Reading Glasses Alternatives
If you are over age 40 and have noticed that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to read labels, text messages and other small print, you are not alone. Presbyopia is a naturally-occurring condition in which the eye lenses begin to lose their flexibility. This loss of accommodation makes it difficult to see things up close. Besides blurry near vision, you may also experience headaches or eye strain when doing certain tasks for extended periods of time.
Reading glasses can help, but some people dread wearing readers in public. Luckily, today you have many options to help you regain your up-close vision while maintaining your distance vision. At Great Plains Eye Specialists, we offer the following options for reading glasses alternatives in Rapid City:
- Custom lens replacement (CLR)
- EVO ICL™ (Implantable Collamer Lens)
- Vuity™ Eye Drops
- Bifocal lenses
- Blended Vision LASIK, where one eye is corrected for distance vision and the other eye is corrected for up-close vision; only one eye may need to be treated through this laser-based process
- Blended Vision contact lenses, where one contact is set for distance vision and the other contact is set for close-up vision
Vuity™ Eye Drops
Vuity™ eye drops, made by Allergan, Inc., are the first and only FDA-approved, prescription eye drop designed to temporarily restore up-close vision. Effects can be experienced within 15 minutes and last up to 6 hours.
How Vuity Works
Vuity eye drops work by reducing your pupil size. This allows your eyes to focus easier on small print or other details. The dosage is 1 drop of Vuity placed into each eye 1 time a day. Studies have shown that these drops may allow you to read 3 smaller lines on an eye chart than what you can normally read without glasses. Vuity does not compromise your distance vision.
Safety Information About Vuity
If you wear contact lenses, remove your lenses before applying Vuity drops and wait 10 minutes before reinserting your contacts. If you use other medicated eye drops, wait at least 5 minutes before or after you apply Vuity drops to administer your other drops.
Please use Vuity eye drops with caution if you need to drive at night. A smaller pupil size reduces the amount of light entering your eyes, so night driving or other hazardous activities in dim lighting situations could be unsafe.
Some patients may experience eye redness or a headache when using Vuity. Other side effects are possible. Those can be discussed with you during an eye exam.
Blended Vision LASIK
Blended Vision LASIK is a method where one eye is corrected for up-close vision and the other eye is corrected for distance vision. You may only need to have one eye treated in order to achieve your best results. Working together, the eyes can give you a full range of vision. This type of vision can take a little time to get used to so we may suggest you try Blended Vision contact lenses first.