Do You Need Reading Glasses or LASIK?

Why is that restaurant menu so blurry?

The first step to answering that question is to identify when your blurred vision occurred. Have you had blurry vision for most of your life? Or is this a new condition that has popped up recently?

There could be many reasons why it may be hard to read things close-up:

• Farsightedness
• Presbyopia
• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Or another type of eye disease

If you are farsighted, this means you have a refractive error (created by the shape of your eye or the curve of your cornea) that causes light to focus behind the retina, rather than directly on it. Farsighted individuals have trouble focusing on close-up objects. Refractive errors can be corrected through blade-free LASIK in Charleston for many people.

As most people reach their 40s, a condition called presbyopia can make it difficult to focus on menus, smart phones and other near objects. Unlike a refractive error, presbyopia is caused by a gradual stiffening of the eye lens, making it harder to focus. Off-the-shelf reading glasses are available to help people combat this natural occurrence, but many dislike having to resort to “readers.” LASIK, in its traditional sense, will not correct presbyopia, but there are methods such as monovision LASIK that may help improve close-up vision. This method corrects only one eye for close-up vision while the other is left with clear distance vision.

Cataracts, glaucoma and other eye diseases cannot be corrected through Charleston LASIK. Symptoms of these conditions may include blurry vision, so if you are experiencing any changes in your vision make sure to schedule an eye exam right away. Early detection can help monitor and protect your eye health.

Back to the original question: Why is that restaurant menu so blurry? The only way to find out is by scheduling an eye exam or LASIK Consultation.

Don’t leave your eye health a mystery. Contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today to schedule a free LASIK Consultation and find out if your eyes are right for LASIK. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com to learn more.