Eyesight And Glasses

[DTMark]

I had been noticing what felt like eye fatigue after a day of work. A feeling not entirely dissimilar to that which you get from swimming underwater in an indoor swimming pool - not really a stinging, but a squinting sensation as if you're trying to repeatedly wash your own eyes by blinking, as though the eyes are "a bit sore".

So I took myself for an eye test. I was able to read everything on the far wall perfectly, only having to pause momentarily to read the bottom line of letters (the smallest ones).

The test then moved to the one where you look through a pair of lenses mounted to an assembly and first both eyes, then one, then the other, were tested. "What is clearer?" "That one", "They're about the same" etc.

Finally, a passage of written text was held up in front of my face about 8 inches away. "Can you read that?" - I squint. It all looks a bit blurred. "Yes, just about". A lens is held up between me and the card. "Is that better?" - and, yes, it was. What looked blurry now looked perfect. I've noticed this trying to read things like cooking instructions on packets.

So the conclusion was/is that I need assistance for close work, like sitting in front of a computer screen which I have to do every week day.

I didn't have time to actually select glasses as I had to run but I need to go back and get them, will do that on Saturday.

The descent from believing I can see perfectly, to needing assistance to read close things, seems incredibly swift.

However I have been feeling a bit odd lately, and I don't know whether it's all down to this. Can I ask, if not too personal - when you were first "diagnosed" as needing glasses, what symptoms (if not the obvious: "I can't see stuff") did you experience, that were then resolved once you got them, or alternatively, if you need glasses, but do not wear them, are there other symptoms apart from not being able to see clearly?

[Turned Out Nice Again]

My ability to accommodate declines when I'm dehydrated. Probably because of the eye lenses changing shape slightly.

However presbyopia is inevitable once you hit your 40s.

Just buy a selection of Poundland reading glasses at different strengths

I tried to stave off needing glasses for work by buying progressively larger monitors, but gave up at 28".

I'm still better than 20/20 at distance.

[DTMark]

I have given a name to my pain. Well, actually, you have. Presbyopia:

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/presbyopia.htm

This is what the optician described, and said it was nothing serious, and purely age-related.

Interestingly - to me anyway:

When people develop presbyopia, they find they need to hold books, magazines, newspapers, menus and other reading materials at arm's length in order to focus properly. When they perform near work, such as embroidery or handwriting, they may develop headaches, eye strain or feel fatigued.

Fatigue is a symptom that I have noticed.

And you mention dehydration - the symptoms are much worse after a night of drinking, and for about two days afterwards.

[MrPin]

If you spend all day at the computer screen, at a certain age you will need reading glasses.

[Austin Allegro]

As a child and teenager I had extremely good eyesight - I was a crack shot with a .22 rifle in the Corps at school and used to win loads of ashtrays and cuddly toys on the rifle ranges of fairgrounds. Then when I was at university I noticed a strange 'halo' effect round the faces of lecturers, actors in the theatre, etc. I had an eye test and it turned out I had one good eye and one short sighted eye. Rather than wear a monocle I wore glasses for distance etc.

The feeling at first was odd - like looking at the world through a goldfish bowl - and I avoided wearing specs as much as possible.

Then in my late thirties I started getting sore eyes and headaches and an optician told me I had astigmatism and should wear glasses for VDU work. The effect was dramatic, I stopped getting headaches etc.

Now in my mid forties I'm told I should wear glasses all the time and usually I do. One thing I've noticed is a mental change - for a long time the world was slightly out of focus and 2D (because I can't see depth well) but it happened so slowly that I didn't notice it. Now that I wear glasses most of the time I feel happier because I can see every little branch on the trees, the details of birds (both feathered and human) etc. It's actually caused an improvement in general mood.

Edit: by the way you don't need to spend a lot of money on glasses. If you have a prescription you can order them online from those cheapo Chinese spec companies, I got mine for about £15-.

[dgul]

I had been noticing what felt like eye fatigue after a day of work. A feeling not entirely dissimilar to that which you get from swimming underwater in an indoor swimming pool - not really a stinging, but a squinting sensation as if you're trying to repeatedly wash your own eyes by blinking, as though the eyes are "a bit sore".

So I took myself for an eye test. I was able to read everything on the far wall perfectly, only having to pause momentarily to read the bottom line of letters (the smallest ones).

The test then moved to the one where you look through a pair of lenses mounted to an assembly and first both eyes, then one, then the other, were tested. "What is clearer?" "That one", "They're about the same" etc.

Finally, a passage of written text was held up in front of my face about 8 inches away. "Can you read that?" - I squint. It all looks a bit blurred. "Yes, just about". A lens is held up between me and the card. "Is that better?" - and, yes, it was. What looked blurry now looked perfect. I've noticed this trying to read things like cooking instructions on packets.

So the conclusion was/is that I need assistance for close work, like sitting in front of a computer screen which I have to do every week day.

I didn't have time to actually select glasses as I had to run but I need to go back and get them, will do that on Saturday.

The descent from believing I can see perfectly, to needing assistance to read close things, seems incredibly swift.

However I have been feeling a bit odd lately, and I don't know whether it's all down to this. Can I ask, if not too personal - when you were first "diagnosed" as needing glasses, what symptoms (if not the obvious: "I can't see stuff") did you experience, that were then resolved once you got them, or alternatively, if you need glasses, but do not wear them, are there other symptoms apart from not being able to see clearly?

Mid 40s. I also do lots of computer work, and as Pin says, it is inevitable at around that age. Lucky to get away without them by 50 really.

Note that if the glasses are for work only then you can get them paid for by work.

But I think you are self employed (?) in which case just buy the poundland lenses (other shops are available, but the cheap lenses are pretty much all the same) - the similarities are:

• They're all made of polycarbonate
• They're all pretty good optically
• They all sit on your nose and loop round the ears
• They are all about the same size/weight (for normal reading glasses)

The differences are (or, what you get for your money at the opticians):

• The optician lenses will be optimised for your eyes - so if one is slightly different than the other then they can correct that. But note that you would have been happily surviving up 'till now with this difference without wearing glasses...
• The opticians lenses will correct for astigmatism, which is when the cornea of your eye isn't exactly spherical in shape, but a tiny bit 'rugby ball' shaped. Again, if you had this (and we all do to a certain extent) then you'll have been living with it for years happily without glasses
• But if you do have one eye a bit different, or if you do have a medium level of astigmatism, then you'll see better with the opticians lenses, indeed, you'll probably see better than you've seen for years. It is up to you how much value this better is vs. the expenditure.
• Opticians will check the health of your eye when you're in - probably worth doing every couple of years anyway, but only as the cost of the examination is subsidised by them often saying 'yup, you need glasses, they'll definitely cost $$$')
• The lenses will have a variety of coatings, including anti-reflection (not that useful indoors), hard coating (makes them last much longer before scratching - but you can just buy another pair of cheap glasses instead).
• You'll have the choice of pretty frames, and, if you need strong glasses (not you, but someone very short-sighted) then they can get nice expensive 'glass' which won't weigh as much.

My advice (FWIW) for people who don't normally wear glasses - get eyes tested once every couple of years from 40ish. When they say you need reading glasses - if work pays, get them to pay. If you pay, buy some cheap reading glasses - start with about 0.5D and work stronger as required*. If you have astigmatism in either eye over about 1D (marked as 'cyl' on the prescription) then consider opticians glasses even if you pay.

[*TLDR Dioptres are the reciprocal of metres - it kind of works as that distance becomes the new 'infinity' for your eyes (keeping it simple) - and we know that your eyes can still focus to infinity outside as you don't normally wear glasses (for the purposes of optics, infinity is anything more than about 10 metres). So, consider sitting at your computer monitor looking out of the window - eyes working fine. Now look at the monitor 50cm away - instantaneously your lens in the eye will add a bit of optical power to be able to focus on the screen - and for 50cm (0.5m) the optical power added by the lens in your eye will be 1/(0.5m) which is 2D. So if you use a 0.5D lens then you're saying to your lens in the eye - 'you only have to work to 1.5D today, not 2D as you might have expected'. Often that is enough of a help for the lens to be able to manage fine (it is a marginal effect when you just hit presbyopia).

As you age then the lens in your eye becomes crappier, and can't manage even 0.5D - at that point if you give your eye a 2D spectacle lens then looking at the monitor will be the same (optically) as your eye looking out of the window.

You don't just go straight for the 2D (or so) as that would be 'easiest on your eyes' as you'd find that you would become dependent on the spectacles more rapidly - keep the strength lowish for as long as is comfortable. Keep going without wearing the reading glasses apart from maybe longer sessions, during the evening etc. This should keep the eye-strain at bay but keep your eyes active.

]

[winkie]

....long sighted. meaning require some kind of magnification to see words at normal reading distance.....all part and parcel of the ageing process, things start to drop off and deteriorate, all down hill from now on...pardon...asl long as both your eyes are similar ordinary non expensive reading glasses are all that is required starting from 1 going up to about 3 magnification.....another thing are tired eyes, there are cool eye masks you can get that might help to rest the eyes, or could be dry eye, but the eyes do not actually have to feel dry they may weep slightly, artificial tear drops might help.......other than that get plenty of rest and avoid spending too much time looking at bright screens......eye problems for people in the future because of time spent on devices can only worsen.

[Austin Allegro]

NB it's also well worth getting anti-reflective coatings on your specs if you drive at night. The difference is dramatic. I learnt this to my cost while driving on a narrow mountain road at night!

[Riedquat]

I've been horribly short-sighted for years so I can't really remember what it was like when I first started but certainly not-quite-right vision can eventually make me feeling a little queasy and give me a headache (usually the sign to get a new pair of glasses as my already bad eyesight slowly gets worse).

A difference in the eyes may make things worse; when I've had one contact lens fall out it's really, really unpleasant, to the point where going around with one eye closed is better than keeping both open (taking the other lens out isn't an option for me for driving unless my glasses are somewhere very handy, being so shortsighted that I'd probably be safer driving drunk than without correction).

[SarahBell]

I've worn glasses since early primary school.
Eyes don't get better. I do remember seeing a book about improving eyesight but have never read it.

I hate picking glasses. I hate eye tests.
I now have computer glasses, reading glasses and seeing normally glasses.
I couldn't wear contact lenses or have my eyes lasered.

[MrPin]

I've worn glasses since early primary school.

Eyes don't get better. I do remember seeing a book about improving eyesight but have never read it.

I hate picking glasses. I hate eye tests.

I now have computer glasses, reading glasses and seeing normally glasses.

I couldn't wear contact lenses or have my eyes lasered.

Was the print too small?

I don't mind picking glasses, but I hate paying for them.

[Riedquat]

I couldn't wear contact lenses or have my eyes lasered.

I'm fine with contacts (although I don't put them in that often). I like the idea of laser treatment but don't entirely trust it, and don't see any point if I'll be back on glasses a few years later.

[porca misèria]

If you spend all day at the computer screen, at a certain age you will need reading glasses.

Modern screens seem benign to me.

Not like those flickering '80s and '90s screens irradiating you.

[SarahBell]

Was the print too small?

I don't mind picking glasses, but I hate paying for them.

:-)

LOLNo I've just never got a copy of it.

I had some really lovely frames once - kept them to get re-done but haven't ever.

[porca misèria]

Anyone else got a nose too small/smooth/whatever to hold glasses up?

I tried them long ago, but found myself having to push them back up the nose every 15 seconds or so.

[LiveinHope]

At age 40 I had my first and only eye test. The optician placed some lenses in front and charcoal greys turned to black and edges were more defined. WOW

Me "I suppose your going to tell me I need glasses"

Optician: "Oh, I wouldn't bother you have got on fine so far"

Although I do now find that I use my smartphone camera as a handy magnifier if I want to read ingredients on products in supermarkets

[sexton]

If you are narrowing your eyes to see things you need glasses.

I'm very happy with the service got from https://extraoptical.com/uk .

[Turned Out Nice Again]

as for reversing presbyopia, I've tried both the Bates Method and pinhole glasses (after a fashion) without success.

The biggest downer for me was photography as I shoot mostly old manual lenses which now requires reading glasses to make sure I've nailed the focus.

[MrPin]

as for reversing presbyopia, I've tried both the Bates Method and pinhole glasses (after a fashion) without success.

The biggest downer for me was photography as I shoot mostly old manual lenses which now requires reading glasses to make sure I've nailed the focus.

I don't like those cameras with a screen on the back two inches from your nose. I would rather have a "real" viewfinder, sadly missing on some modern gear.

[MrPin]

Anyone else got a nose too small/smooth/whatever to hold glasses up?

I tried them long ago, but found myself having to push them back up the nose every 15 seconds or so.

That is not a problem I suffer from.

[DTMark]

The prescription reads like this:

Right

SPH +0.50

CYL +0.50

AXIS 70.00

Near +0.75

Left

SPH +0.50

CYL +0.50

AXIS 90.00

Near +0.75

It might be a good idea to invest in a couple of larger good quality monitors, I use two for work, the left one is 24" and the right one 21" I think. The one on the right is much older and declining. That's the one I generally have the ticket system and email running on e.g. "watch in the background and respond without interfering with my workspace desktop".

It's when I'm doing something like cutting a design from Photoshop into HTML, or, coding a data class that I'll have two pieces of software open side by side one on each monitor.

I do notice that focus times are worse than they were. For example if it's a little dark in this room and I hear the post-woman coming, I might pop my head out of the window to see if she's stopping and I'll have to go down to sign for something.

When I then come back into the darker room, looking at the monitors is a bit like trying to focus when drunk.

Of course the change in light would impact anyone, but my eyes seem to take more time to adjust than was once the case.

[MrPin]

That's not a gobsmacking champagne bottle bottom prescrition, but you will find the astig (CYL) correction useful, so you won't be buying ready mades from the supermarket. Shouldn't be a fortune, and you will see the screen better.

[Northerner]

Ready?

As this image gets larger, what do you see?

Most people will pick out a phantom-like picture of Albert Einstein. But if you see a Hollywood pin-up, you may need a trip to the opticians.

At normal viewing distance, healthy eyes should be able to pick up the fine lines on Einstein's face, causing the brain to disregard Marilyn Monroe's image altogether.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3024005/Do-Albert-Einstein-Marilyn-Monroe-Hybrid-optical-illusion-reveal-need-wear-glasses.html#ixzz3pCt3kNZ9

[MrPin]

Ready?

As this image gets larger, what do you see?

Most people will pick out a phantom-like picture of Albert Einstein. But if you see a Hollywood pin-up, you may need a trip to the opticians.

At normal viewing distance, healthy eyes should be able to pick up the fine lines on Einstein's face, causing the brain to disregard Marilyn Monroe's image altogether.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3024005/Do-Albert-Einstein-Marilyn-Monroe-Hybrid-optical-illusion-reveal-need-wear-glasses.html#ixzz3pCt3kNZ9

Actually they were one and the same person. Not a lot of people know that!

[DTMark]

Ready?

As this image gets larger, what do you see?

Most people will pick out a phantom-like picture of Albert Einstein. But if you see a Hollywood pin-up, you may need a trip to the opticians.

At normal viewing distance, healthy eyes should be able to pick up the fine lines on Einstein's face, causing the brain to disregard Marilyn Monroe's image altogether.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3024005/Do-Albert-Einstein-Marilyn-Monroe-Hybrid-optical-illusion-reveal-need-wear-glasses.html#ixzz3pCt3kNZ9

It only looks like Monroe when the image is very small.