I have wanted to write this FAQ for a while because I get asked these questions a lot in my ophthalmology clinic when I am seeing patients for a cataract consultation or a LASIK consultation. Monovision has a lot of myths surrounding it, so I hope this article can help get some misconceptions cleared up.
What is Monovision LASIK?
Monovision LASIK is when we determine which of your eyes is dominant and then target that dominant eye for good distance vision, similar to how we would approach using an intraocular lens in cataract surgery. Monovision LASIK involves reshaping the cornea to correct vision in one eye for distance and the other for near vision. The amount of correction for near vision is typically determined by your refractive surgeon based on your age and desires. I can discuss these considerations for your corrective lens surgery and personal preferences during your Free LASIK Consultation at Las Vegas Eye Institute.
What is the success rate of monovision LASIK?
This is a great question that we finally have a good answer for due to the Visx iDesign 2.0 FDA Monovision LASIK trial. Although we upgraded our Laser a few years ago from the Visx iDesign to the Alcon Wavelight EX500 I still feel the results of their FDA trial are quite relevant. And I can say that the results of monovision, or blended vision LASIK, are more affected of your LASIK surgeons skill and experience than they are of the technology. We had excellent monovision results with the iDesign platform and they have only gotten better with the Wavelight as the Wavelight has superior ablation profiles for steepening the cornea when needed. And at the end of 2025 we became the first practice in the state of Nevada to add the Wavelight Plus Ray-traced LASIK and we can now perform Ray-traced LASIK for blended or monovision as well.
As a refractive surgery specialist, I have performed a considerable amount of LASIK and cataract surgery targeting “monovision” and found it incredibly well-tolerated in my patients. I was taught during my residency that achieving monovision with contact lenses is only tolerated by about 60% of patients, so this data hasn’t matched up at all with my experience with monovision LASIK. The reason is that contact lenses create many problems for monovision. One is that it is difficult to fully correct astigmatism with contact lenses and even when you do the lenses tend to rotate making the vision go in and out of focus. This is not good when only one eye is set for complete distance and it is going in and out of focus. A bigger issue with contact lenses is that they tend to dry out in the population that is interested in monovision: patients over 45! So of course, people won’t tolerate something if it isn’t even comfortable for more than a few hours.
The FDA trial with iDesign 2.0 LASIK had 160 patients enrolled, it was a trial that was only enrolling myopes or people who are nearsighted, and at 6 months postoperative they found the following results:
100% with binocular vision of 20/20 or better (looking at the eye chart with both eyes open)
<1% reported always having to wear glasses (down from 88%)
97% reported overall satisfaction with vision
These are very good and reassuring numbers (and keep in mind that about 5% of people aren’t happy in any given survey)! One main factor to point out, however, is that this FDA trial was for iDesign 2.0 LASIK, which is not the same as regular LASIK due to its advanced technology. iDesign 2.0 LASIK is far more technologically advanced in that it corrects astigmatism, integrates topography into its treatment plans, and attempts to decrease wavefront errors that other LASIK platforms may not. Alcon’s new Wavelight Plus Ray-Traced Technology (that we utilize at Las Vegas Eye Institute) has gone even one step further in that it includes a complete map of your cornea, the length of your eye, and a wavefront refraction to precisely focus light rays on your retina to help provide excellent vision.
What is the cost of Monovision LASIK?
At Las Vegas Eye Institute in 2026 our price varies between 4250 and 4250 for both eyes. This vision correction procedure is performed with Alcon EX500 with Wavelight Plus (or Wavefront optimized) and the Zeiss Visumax Femtosecond Laser to create the flap. The price is the same for PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) or ASA (Advanced Surface Ablation.) Postoperative visits and necessary enhancements are included with this price. Call us or request an appointment online today if interested in a free LASIK consultation.
Will I still see in 3-D after monovision LASIK?
The short answer is a resounding YES! Our brains and how we see the world are obviously very complex, but our brain essentially determines an object’s position in space based on a few key ways: 1. Perspective (image size,) 2. Motion Parallax (movement against stationary objects), 3. Stereopsis, and 4. Shadows.
The key thing to realize is that much of our visual perception is not actually based on the use of both of our eyes together but is based on monocular clues. Perspective, shadows, and motion parallax can all be seen with only one eye. You can tell that you have reasonably good 3-D vision simply by closing one eye and looking around the room. You will notice that things don’t “feel” as 3-D but you have a pretty good idea of how far away the door is and I don’t think you will have much difficulty picking up a pen off the table in front of you even with one eye closed. Also, it is quite amazing how the brain adapts to one eye being set for good distance visual acuity and the other eye for good near vision.
When may I not like Monovision LASIK?
Stereopsis does have its value or we wouldn’t all have two eyes. Its value is that when we have both eyes open, our brain can triangulate objects. This is VERY important for tasks where objects are coming at you fast and you need to quickly respond to them. The examples I use for this is professional baseball players trying to hit a curveball or people who play tennis – they really do need this function. For tennis, they can put in a contact lens in the eye that is set for up close so that they have sharp distance vision again. However, this function isn’t needed for all tasks, and for many tasks we use stereopsis only minimally. For instance, I know doctors that perform surgical procedures using monovision (again note that things aren’t typically moving fast in this environment).
For this reason, I do tell my Las Vegas patients that are interested in blended LASIK that if they engage in these types of tasks which require tracking fast-moving objects, they may want to temporarily reverse their monovision when doing so. How can they do this? For tennis, they can put a contact lens in the eye that is set for near vision so that they have sharp distance vision again. Then, when they are off the court, they can take the contact out and enjoy near vision again. During the majority of their daily lives, they often find that monovision still affords them good stereoscopic vision as well as good near vision for tasks like reading their phone or using a computer.
We also recommend reading our patients’ Monovision LASIK reviews to understand their experience with the procedure, our staff, and aftercare.
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I like to read. Will monovision work for that?
Yes – the monovision correction at the levels I typically target will allow you to read. That being said, at Las Vegas Eye Institute we don’t set near vision targets for very high powers because that will decrease the quality of your distance vision, increase haloes at night time, and decrease the quality of your stereoscopic vision (yes stereoscopic vision is still present with monovision but reduced mildly). Because we don’t set the near eye that high, you will find monovision easy to adapt to. However, it can make reading for prolonged periods of time tiresome, especially if you have a history of near-sightedness. You also may have difficulty reading very fine text like that found on pill bottles. This can often be overcome with regular over the counter reading glasses but a custom pair of reading glasses can be made.
Does Monovision LASIK cause haloes at night?
This is variable with vision correction surgery. Nearly all patients will see haloes initially after having one eye set for monovision. Fortunately for many patients, their brain adapts to this and shuts off the haloes over the course of the next few weeks. I have had some patients where the halos do not diminish sufficiently over time. The good news is that the haloes typically are visible ONLY at night or in dim lighting conditions and if truly bothered by them my patients will buy a custom pair of glasses to keep in the car for night driving.
I’m 35 years old should I get my eyes set for monovision anticipating the onset of presbyopia?
Surprisingly I have gotten this question during several LASIK consultations at Las Vegas Eye Institute, and my answer is “NO.” The reason I say no is that without any problems with your near vision at this age, you will see zero benefits to this and only downsides. You would likely get haloes from this and some level of eye strain. Most LASIK candidates will not be significantly bothered by presbyopia until about the age of 42 (this can vary person to person.) And even then, it usually is more of an annoyance, and they can adapt to it by holding things further out to get them into focus. This is variable but most patients that I have seen don’t succumb to carrying reading glasses until the age of 45.
Medically Reviewed By:
Matthew Swanic, MD
Board-Certified Ophthalmologist
Fellowship-Trained Refractive Surgeon, WCRS
Last reviewed June 26, 2026