As a practicing ophthalmologist, my recommendation would be to go for the distance correction in both eyes, and not have the Multifocal lenses implanted. Many ophthalmologists, including myself, have seen too many problems with Multifocals; they are prone to glare and halo issues, and you give up significant contrast and sharpness. Unfortunately, they have been over-sold over the past many years. I stopped using them about three years ago. As photographers, we really are keen on maintaining all the sharpness and contrast, without optical aberrations. You have to realize that the Multifocal lens actually is focusing two images on the retina at the same time, which results in unavoidable image degradation.
The Crystalens by and large avoids this problem, but does not always focus close enough to read easily.
There is a new lens out you may want to consider if you really want to avoid reading glasses, which operates on the basis of diffuse optics, like many of our DO camera lenses; it is called the Symfony lens. It can have some low grade starbursts at night, but by and large it seems to avoid many of the problems of the Multifocal lens, with excellent near vision.
The best vision however is still going to be a single focus lens; my preference is the Bausch&Lomb Envista lens. If I were having surgery, I would have one eye focused at far distance, and one eye focused at mid-range distance (sometimes referred to as partial mono vision), and still use reading glasses.
I would not recommend full mono vision for photography purposes either, since you give up your stereo vision.
You can go with a 'partial mono vision' if you wish to maintain some mid-range vision, keep your eyes relatively in balance.
Good luck!
Send me a PM if you wish, with any other questions.
John Zdral