Earlier this year, the FDA approved Monovision LASIK with the VISX CustomVueExcimer Laser. Monovision is a strategy to correct presbyopia without having to wear reading glasses. Presbyopia is the aging process which reduces accommodation (adjusting the focusing power of the eye for near vision and reading). The approval confirmed what New Jersey LASIK Surgeon, Dr. Daniel Goldberg, has known for years.
As we age, our ability to change focus for near vision diminishes because the crystalline lens inside the eye becomes less flexible. If the eye is nearsighted it may still be possible to read without glasses as we get older, but if the eye is not nearsighted or if vision is corrected for distance with glasses, contact lenses or LASIK, then we generally begin to need reading glasses after 40 years of age.
Eyeglasses, bifocals or progressive lenses provide clear focus for both near and distance vision. With contact lenses there are several options for reading including bifocal contact lenses or monovision fitting of contact lenses. Monovision is a strategy to correct both distance and near vision without wearing glasses, and it can be achieved with contact lenses or with Laser Vision Correction such as LASIK .
Monovision Corrective Surgery: http://www.lasiksurgery-
With monovision, the dominant eye is generally corrected for distance vision and the non-dominant eye is corrected for near vision creating 2 eyes with different focus. Despite nearly 40 years of experience with contact lens monovision, Dr. Goldberg recalls that in the 1990’s “when refractive surgery evolved with excimer laser vision correction, such as LASIK, into a safe and accurate surgical alternative to glasses or contact lenses, there was great skepticism about monovision amongst both eye surgeons and patients.” This is because monovision breaks our concept of binocular vision with both eyes having similar focusing power. Patients wondered if monovision would cause headaches and dizziness, and eye surgeons doubted the success and viability of surgical monovision.
Daniel B Goldberg MD at the Atlantic Laser Vision Center in Little Silver New Jersey was one of the pioneers in New Jersey laser vision correction, and developed a successful practice in refractive eye surgery in the 1990’s. As he recalls: “Most of the research in refractive surgery at that time related to the development of the laser technology. Prior to my clinical research on monovision there were very few reports on surgical monovision and no reports on LASIK monovision at all.”
http://www.lasiksurgery-
In Dr. Goldberg’s practice, the patients over 40 years of age were seeking answers about correcting their reading vision without glasses. In his practice, up to 50% of the patients over 40 chose monovision and the level of success and satisfaction was even higher that patients with contact lens monovision.
In 2000, at the ASCRS(American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons) national meeting, the first large scale study of LASIK monovision was presented by Goldberg and the published paper appeared in 2001 in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Further research by Goldberg resulted in another large study of LASIK monovision which was published in 2003—this work compared results in far-sighted eyes as well as near-sighted eyes. Based on this research, Goldberg made presentations at national meetings on “Succeeding with LASIK Monovision” and taught courses at the ASCRS meetings on “Surgical correction of Presbyopia.”
Since 2003, there have been several additional studies by other experts on LASIK monovision which have confirmed the success previously reported by Goldberg. Several months ago, the FDA approved the use of the VISX CustomVueExcimer Laser for LASIK monovision. The VISX CustomVueexcimer laser is part of the advanced iLASIK surgical platform distributed by American Medical Optics, and CustomVueMonovision is part of the iLASIK program. NASA and the US Navy and Air Force have recently chosen this technology for LASIK on their pilots. The Atlantic Laser Vision Center in Little Silver New Jersey is one of several centers in New Jersey offering iLASIK.
The advanced facilities and technology at the Atlantic Laser Vision Center: http://www.lasiksurgery-
In April, at the inaugural training sesseion for CustomVueMonovison in Chicago, Goldberg was honored to be recognized for helping to set the stage for the FDA approval of LASIK monovision. Goldberg feels that it was an opportunity of a lifetime to make a substantial contribution to his field: “It is gratifying to see that LASIK monovision is now an accepted option for the surgical correction of presbyopia, and the FDA approval will enable more of our patients to safely enjoy greater freedom from glasses.”
Contact Information
Gail Cerone
Laser Vision Coordinator
Atlantic Laser Vision Center
180 White Road
Suite 202
Little Silver, NJ 07739
1-866-853-3263
gailcer1@gmail.com
www.goldberg4lasik.com
