How do we test mini-monovision etc before any IOL operation?

Posted , 7 users are following.

Many people say test monovision/mini-monovision via contacts/glasses before operating. How do we go about doing that?

My "young" wife, both eyes have cataract and has never worn any glasses or contacts-

It seems RIGHT eye is dominant or has taken over the dominance due to having better vision.

Actual numbers that I have currently-

**Left Eye **

40% to 80% vision depending on source.

Subjective refractory values from the left +0.5 -0.75 137 °.

**Right Eye **

100% vision

Subjective refractory values from the right +0.5 -0.25 103 °


Now in the above case how do we test mini monovision? What kind of glass or contact should we get to get similar feeling as mini-monovision?

I will ask the surgeon tomorrow but get the feeling they are more interested in operating and just go with the flow than making us decide what choices are good in the long term.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Husband!

    Please know you CAN find a surgeon who will take the time to speak with you and who, yes, cares about the long-term vision your wife will have. There are plenty who do. One article by a surgeon called it "chair time." Yes, they LOVE to operate and tend to carry hammers so tend towards thinking everything is a nail. And yes, they are all a touch arrogant...we wouldn't want insecure humans cutting into bodies.

    But a good ophtho, while she may not take an hour with you, will listen intently and suggest a course of action based on YOUR wishes and needs, combined with her experience and skills. They have seen thousands of others' results and so if they contradict what you had concluded, you should get the sense that it's because they know what you want and have an experienced perspective on how to achieve that.

    It's so good you're doing the research so you can ask informed, targeted questions and get the most out of that chair.

    tamarinda

  • Posted

    how good is her near vision in the right eye?

    • Posted

      how good is her near vision in the right eye?

      Apparently 100% and very good. The cataract is very fine and not dense currentlyin the right eye according to the 1st surgeon who saw us. She thinks we can wait a year or two. I don't have the actual readings/measurements she took.

      The readings in the opening post are from the emergency eye doctor we visited 2 weeks ago. The emergency doctor also wrote-

      The uncorrected visual acuity is partial right 1,0 left 0,8 partial, but completely blurred in both eyes.

      The visual acuity in both eyes corrected is very sharp, partially 1,0.

    • Posted

      if she needed no correction for distance and near then i think it will be difficult to simulate mono-vision with contacts or glasses. she currently has monovision for both distance and near from the same eye. however in case of mini-monovision the other eye would not be as bad as the cataract eye. It would be slightly better and together the two eye would be better than the single good eye.

  • Posted

    I think to simulate the mini monovision that you would get with monofocal IOLs, you'd need to be older/have presbyopia. Sounds like your wife still has accommodation in her natural lens.

    But assuming the mini-mono would be targeted with one eye at distance vision, you'd put a contact which gives you 20/20/plano vision in the dominant eye and a contact that gives you the desired mini-mono in the nondominant eye (for example 1 diopter away from plano).

  • Posted

    Yes, Deb's description is correct. But in your wife's case, I don't think you can do any testing at this point. Not till after the first surgery. If your 2nd surgeon can confirm that the right eye is dominant - or not - then she can decide from there if she wants the left eye to be at perfect distance vision or very slightly less than perfect. (So then she would only need very weak distance glasses (in left eye) to drive at night or in very difficult visual circumstances. Otherwise glasses free, most likely.)

    If you can't determine the dominant eye for sure, then there doesn't seem to be much to choose. Having the monofocal IOL in the left eye will be such a relief for her and her brain will automatically adjust so that both eyes together give her perfect vision.

    • Posted

      Yeah does not look possible as went to two different eye glasses shops.

      Second surgeon gave a rough idea using those slide in glasses for a minute.

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