I don't see why a positive power contact wouldn't work but I would think glasses would be more convenient (easy to take on / off). The other option is, if you're reading well with Eyhance with +1 readers you could target your second eye with Eyhance at -1. With both eyes open you'd still probably have fairly good distance.
RonAKA chalcedonian1
Edited
I don't think there is any such thing as "magnifying contacts" that I am aware of. But, of course you can get contacts with a plus power instead of the typical minus power that myopes would use. They would of course assist in reading.
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I think this comment you made is very telling. "Right now, I can also read perfectly with my Eyhance eye with +1 magnification reading glasses". You can get the same effect with an Eyhance IOL if you ask for a target of -1.0 D instead of plano in the second eye. This is a mini-monovision configuration. On a spherical equivalent basis which compensates for astigmatism I am currently at -0.25 D in my right eye and -1.4 D in my left eye. I can see 20/20 distance and read very well with the combination. If I get into difficulty with very small print in dimmer light I put on some +1.25 D OTC readers. Then I see really well close up. I don't like leaving them on though, and probably weeks go by without me needing to put them on. I also have progressive glasses which correct both sphere and astigmatism for distance and in the lower part of the lens have a +2.5 D Add. They provide my best vision, but like the readers I almost never wear them because I don't need to.
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For me, mini-monovision has worked out really well. I am primarily eyeglasses free, but have two other eyeglass options for better reading and the ultimate best distance. Prior to cataract surgery, and in the period of time between having the eyes done, I wore contacts. I don't see them as a practical solution after both eyes have been done. They could provide a minor step up in vision without glasses, but to me the hassle of contacts outweighs the minor benefits. I sure could not see putting them in to read and taking them out for distance.
chalcedonian1
Edited
Thank you @david98963 and @RonAKA for your responses and ideas. Yes, I am talking about whether it is possible to use a positive power contact lens in one eye during certain tasks and chores, and I am curious if lenses give you the same kind of magnification as reading glasses do (I will of course speak with my surgeon about all of this). . Given how clear my eyesight in my corrected eye is for both far and intermediate now, I am feeling that I don't want to cheat myself out of this experience in the other eye, AND if anything happened to my eyesight in the right eye, I might want the left eye to see distance and intermediate clearly (I know the odds of this happening are remote, but I like to cover all bases). I'm so tired of squinting to try to see blurry football scores on TV, and my (now old) glasses could never correct enough as my prescription would change within months of getting new glasses, so it's really great to do this. I also see the definition of leaves and their shadows on trees in the far distance! And sorry, but I forgot to add in my first message that I do underwater diving--and have always used soft contact lenses to see while wearing my mask. There are dive masks with prescription lenses, including bifocal ones where the bottom part magnifies and the top half is just a plain non-prescription lens, so that is a possibility. However, I still would prefer to wear contact lenses (or a plus 1 contact lens in one eye) so that I can see instruments and valves up close when on the dive boat. Again, I am happy to continue to wear reading glasses etc., but there are certain things I do where a contact lens might truly be better for near point vision. Thanks again and any other thoughts are greatly appreciated!
RonAKA chalcedonian1
Edited
One issue in using a contact in place of a reading glass lens is that, at least for me, contacts are not that convenient to put in and take out. Yes, for sure when diving it would be worth it to put a contact in. Back when I was myopic I used to put contacts in for snorkeling, but in that case it was so I could see further away. Close up I could see without contacts.
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Mini-Monovision solves those issues as one eye will see closer and the other for distance. No readers or contacts required.
thomas84367 chalcedonian1
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I'm having surgery on my right/dominant eye next next week with a toric Eyehance lens targeted for -.25. After that, I should be more or less where you are now. Depending on how happy I am with the outcome, I will either target the second eye for -.25 as well, or go with mini-monovision and target -1.25 as Ron recommended to me in another thread. That will be a toric Eyehance lens as well.
My surgeon actually suggested a single contact lens set for the -1.0 to -1.5 range if I choose to set both eyes for distance, but I think that suggestion was more along the lines of "You can set both eyes for distance then try a single contact lens to simulate mini-monovision. If you like it, you can leave the contact lens in full time. If you don't, unlike an IOL, you can simply take it out." (Although my surgeon is more than willing to work with me on whatever option I choose, I can tell he's not a big fan of monovision in general. However, I've read too many success stories here with respect to mini-monovision not to give it serious consideration.)