A patient from Ventura who was in his 40’s asked me whether he would need reading glasses (“cheaters”) to see up close after his LASIK laser vision correction. One good option to minimize the use of reading glasses is laser blended vision in which the dominant eye is set for distance and the non-dominant eye is set for mid-range. This differs from traditional monovision in which the dominant eye is set for distance and the non-dominant eye is set for close. The benefit of blended vision is that, for most people, the two eyes are close enough in their position that they “blend” together in their function to provide a seamless and broad range of vision from mid range all the way to far vision. By contrast, with full monovision, the eyes are further apart from each other in their focus and there can be more difficulty coordinating the eyes. Studies show that approximately 80% of patients are good candidates for blended vision as a solution for their presbyopia (the age related need for reading glasses). In order to tell if a patient will be successful with blended vision LASIK, we first simulate the result in our office with contact lenses which essentially lets the patient try the vision correction on for size before actually committing to surgery. Here is a video and story of the Chief Sub Editor of GQ Magazine undergoing laser blended vision.