Blended Vision – Seeing with Your Brain
Our brains are pretty amazing. Nothing demonstrates that better than the process by which we see. The eyes do the physical work, taking in the light reflected by objects, focusing the rays on the rods and cones of the retina, and sending an image to the brain via the optic nerve. But it’s the brain that interprets the data and turns it into the image we ‘see’. And as famous optical illusions such as this picture demonstrate, the brain can see a single image in more than one way.
Do you see a young woman looking over her shoulder, or an old lady looking to the left? The answer of course… is both! Our brain’s ability to selectively adjust to visual data plays an important role in making blended vision possible.
How Blended Vision works
Blended vision works by creating an overlap in your field of vision. This ‘blend zone’ is created using the latest excimer laser technology, with the necessary precision to make small, precise changes to the shape of your cornea. At Boydvision we use the Zeiss MEL-80 excimer laser, widely considered the industry standard for this type of vision correction, for its accuracy and tracking responsiveness to small involuntary movements of the eye.
The first step is an exacting test of your eyes – to make sure you are a suitable candidate. Once that has been established, the actual procedure is painless and takes very little time (about 20 – 30 minutes). Once completed there is a slight difference in the focal distance of your eyes, with your dominant eye handling the job of regular and distance vision, while your non-dominant eye is optimized for close-up vision. The recovery period varies from person to person, and depends upon how quickly your brain adjusts and learns to ‘see’ distant and near objects using the blend zone, but most people adapt quickly.
Who Needs Blended Vision?
A typical blended vision patient is someone over the age of 45, who is experiencing the condition known as presbyopia. This is a natural side effect of aging. The eye’s lens becomes less elastic with time and the muscle that adjusts its focus can’t create the necessary shape to allow sharp close-up vision. But with the blended vision procedure, their brain can switch between eyes as necessary, making it possible to enjoy distance and close-up vision without needing reading glasses.
Why choose Blended Vision?
If you don’t want to rely on reading glasses as you get older, blended vision is a natural choice. If you’re relying on progressive lens (aka bifocals) to address an existing vision problem, along with the challenges of aging eyes, a blended vision procedure can provide a fix for both problems. Importantly, you can undergo additional treatments as time goes by, so as your eyes continue to loss their focusing power you can still maintain freedom for glasses for years to come.
Our brains may be able to see things differently depending on how we look at them, but when it comes to blended vision, most patients only have one perspective. Here’s what one of our Boydvision clients had to say, “Just a note to say thanks. As for me, the initial testing was actually quite enjoyable and not very time consuming. We settled on the Blended Lasik procedure and the results have been excellent.” – Brent H
Ready to get rid of the reading glasses? Give us a call at 604-430-9560, or use our online form to book a free consultation to find out if you’re a suitable candidate for blended vision.