Reading Glasses After Lasik Surgery

I'm scheduled for Lasik surgery in about a month and a half.  I'm now wearing prescription glasses for nearsightedness (with some astigmatism) which include a progressive adjustment for farsightedness (+2.25).  I'm trying to determine what reading strength I'll need after the Lasik surgery.  I took an old pair of my eyeglasses with no correction for farsightedness and worked on the computer for a while.  I don't seem to have any problems seeing the computer screen and feel comfortable.  With this same pair of glasses I can read book size print with my arms not quite stretched out, but it's slightly blurry.  I then tried to read a magazine wearing no eyeglasses using various reading glass strengths.  I couldn't find any within the 1.50-2.50 that worked without having to put the magazine right up to my face (otherwise it's too blurry).  I read a lot and am now concerned about being able to find a reading glass strength that will work for me after the Lasik surgery.  Does the surgery change things enough that I might have to wear a completely different number for my farsightedness correction from what I currently have in my eyeglasses?  Is there a possibility I won't be able to find any kind of correction that's acceptable?  I'm concerned about this because I'm an avid reader and don't want to have to give up on something that's a big part of my life.  I'd rather not have the Lasik surgery if this is the case.  Help!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

How old are you? What is your glasses prescription on the top? Do you have any other eye disease. Can you see 20/20 with your present glasses.

JCH MD

[peakhope]

I'm not a doctor. Basically, the stronger the reader, the nearer the material has to be to your eyes to be clear. I would guess that weak readers (maybe .5 to 1) would do what you want. You might try going to a drugstore with a rack of reading glasses of various strengths, and experimenting.

Also, your astigmatism may be causing or at least increasing the blur. So the experiments won't be exactly accurate.

Discuss your concerns with your surgeon, but I suspect things will be fine. After surgery, you'll probably want reading glasses for smaller print, dimmer light, and/or nearer objects. But assuming the procedure goes according to plan, I wouldn't expect you to have any trouble finding reading glasses that work for a particular distance.

[susieq60]

I'm 59 years old.  My top eyeglasses prescription is:  D.V. O.D. Spherical -2.50, Cylindrical -1.25, Axis 180.  D.V. O.S. Spherical -2.50, Cylindrical -1.50, Axis 171.  (This is from a written prescription).  I don't have any eye diseases, and I can see 20/20 with my current eyeglasses.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Susieq60  Be sure you clearly understand this before you have surgery and spend your money.

If you have lasik surgery and it works perfect that means you will see 20/20 in each eye without glasses at distances 20 feet away or further. HOWEVER as things come closer to you they will get more and more blurred. You may have trouble watching television and reading scores and news ribbons on the bottom at distances of 12 feet or closer. You will not see well to shop, use a computer, see your dashboard nor will you be able to read.

You will need one set of reading glasses likely about a +2.25 for reading and a different pair about + 1.25 for computers and shopping.   What most people in this situation do is get a pair of lineless biofocals with no RX on the top and a +2.50 add on the bottom and wear them when they have trouble with these distances.

If you want a preview look through the very top of your bifocals the part that you drive and look far away with and then hold a book up and look it at the top. That's what it will look like also look at the computer that way and the TV that way. Don't cheat and raise your chin to see through the intermediate distance.

You can use the search feature and read about monovision and mini-monovision as alternates to make you somewhat less dependent on glasses.

Myopic people that have LASIK and that do not understand they will lose their near vision without glasses are often very very upset.

JCH MD