How to Adjust to Monovision Contact Lenses While Working on a Computer

Monovision contact lenses are a special type of vision correction for people who develop presbyopia, meaning their near vision becomes blurred. Usually around the age of 40, many people experience blurred near vision, such as when reading or working on a computer. Some people resolve the problem with bifocal glasses or contact lenses; others turn to monovision contact lenses. Monovision works by correcting one eye for distance vision and the other for near vision. Although working on computers while wearing monovision contact lenses takes some adjustment, there are things you can do to make sure you are getting the best possible vision.

Instructions

• 1

  Wear your contact lenses as prescribed. Initially your doctor will put you on a wearing schedule, starting at about four hours a day and adding an hour each day to build up your wearing time. If you go over your prescribed time, your eyes can become swollen or irritated and will interfere with your ability to wear your lenses.

• 2

  Move your monitor or screen closer or farther away if necessary. Because monovision contact lenses work by combining distance and near vision, some of your distance correction becomes slightly compromised. If you are having trouble reading detail on your computer, moving your screen will help.

• 3

  Adjust the prescription power of the distance contact lens to compensate for computer work. Your eye doctor can slightly increase or decrease the lenses' distance power, depending on how you are adapting and how far away you sit from the computer screen.

• 4

  Try modified mini-monovision contact lenses. Your eye doctor can alter your prescription to use a lighter magnifying power for your near (reading) lens to help with computer work, especially if you sit extremely close to your monitor or screen.

• 5

  Change to modified monovision, which uses a bifocal contact lens in one eye and a distance vision contact lens in the other. This form of monovision works well for someone if they cannot adapt to regular or mini-monovision contact lenses with computer work.

• 6

  Add a light reading prescription pair of glasses over your monovision contact lenses if your computer work involves a lot of fine detail. Using the additional minor reading prescription as needed can help alleviate eye stress or strain.