How to Learn to Read With Monocular Vision

Even with vision in only one eye, you can enjoy the pleasures of reading again.

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When a person has vision in only one eye, it is called monocular vision. People with monocular vision cannot see as well as they could with two eyes. This is because they have less peripheral vision, and because without two eyes sending information to their brains, they do not have depth perception -- the ability to see how far away something is. These problems can interfere with tasks such as driving and reading. Adapting to monocular vision can make it easier to read, which can help with everything, from selecting a dish on a menu to following current events in the newspaper.

Related Searches:Difficulty:ModerateInstructions Things You'll NeedLampSuggest Edits1

Shine light from the lamp onto your reading material (for example, a book) so that it is not shining on your eye. One way to do this is to place the lamp behind you, but angle it so the light source falls directly on the book.

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Hold the book directly in front of your eye at a comfortable distance.

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Move the reading material back and forth as you read, instead of moving your eye. This prevents eye fatigue.

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Obtain special spectacles from an optician, such as telescopic spectacles, if the vision in your remaining eye is not perfect.

Tips & Warnings

Reading is affected by the loss of an eye, but not as much as tasks like driving or walking on a sidewalk. See the link in Resources for help with these tasks.

Because you only have vision in one eye, it is especially important that you protect your eye. Consider wearing protective glasses, and having an extra pair in case something happens to the first pair.

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ReferencesArtificial Eyes: Adapting To Monocular VisionNORA; Implications of Acquired Monocular Vision (loss of one eye); Thomas Politzer; September 2007Good Hope Eye Dept; Coping with Loss of Vision in One Eye; Jayne Kempster, et al.ResourcesDiscussion and Support for Those Who Have Lost an Eye to Whatever Cause or Have Monocular VisionPhoto Credit Photos.com/PhotoObjects.net/Getty ImagesRead Next:

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Definition of Monocular Vision

People with monocular vision are blind in one eye.

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The American Foundation for the Blind estimates that 10 million people in the United States have some type of vision impairment. Vision impairments include total blindness, but also partial blindness, cataracts, or diabetic retinopathy. Monocular vision is a type of partial blindness in which a person can only see out of one eye.

Related Searches: What Is It?

Monocular vision is the opposite of stereo vision. It means that a person only sees out of one eye. This is slightly different that monovision which means that the person only sees out of one eye at a time. Monocular vision means that the person is blind in one eye, while a person with monovision can see out of both eyes, just not simultaneously. People with monocular vision may or may not have one prosthetic eye.

What Causes It?

Many conditions can cause monocular vision. A person who suffers an eye injury may become blind in that eye, leaving them with monocular vision. Someone with a lazy or wandering eye that is not treated can lose some or all of the vision in that eye. If this condition is severe, it can result in monocular vision. Some people grow up knowing that they have monocular vision while other people assume that everyone sees like they do and learn in their teens or in adulthood that this is not the case.

Effects

Monocular vision usually affects peripheral vision and depth perception. Because depth perception results when your brain processes the difference between what your two eyes see, people with monocular vision do not have any depth perception. They can also have issues with peripheral vision. Someone who can only see out of one eye will have a more limited range of vision on the opposite side. This can cause them to run into objects or not see people who approach them on their blind side.

Strategies for Adapting

Many people with monocular vision are able to drive, work and even fly airplanes, depending on their individual situations. People often adapt to having monocular vision by turning their heads so that the good eye sees more of what is in front of them. Some people walk next to a wall so that they do not have to worry about people approaching on that side. You can learn to compensate for a lack of depth perception by noticing other cues for distance such as trees that get larger or smaller depending on whether they are close or far away. There are also eye exercises that some people find can help them to adapt to monocular vision or even develop some stereo vision.

ReferencesKid's Health: Visual ImpairmentArtificial Eyes: Adapting to Monocular VisionLook Up Info: Monocular Vision. Having Sight in One Eye OnlyResourcesThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Questions and Answers About Blindness: 2011Vision Therapy Success Stories: Improving Depth PerceptionPhoto Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty ImagesRead Next:

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