Cataract surgery is a refractive procedure, meaning that the focusing power of the eye can be adjusted by the choice of power of the lens implant placed in the eye.  Patients can choose to target a correction after cataract surgery that sees clearly in the distance, or they can choose to target near vision.  Patients with monovision often are very pleased with one eye set for distance and the less dominant eye used for near vision and reading activities. 

 

 Monovision is a situation where one eye is corrected and the vision improved for distance. Monovision patients learn to use the second eye for reading activities. This is often very natural for near-sighted individuals as they have always enjoyed reading without glasses in at least one eye.  Many people enjoy the benefits of monovision and are essentially glasses-free, perhaps keeping a pair of bifocals around for longer hours of reading, or for more comfortable night driving.   A contact lens trial can help determine satisfaction with monovision prior to any surgical decision-making.