Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with eyesight

Could pupil dilation be the cause of my inaccurate eyeglass prescription

lodurr — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:04:02 -0800

The last two times I got a new prescription the first try was way off. Could this be due to the eye drops? Or is it just communications? I am extremely myopic and have astigmatisms in both eyes. (I'm not going to pretend I know the right terminology for all this stuff.) I had an exame a few weeks ago, took the prescription to my optician and ordered two new pair of glasses to replace the ones I have: one pair of bifocals for distance & computer screen, a second pair for computer screen & reading. The new distance glasses were fitted yesterday, and they were a disaster: I couldn't read three inch lettering from 15 feet.

I had a similar issue the last time -- same doctor. It cost me less that time because I was only getting one pair of bifocals. That time, the ophthalmologist basically presented it as a communications problem -- I didn't explain what I really wanted the lenses for. I get really agitated with issues relating to my eyesight, so I don't remember clearly why I didn't challenge this.

It's occurred to me since yesterday that the issue could be due to dilation. I remembered that my vision is extremely poor after I've been dilated. I can't focus on anything -- can't read road signs at all (meaning, even very large print ones), and dark glasses are very little help. I basically have to plan on not seeing anything much for several hours.

Is it possible this is the reason for the bad prescriptions?

Help a programmer take care of her eyes, please.

kitcat — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:44:12 -0800

I just started my first developer job. I squint at the computer screen all day. By the end of the day, my eyes are red and bloodshot. I can't deal with small text, but I can't make it all bigger - for instance, I can change the size of the code in my IDE, but not the debugger. I've reduced the brightness of my monitors dramatically. The only time my eyes don't hurt is when I'm so absorbed in my work that I don't notice. By the end of the day, I don't want to focus my eyesight on anything; it's even killing me to type this. Even watching tv bothers me. I seriously don't know how to take care of my eyes. Can you please offer some advice, and even give me a few horror stories about what happens to people who don't learn to take care of their eyes? I've been to two optometrists in the last year; one gave me a prescription for 1.25 glasses (they seem to help only a tiny bit) and the other said I have 20/20 vision. I recently started Cipralex, if that is relevant. I've noticed my eyes are more dilated than usual (I've been on SSRIs before, and did not have this side effect).

New glasses: progressives or single?

epersonae — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:47:35 -0800

My near-sightedness is getting worse, and now I'm getting presbyopia, so I have to take off my glasses sometimes for reading or other close work. I can go progressive now or "next time." What should I be taking into consideration when I make my decision? I've worn glasses to correct near-sightedness since I was 11. My left eye has always been better than my right eye -- when I started wearing glasses, I had plain glass on that side. I've always had great up-close vision.

Well, my left eye is catching up with my right eye, so my overall distance vision is worsening, and apparently the presbyopia is catching up with me as well. Over the last 6-12 months I've started taking off my glasses when I need to read something up close. (Glasses work fine for middle distance, ie computer work, which is what I do all day. I sometimes take them off for reading, particularly on my phone, or for particularly fussy knitting.)

I had an eye appointment yesterday to talk about all that, and as I suspected, the doc brought up the idea of progressives. He thought I could maybe skip that this time, if I'm okay with removing my glasses when I need to. The close-up part of the lenses would be no correction at all.

Current prescription is -2.25/-1.75, with the lower number having jumped from -1.25 the last time I got glasses a couple of years ago. Doc thought that the jump might cause me to have to take off my glasses more often for up close work.

Other vision/activity details: my worse eye turns in slightly; I love cycling; I work on the 4th floor and take the stairs a lot. The change in my distance vision is bugging me enough that I'll probably get glasses within the next month, and my benefits are such that the next time I get glasses will probably be at least two years from now. I have prescription sunglasses with an older prescription, and I'm likely to replace those as well. I have NO plans to get contacts.

So:

Should I make the jump to progressives now, assuming that it's likely that I'll want to sometime in the next five years?

If you've been in a similar situation, what did you do, and how did it work out?

Is there something else I'm missing?

I don't understand how to use bifocals! (and other eye issues)

dukes909 — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:12:24 -0800

I spend most of my work day looking at a computer screen, and several of the "off" hours as well. I have been having major league headaches during the day that I think is related to my vision and the (prescription) reading glasses I've had for a couple of years. I went to 2 different eye docs recently (yes, 2) and given nearly the same prescription for bifocals. The most recent doc said I am probably getting the headaches because of the distance the computer screen is from my eyes. Get bifocals, looking through the main part of the lens for the computer screen and the lower part for up-close reading is what he told me.

So now I have the bifocals and, I can't see the screen clearly through the top (main) part of the lens! It's much fuzzier than my reading glasses! However, if I look out the window and across the street, it appears clearer (not much, but maybe a little). The lower "reading" part of the lens is extremely fuzzy looking at anything that is not less than 12" away from my head. These are regular bifocals, not transitions. I actually tried transitions first and couldn't stand them, so the eye doc said to try these with the lines. This is the prescription I was given:

OD SPH +1.50
OD CYL -1.50
OD AXIS 15
OD NVADD 1.5

OS SPH +1.00
OS CYL -0.50
OS AXIS 180
OS NVADD 1.5

I had the lenses checked and they are correct. So, was I told incorrectly by the eye doctor about how to use these? I'm really at a loss as to what is going on with all this and the eye doctors I've been to have been very unhelpful so I'm reluctant to go back. My headaches (mainly behind the right eye) haven't gone away and probably increased since I've been trying to wear 2 different sets of glasses.

Should I just get one pair of reading glasses from the prescription and one pair of "distance" glasses? If so, how would I enter this prescription in something like Zenni'?

Cheers

How can I try out computer monitor magnifiers?

jsturgill — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:21:32 -0800

I believe we have a need for two to five computer monitor magnifiers where I work, some for laptops and some for desktop monitors. I'm thinking something like these.

The difficulty is that they will need to be demonstrated to the acquiring manager and proven effective before any purchasing happens.

Are there any stores that carry these items in the Central Valley in California? If not, is there any way to have several options shipped that can be tried and returned without obligation?

Mounting mechanisms, the amount of magnification, quality, and price all seem highly variable, and there won't be buy-in until/unless it's shown to work.

Also: I've never seen these in person. Are they uniformly terrible, or do they actually help a great deal?

LASIK for bad eyes?

seventyfour — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 07:52:54 -0800

I am very nearsighted, and have an astigmatism in both eyes. I checked out LASIK 10 years ago, and was told that it hadn't developed enough to make it safe/effective for a person with my conditions. Has the state of the art improved with regard to laser correction of severe nearsightedness with astigmatism? Are there new techniques that could work better than LASIK? Background: I have worn glasses since I was 4, switching to contact lens in junior high school. Without my contacts, I am nearly legally blind, and my glasses are so thick (plastic or glass lens) that they impart a funhouse-like curvature to my vision. My vision with contacts is very good, but I am constantly worried that I'll develop some side-effect of the contacts (like a corneal scratch) or conjunctivitis which will require that I wear glasses (which practically limit me to the house, as my job is almost all reading and writing).

I'm posting this to AskMF in the hopes of hearing both from persons with expert knowledge and those with personal experience of correction of severe nearsightedness and astigmatism. While I understand that it is possible to apply LASIK to persons with my conditions, it is the reliability and safety of the procedure that concerns me -- any significant chance of a degradation in my vision would be too much. With that said, even an improvement that could bring my eyesight back to the level where it could be effectively corrected by eyeglasses would be worth it.

Wearing glasses. I dont want to but i know life will be easier! help!

Under the Sea — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:59:34 -0800

The time for wearing glasses has come! What do I need to consider? Over the last 2-3 years of eye checkups, the various optometrists Ive seen have suggested the time is coming but just hold off a bit longer....

Recently I was driving to a foreign place (in my city), it was raining and dark and the speed limit was high and i ended up in a huge fluster, 50 minutes late and incredibly stressed, all because i couldn't read the stupid road signs from the car. A few weeks later I tried on my brothers glasses, low and behold how much definition there is to the world around us! Surely I too am short-sighted? (as in i have issue with seeing long distance objects). One eye is worse than the other. Also I stare at computers all day for work but generally dont get headaches.

What do I need to know about glasses before i re-visit the optometrist (where my general distrust of medical professionals will undoubtedly kick in).

If the option for laser surgery is offered should i consider it? Will my eyes degrade once I wear glasses thus should I put it off longer (im 28)..? Will I become dependent on my googles and never take them off? Are contacts actually any good or just a total pain in the ass?

Argh not looking forward to this one.

Scientific literature on Lasik satisfaction and side effects?

Philosopher Dirtbike — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 04:32:40 -0800

I would like links to peer-reviewed literature regarding laser vision correction. I'm considering laser vision correction, and I'm looking for information. However, I have noticed that a lot of the information online is either industry content, or anecdotes. I'm a researcher, but not a vision researcher, so I don't really know the relevant literature, or even a good entry point into the literature. When I do a citation database search, I get lots of very specialized articles. Here's what I'd like: links to general research on satisfaction with and side effects of laser vision correction, preferably meta-analyses or literature reviews (that is, not dealing with a very specific technique, or a small modification of a technique). Or, if that's not possible, perhaps literature on a very common, currently used technique.

Also, due to the traveling I do, I could theoretically have the surgery done in the US, Canada, anywhere in Europe, Singapore, or Australia. I'd also like information regarding which of these countries it might be preferable to get the surgery done in.

Please, no anecdotal information regarding your experience, or a friend's experience. There's plenty of that already on the green. Thanks!

Eliminating my dream job based on vision concerns?

iadacanavon — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:45:29 -0800

I'm worried about pursuing my dream job as a graphic novelist because of worsening vision. Can any severely nearsighted artists or others in vision-intensive careers speak to this? Since I was in second grade, I've needed glasses. Two myopic parents ensured this. I read and drew a lot as a kid. Now, at 27, I'm at -7.75 and -8.00 diopters, and my eyes are worse than my parents'. I'm between jobs, but for my previous job, it was 8 hours a day of computers, and then I'd come home and do another couple hours of reading, writing, drawing, TV watching, etc.

I've begun to train myself in graphic novels by drawing and practicing daily, reading a lot of different art books, and just going for it in general. But there's one thing holding me back... I'm afraid that I'm going to go beyond correctable vision/go blind or otherwise damage my eyes. When I immersed myself in reading and art a few months ago (along with a lot of computer usage), I was experiencing extreme eye fatigue and having blurry vision up close, and my eyes were hurting a lot. Quite scary, and I backed off. For this reason, I'm wondering if I need to choose a career that is not so hard on them.

I've taken as many steps as I can think of to help: I've now installed AntiRSI and take 5 minute breaks to shift focus every 20 minutes, with 20 second pauses every 10, using good light, doing some eye exercises. I've also installed Flux to change the color contrast on my monitor. I turn down the brightness at night. I try to get out every day and use my eyes. For my next job, I'm looking at one that won't be as vision-intensive so I can "save" my eyes a bit for after hours. But if I want to get really serious with comics, there's no avoiding a lot of very detailed work, drawing, reading and writing (also with some of it on paper, rather than computer).

I haven't seen a lot on choosing a career based on vision usage. When I've looked up artists and eyesight, I found things about Monet going blind which were freaky, but didn't explain the exact cause. Also a few on comic artists losing vision (eek), again no specifics. I'd be crushed if I couldn't do this seriously, but better to decide now if I need to shift directions. Anyone have experience with this, thoughts, suggestions? Thanks, MeFites!

Eyeglasses for distance cause up-close things to be blurry...

You Should See the Other Guy — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:58:51 -0800

A friend of mine just got new glasses (for distance/night) and everything is super sharp... unless it's up close. Then, it's blurry. For instance, he can't read his phone at arm's length. He can read his phone perfectly without glasses and things become blurry for him without glasses at about 25 feet. I don't think this is normal for glasses. It's certainly not the way my glasses work. What say the hive? In case it's relevant, his prescription is:

125 - 50 x 165
150 - 25 x 165

Should he complain to the glasses people? Is this normal? If he does complain, what's to be expected? Should they be redoing the lenses at no cost or what?

If I don't figure this oue soon I won't be able to see it anyway

Venadium — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:50:49 -0800

Idea(s) for a tattoo: Stories, myths, folklore, symbols/icons, quotes, lyrics, that deal with blindness or feature blind characters. In the case of a quote, it doesn't necessarily have to be by an actual blind person. Ok, so I've got an eye condition that will eventually render me almost completely blind (Retinitis pigmentosa, for anyone interested), and I'd like to somehow incorporate that fact into my next tattoo. I just don't know exactly how. I'm open to any ideas really, from something extremely simple to really elaborate.

My first idea was to find something in Japanese folklore related to the blind that I could use to design a traditional irezumi style half-sleeve, but the farthest I got was the Wikipedia article about the Tōdōza and Zatoichi, so if anyone could provide some more info in that direction in particular, that'd be great.

How old were you when you got bifocals?

mediareport — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:36:16 -0800

1. How old were you when you got bifocal lenses? 2. How difficult was it to adjust to them, particularly if you got contact lenses? 3. How many different pairs or combinations of lenses did you have to try before finding something that worked? 4. Are there new options in recent years that a near-sighted person with worsening close-up vision should know about? Thanks for helping me go to my eye doctor with good questions ready.

Sudden eyesight / vision weirdness. Can I wait for a recurrence before worrying too much?

Mid — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:24:23 -0800

Sudden eyesight / vision weirdness. Can I wait for a recurrence before worrying too much? Working late, lots of time in front of a computer and bad office lights. Suddenly, the computer screen starts looking funny -- sort of wavy distortion, like looking through "wavy" air in the summer, but also the feeling that you have right after a flashbulb goes off in your eye, like a dazzled feeling. It lasted for a about 15 minutes. I could see the weird patterns when I closed my eyes. It mainly affected my right eye, but it also seemed to be present in my left eye--though this was hard to tell.

I now have a bit of headache, but nothing terrible. I have had a cold for a couple of days and generally feel run down.

I would really like to sleep it off and not worry about it if it does not happen again. Is this a terrible idea?

I know you are not my doctor and that the most cautious thing to do would be to go to the ER. Thanks

I can see half your aura.

AthenaPolias — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:40:50 -0800

YANMD. Yesterday I saw a flash in my left eye, and then saw a semi-circular line of sparkly white flashes for about 20 minutes, which went away suddenly. I went to the doctor, who had no clue what was going on. Another one of these things appeared - right eye, tiny spot right in the center of my vision, that has turned into another semi-circle as I've been typing this. What is going on? Again, YANMD, but my 'doctor' is a series of people at a university health services clinic who tend to be, in my experience, way off the mark in diagnosing anything but the basics or athletic conditions. When this happened yesterday I called the triage nurse who sounded worried and said to come in, but the NP who saw me satisfied herself that I hadn't had a stroke and prescribed me Imitrex for migraines. I haven't had a migraine since 2003 (due, then, to triphasic BC pills), and I didn't end up with a migraine yesterday (but now I have this unnecessary prescription, yay). Just now, this has happened again. I have no faith that the doctors will do anything more than shrug their shoulders at me, nor is the clinic open now until Monday.

Potential factors: I'm a grad student at the end of a term, in the middle of writing my final of three papers, so I've been staring at a computer screen for many hours per day for the past... oh... well, ages, but that can't be good for my vision. I have been sleeping, though - a lot, actually, 9-10 hours a night. I wear contacts for very poor eyesight - nearsightedness and astigmatism. I have problems with dry eye, but nothing chronic (yet?). I'm also 30, so not quite as springy a chicken as I used to be, and I've had poor eyesight since I was about 8. Nothing's happened to my eyes - no trauma, nothing stuck in them, no infections, etc - other than this, all appears normal, but there's a definite disco ball in my right eye at the moment.

I'm not looking for a diagnosis, and I'm honestly scared to read what might come up in the comments. But what I am looking for is some indication of, if I need to return to the doctor, what to ask them to look for. Also, could this just be eye strain? If so, should I whip my last paper out as fast as possible and spend a few days resting my eyeballs?

Thanks, hive. I hope you don't scare me too badly, but... better to know than not? Unngh. Yeah, not happy. Very nervous.

Manual eyesight focus

Liquidwolf — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 13:47:45 -0800

When I press the inside edges of my eyes, closest to my nose, my eyesight sharpens. Why? My eyesight is decent but I have some minor trouble reading things at a distance. I don't wear glasses. I noticed that when I press on the inside corners of my eyes, just on either side of the bridge of my nose, my eyesight sharpens up to a crystal clear focus. What's happening here? It feels like I'm pressing some muscle that focuses my lenses. And if this the case, could these muscles be exercised to make this happen on their own instead of glasses?

Picture phone for elderly/senior products in Los Angeles

sdis — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:26:24 -0800

Picture phones for the elderly and places to buy them in Los Angles? My grandmother has trouble with her vision and is starting to get dementia, and so we're looking for good solutions that would let her call various members of the family without having to press multiple buttons. (And ideally, where those buttons are extremely large and clear). Cordless would be nice but corded is ok. Cell phone reception is bad in her house so land lines are preferred. Anyone have any recommendations or expirience with this stuff? Also looking to get this asap, so advice as to places to go in Los Angeles (studio city area even better) would be appreciated.

Health or health insurance? That is the question.

Anonymous — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:36:48 -0800

I have a medical issue and not so great insurance; should I get treatment for my problem and risk being labeled with a preexisting condition? I know YANAD. But can you give me advice anyway? I am a student under the age of 26. I've heard that, come September, I can get back on my parents insurance, which will be a great relief as my University insurance plan sucks.

Now for the problem: I have gotten migraines most of my life. I've never sought treatment for them as they've been pretty random (not connected to any stimulus) and (usually) not life-derailing if I take painkillers for them. When I was younger I got them pretty infrequently.

However, in the last year or two I've been getting migraines more frequently and I've had worsening eyesight issues. I go to optometrists and get new prescriptions for my eyes—which aren't that bad by the numbers—but by the end of the day my eyes get really tired and far away things get really blurry. The weirdest thing is that whenever I go to a big store or an airport (any kind of building with big, open indoor spaces) lit by fluorescent lights, something about the wide open space and lighting makes everything seem kind of blurry, and I can't read things 30 feet away. And, I've started to see a connection between my blurry, tired eyes and my migraines.

My significant other has been badgering me about my eyes for a while (like when I should be able to read a sign that's not even that far away and just can't), and I keep telling him it's not a big deal, but now I think he's right and I should probably see an opthamologist.

But my insurance is awful! And I want good insurance someday. I've never gotten treatment for my migraines and they're not on my medical records or anything. I know you are (probably) not a doctor, but should I go to a doctor about this right away, or since there doesn't seem to be anything life-threatening going on, wait until I'm back on a good insurance plan?

Lazyreaderitis

Anonymous — Sun, 09 May 2010 13:06:05 -0800

After tracking myself for a few weeks, I learned that I have very, very bad reading habits. Help me improve myself. I realized this was a problem only recently while reading science textbooks, but after tracking my habit, I realized it's not just reading science stuff (biology and physiology stuff), but reading anything.

While reading, my eyes (and I) skip around to various parts of the page as though I'm looking for something that appears interesting. Sometimes, while reading a paragraph, my eyes will skip forward.

I'm pretty sure this is a bad reading habit that happened after years of reading garbage. I think it also may have to do with vision that got worse and worse through the years (negative 9 in both eyes, but I wear contact lenses).

I never thought of this as a bad habit in college and grad school, where I did really well and read lots of info by skimming and scanning and getting the main idea. But now, I've been taking science courses (excitement and novelty and liking challenges got me through the first one and second one with excellent grades, now I'm on my third one and the excitement and novelty has died a little so I'm reverting to bad reading habits).

In college, I was an econ major and inevitably, I think how I would read would be to scan until I got to an equation or math, read the paragraph around that, and then shift back up to everything that explained it. I'm pretty sure I didn't read word per word. I still did well, but this is different and most of the science stuff I have to teach myself anyway (lecture is more useful after I've read the book already).

I also noticed that when I read silly chick lit trash for pleasure, I'll reread it and find sentences and words I skipped over that are entirely new to me. I think this happens because I'm so eager to get to the end and find out what happens.

What do I do? I don't have money for a specialist, but is there a way to keep my eyes (and brain) from trying to search out more interesting stuff (it's weird but I think I emotionally "tag" certain concepts before even knowing about them -- like for no reason, I'll like a section heading about the renal tubule, but feel dislike towards renal pelvis and look away and force myself to look back -- though there was nothing I disliked really about the renal pelvis other than weird associations like ("Pelvis=Elvis, I don't like his beach movies"), or to stop trying to start reading from the middle or the bottom of the page? Is it just a matter of having patience? Is there anyway I can practice?

How do I prevent my eyes from getting worse?

keep it under cover — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:15:24 -0800

I fear I'm slowly but surely becoming Mr. Magoo. Is there anything I can do to preserve my eyesight? I have been nearsighted for most of my life. I got my first pair of glasses in fifth grade. My eyes became progressively worse through high school. And then, as expected, the progression stabilized when I hit my early twenties. I kind of expected that my eyesight would remain stable for at least a couple decades or so.

However, since I started on my second degree my eyes have gone downhill once more. And now that I'm working, I'm chained to desk between 8 and 12 hours a day, squinting at a computer monitor. If my eyes keep getting worse at this rate, I will not be able to see diddlysquat by the time I'm 40. I'd like to get laser treatment eventually, but it'll be a waste if my eyes keep getting worse.

My optometrist once told me that a weaker prescription is better for nearsighted work, such as reading, so I ordered my contact lenses slightly under-strength (I don't drive). Currently I'm wearing 6.5 in one eye and 5.25 in the other.

What else can I do? Am I causing my increasing nearsightedness, or is it genetic and beyond my control? Is it possible to exercise eyes?

What causes intermittent blurry vision?

etoile — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:10:39 -0800

Have there been any reports of laser eye surgery causing periodic blurry vision in both eyes? A friend of mine wore contacts for years, and about 10 years ago got laser surgery which left his vision quite good. About a month ago, though, he started having occasional bouts of blurry vision. They last anywhere from 45 minutes to several hours, and he can't see anything on a computer screen - unfortunately his job is all computers. He can see some basic stuff, and he doesn't have problems navigating, but he is troubled by these.

An ophthalmologist sent him for diabetes testing, because he is overweight, but it came back negative. They said "whatever else it might be, it's something very rare."

What could be causing this? It happens on a near-daily basis and it's very troubling to him. Any input would be helpful! (I'm hoping it's not related to the laser surgery; it IS in both eyes.)

Vision Anomaly or Ordinary After-Images?

Anonymous — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:17:11 -0800

I can't tell if I'm having very normal vision experiences or if I need to go to the doctor. Specifically, I keep getting an after-image of a dot when I haven't been looking at anything bright. First off, I've had migraines, and I get blind spots along with them -- this isn't a blind spot like I experience. Blind spots, for me, have always been like negated space, just absolutely nothing there. This isn't like that.

What I'm experiencing now is more like an after-image. In fact, at first, I assumed it was just an after-image of something, until I started seeing it when I was in perfectly dark rooms. It's like a little circle, hardly more than a dot, and (I think) it's right in the middle of my vision. I first noticed it a couple weeks ago. It never lasts for very long, rarely more than a few seconds, and there is never any discomfort or anything that comes along with it. I see it several times a day. It's just a little weird thing that I've been noticing.

What I don't know is if this is something I'm just now noticing because it's weird and new, or if it's normal that I just happened to notice for once and have been concentrating on too much. In other words: does this happen to everyone and I just now realized it, or is this something kinda weird that I should have checked out? My health has been kind of out of whack for a while (digestive issues, allergy issues, asthma-like issues), and I'm starting to worry that I'm too preoccupied with my body these days.

I'm a 26 year old female, and I am near-sighted. Other than blind spots associated with migraines (which I've been to the doctor about, which I have no reason to worry about, and which, as I said, seem totally different from this), I've never had vision issues.

This is anonymous because I'm feeling kind of silly about my health in general these days, and, even if it seems trivial, it feels personal to me.

Recommendations for laser eye surgery in London

dmt — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:37:04 -0800

Recommendations for laser eye surgery in London I have been thinking about laser eye surgery for some time. Last month my optician confirmed that my prescription has been stable for long enough that I am now (at 33) a viable candidate. Obviously I’ll look to an ophthalmologist for a definitive view but I’m now interested in taking the next step.

So then, what was your experience with laser eye surgery? Did you use someone in London; were you impressed? What did it cost? Any recommendations on the various available procedures? My sense is that the various procedures are safe but I would really like to avoid halo effects while driving at night.

Finally – and this might be a deal breaker – I would be happy to use eyedrops for a period following the procedure but a year sounds like a hard act to follow; the rest of your life sounds positively onerous.

Additional details: shortsighted by 1.5 in both eyes with mild astigmatism.

Don't laugh at my typos...I can't see!

Zoyashka — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:02:39 -0800

How long does it take for a scratched cornea to fully heal? I poked myself in the eye with a branch last Sunday. Went to the eye doc on Monday, and did his thing and put on a corneal bandage. Went back on Wednesday and he said everything is just fine. Everything I've read on The Googles leads me to believe that the cornea is a pretty quick healer, but "deep scratches" could take longer.

My eyesight is still pretty blurry...It takes forever to get an appointment at that place (I have a regular exam scheduled for July 8) and I was just curious if anyone's ever had this issue before.

How long did it take for your blurriness to go away? I miss my perfect vision! Am I doomed for life or what? The headaches are becoming annoying, and CTRL + only helps so much....

Much thanks!

Eyesight problems

Corduroy — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:07:36 -0800

My left eye has suddenly been getting worse this past half hour, and I'm getting nervous. I tried a quick search, but it's gotten hard to read. I was watching tv, and I startedt noticing these blurry lines in left eye. They look somewhat like the spots after looking at something bright, except they quiver, like a tv with a broken signal. At first I saw only one, and now there seem to be two. When I look straight ahead as I type, it obscures my left hand. I feel they are definitely getting bigger. Should I wait before doing something about this? I feel like sudden vision problems are often symptoms of something else.

I'm 18 and live with my parents. The only unusual thing I've done today was 2000 jump ropes (I count) in about 25 minutes, which is more than I've done before.

Gah, I feel like it's gotten bigger since typing this question. And i see now that it is in my right eye a little bit as well, now. I'd appreciate any help!

Myopia Suddenly Clears

Forrest Greene — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:15:17 -0800

I have very myopic eyesight. Something like 20/400 plus astigmatism in both eyes. I've worn glasses almost fifty years, since I was seven years old. A few years ago, an odd thing happened. My wife & I worked on different schedules. She would awake, get dressed, & head out for the day while I slept in a few hours longer. I would usually wake up & visit a bit before she left.

One morning, I woke as she was dressing to find that although my glasses were on the side table where they had spent the night as usual, my vision was perfect. Looking through my unaided eyes, my whole field of vision was sharp & clear, bright, unblurred, maybe even better than with lenses.

It lasted as long as it took to realize it was happening, then slid back to my normal foggy state. I've never experienced anything like it before or since.

So. I could have been half asleep still, & imagined or dreamt the whole thing, but that's boring. An explanation that at least sort of matches the physical world is maybe I had an extraordinarily relaxing sleep that night, allowing the small muscles all around the eyeballs to relax extremely well, thereby allowing my eyeballs to temporarily reshape themselves better... maybe?

Well, I don't know. Has anyone else experienced this, or heard of it? Is there an opthamologist in the house?