Hi ChristaHere,
I have monofocals set for minimonovision, and my near eye targeted -1.75.I don’t have the crazy good near vision that some people get. I’ve got some underlying conditions that may affect it and I’ve also seen some folks say those who are quite myopic before the surgery end up with better near vision, but there’s no telling how any person will end up. There’s a lot of black magic and pixie dust involved. My eyes before the cataracts were quite similar to my IOLs–about -1.75 and -0.5.
As far as getting around the house safely without glasses–it should be no problem. I can look from where I’m sitting to a window a couple of rooms over–about 45 feet. The window has blinds with slats that are about 3" tall. With my -1.75 eye I can see there are individual slats from here–they are not sharp at all but I can see that there are distinct slats. There are some bushes with medium-sized (about 3") leaves outside that window. I can’t see the leaves clearly, but I can see that there are leaves rather than just a green blob. I could probably pick my husband out in a lineup (assuming I wanted to.) When I stand up I can see paper clips on the carpet. Not sharp, but I can tell they’re paper clips. I can read my digital clock next to my bed (the numbers are probably 3/4" tall.) I can read most regular mail if I hold it out about 19". I can read it a little closer than that, but it starts getting blurry. Fine print varies from day to day and depends on lighting conditions and contrast. If I hold my hand a couple inches from my nose, I can see the lines on it, but they are blurry and don’t start to get sharp until about 15" out. I can cook and do most prep tasks with no problem. Computer is fine with no glasses. I would probably wear glasses to watch TV, depending on how close it is. Speedometer in car is sharp.
I have a Jaegar chart taped to the wall, and at 30" I can read down to J4-J5. At 24" the whole chart is pretty sharp. At 20" things start to soften, and at 16" I can’t read anything smaller than J3.
For extended reading, medicine bottles, and low contrast print, I use readers. If both eyes were -1.75 I might use glasses around the house, but I’ve always had better vision than that so a lot depends on what you’re used to. I could function without them. Something to consider besides progressives is bifocals with clear glass in the bottom–you’d still have your -1.75 for near and single corrected vision for distance.
For makeup with my results, the bathroom counter puts me too far away from the mirror to do eyes. A mirror where I can stand closer would work–one of those lighted magnifying mirrors works great. Again, individual results vary greatly. I can do my hair without glasses, although for something finicky like a perfect part a mirror closer than the bathroom mirror at counter distance would be preferable. Depending on how close your door is and if you don’t have a white dog against a white door, you should be able to avoid accidents–and may even be able to tell one doggie end from the other. Going to the bathroom at night–no problem. Like Bookwoman, I had a rude awaking the first time I showered after surgery–there was some grout scrubbing that needed doing. I can use the phone and read messages.
Once you get the first eye done, you’ll have a better feel for life with no accommodation. You can get some cheap readers to see what a nearer target is like, and if you have some lower power distance glasses you can check those out too if you want to consider some degree of monovision.