“I had corrective eye surgery, but I still can't read without glasses. Is something wrong?”
I underwent corrective eye surgery, but I am still unable to read without glasses. What could be the reason?
12 Answers
Hello,
Your surgeon only corrected your eyes for distance vision. Surgery can only correct for distance or near vision. Sometimes patients and doctors agree to leave one eye blurred so they can read with it, mono vision. Speak with your surgeon about this option.
I hope this helped,
Dr. John Lowitz, OD
Your surgeon only corrected your eyes for distance vision. Surgery can only correct for distance or near vision. Sometimes patients and doctors agree to leave one eye blurred so they can read with it, mono vision. Speak with your surgeon about this option.
I hope this helped,
Dr. John Lowitz, OD
That's normal if you are close to or are in your 40s. Your doctor should have told you that. It's called presbyopia.
There is a condition called presbyopia that is common in populations of 40 yrs or over. Consider a visit to your local eyecare provider to find the correct reading prescription for you.
No, having corrective eye surgery does not mean your eyes will not change ever. As long as you keep having birthdays...your eyes have the potential to change. Part of what are bodies will do with age.
If it’s relatively recent that you had the corrective eye surgery, I would recommend going back to where you got the surgery to have an evaluation and ask them questions about it. There are many factors and reasons that the surgeon can help answer, or possibly need further enhancement treatment.
Lasik only corrects your far vision. If you are 40 and over, we normally lose our near focus (Presbyopia) and need some sort of corrective lens such as reading glasses or bifocals. The only other reason you can't read is your vision is over-corrected from the surgery and you went from nearsighted to farsighted.
If you are 40 and over, your surgeon should have explained before the procedure that refractive surgery would not help your near vision and you would need something to read with.
If you are 40 and over, your surgeon should have explained before the procedure that refractive surgery would not help your near vision and you would need something to read with.
If you are over the age of 40, it is because the focusing system of your eye gets weaker with time, and it starts to impact your reading. This should have been explained to you prior to your surgery. Go back to your eye doctor and make sure that you are not over corrected for the distance which can also speed up the need for reading glasses.
Erin Lorraine McCleary
Optometrist
As we age, the lens on the inside of your eye loses its ability to change shape and focus between distance and near. This part of the eye is unaffected by refractive surgery surgeries like LASIK or PRK.
LASIK usually corrects patients vision for one focal point unless monovision surgery is performed. If the patient is over 40 years of ago and has both eyes corrected for distance with LASIK then the patient may still need glasses for reading. A common and effective alternative to reading glasses is to have one contact lens for special occasions in the nondominate eye.
It is likely that your correction was done as distance correction for both eyes, or your non-dominant eye was overtreated, that is assuming you are over 40 years old.
I typically always recommend a trial contact lens for each eye for 3-5 days to simulate the way the surgery goals will be treated.
I am sorry you are having issues. If you would like a consult you can contact my office at 281-469-1089.
Best Regards,
Dr. David Johnson
I typically always recommend a trial contact lens for each eye for 3-5 days to simulate the way the surgery goals will be treated.
I am sorry you are having issues. If you would like a consult you can contact my office at 281-469-1089.
Best Regards,
Dr. David Johnson
Age is a big factor! If you are in your 40s-60s, you need reading glasses for presbyopia.
Corrective eye surgery is most commonly done to correct distance vision. Depending on your age, you may be approaching the point in life where you need reading glasses to help your near vision. Check in with your local Optometrist to see if that is the case.
