Question
Can you be farsighted in one eye, and near sighted in the other eye?
That seems to be whats going on with my eyes ...
my right eye can see clearly (with glasses) when i'm looking at something up close (like a computer screen, words in a book, etc.) but the vision becomes blurred when i look at something farther away (about 5-6 feet).
its the opposite with my left eye. when looking at something up close, my vision is noticeably blurry even without my right eye covered. but when i'm looking at something far away, (5-6 feet) the vision in my left eye is clearer than that of my right eye.
what could be the cause?
-i wear contacts (biweekly)
-i've been wearing glasses the past couple weeks just to see if the redness from the summer allergies persisted, but the corner of my eyes were still pink right after i wake up (so i used eye drops. it gets rid of the redness, and after that my eyes LOOKED normal and healthy)
-my right eye seems to always be by a window (to the right of the computer where i am now is a window, i sit on the right side of the car, and when i sleep there's a window to my right)... can more light exposure to one eye be the cause?
-I've pretty bad allergies during the summer months
-i wear eye make-up on most days (eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner)
i hope i provided enough info, but if not, just ask
i'd really like to know what's wrong with my eyes, i rely on them so much, and if somethings wrong with them, i'd like to know what i can do to reverse the damage, and/or keep it from getting worse.
thaank you !
Answer
Dear Lynn,
This is possible if :
1. you are above the age of forty where one tends to develop a 'plus number in the eyes'
2. You have no power for distance in one eye but have in the other.
This is what most people describe as monovision (done after 40 years of age with laser surgery to gain help for both far and near work wihtout needing to use glasses).
If this is what you are facing (as I have understood this from your description only),
then nothing to worry about at all.
One may use glasses for more sharp vision for ditant tasks like driving at night if you find that a prescription helps (so, an eye check will obviously answer your Q's better and more specifically!).
Regarding the red eyes and allergies, you need to find the reason, as only treating it symptomatically will make it keep coming back.
It is tracing the reason and cause with trial and error, keen observation and ruling out some products of use etc that can help.
Until then any anti allergy eye drop will help.
However, your vision and the redness are not connected.
Hope this helps,
Best,
dr Anand Shroff
