Eyewear

[Bond]

This being a site frequented by many voracious readers, I thought I'd ask what kind of eyewear people here sport. Is there a link between heavy reading and deteriorating eyesight? If so, I thought that maybe we could share some of our experiences on the matter.

I've been reading and wearing glasses ever since I was little. I've been told by most that I shouldn't stop reading even though my eyesight was concurrently deteriorating. Still I've heard of advice given by an ophthalmologist of a relative to cut back on reading when that relative's eyesight started to get bad. Currently I have glasses at a grade and with astigmatism just shy of the point where they start getting relatively expensive and I'm starting to wonder if I'm being reckless with my reading habits. I've heard that the grades start to plateau at some point. Is that true with you? Are contacts better? Why? Thanks for any insight.

I'd also like to know how some of you handle the diagnostic procedure with your opthalmologists. When I was young I used to pick the clearest lens. Nowadays I make it a point to accompany such indication with a strongly expressed desire to have a lens of slightly lesser strength put in the final prescription. The reason is that I noticed that once when I indicated lenses that were the clearest for my opthalmologist's diagnosis, his prescription resulted in glasses that for a while made me dizzy. It seems what happened was that my eyes were forced to adjust to the glasses rather than the opposite. Instead of helping me to maintain my then current level of eyesight, the new glasses actually made my eyesight worse. Have any of you experienced this? Were you warned about it? Anyway I hope this serves as a warning to somebody who might need it.

 

[Aylis]

I have both glasses and contacts. My eyes are horrible, but I read as much as I want to anyways. I don't know if reading has anything to do with my eyes getting worse and worse each year. Personally, I think it's because I'm on the computer 24/7...

Let's see.. contacts or glasses? Well I prefer contacts for several reasons. 1) my glasses are a little heavy and it's annoying to have to push them back up my nose so often 2) contacts don't fog up when you eat hot food and 3) contacts look better on me

However, hard contacts are a bit uncomfortable and soft contacts will dry out your eyes.

Usually with glasses you should get a lower prescription, but with contacts, you're just supposed to get the ones that allow you to see most clearly.

Hope that helped a bit.

 

[fluffy bunny]

I've worn specs from a young age. Has gotten worse since. My eyesight's so bad now, I can't even see the biggest letter when I go to the opticians

 

[e-Morgana]

Originally posted by fluffy bunny
My eyesight's so bad now, I can't even see the biggest letter when I go to the opticians

*nods head in agreement*

I can relate to that, FB. I'm flat out even seeing the board with all the letters on it.

If it's any consolation to those of you who are short sighted - apparently at about 40 (I'm beginning to wait with bated breath), the normal 'long sighted' syndrome starts to kick in. So for a little while, your eyes seem to improve a little as the long sightedness counteracts the short sightedness to some degree. I can't wait.

The alternative for me is laser surgery to correct things - but I just can't quite pluck up enough courage to do it.

 

[kahnovitch]

It's an interesting point there Bond.
I have spent a lot of time in front of computer monitors/VDU's etc and at the age of 16, I was informed by my local optician that if I continued in my habits of VDU exposure, I would need glasses by the time I was 18.
Despite that advice I continued with my lifestyle regardless.
I'm now 32 and my girlfriend who is 24 had been wearing glasses since I met her (more than 3 years ago) tells me that, unless she wishes to undergo laser surgery, the lenses of her glasses are going to get thicker as her eyesight get's progressively worse.
Her (naked) eyesight is worse that mine.
She has since gone on to contacts.
I think basically it's like this, when you have a weak muscle you need to exercise it, to strengthen it, rather than prop it up with progressively larger crutches.

This is just my opinion as I'm not medically educated, but perhaps some other members (who are) can shed more light on this.

 

[Jacquin]

I am never without a book, and have been that way for as long as I can remember. I could read before I got to school.

My eyesight is slightly better that 6/6 (20/20 for those people who still use imperial...) My hearing is buggered but I blame that on too many metal concerts as a kid...

J

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by e-Morgana

*nods head in agreement*

I can relate to that, FB. I'm flat out even seeing the board with all the letters on it.

If it's any consolation to those of you who are short sighted - apparently at about 40 (I'm beginning to wait with bated breath), the normal 'long sighted' syndrome starts to kick in. So for a little while, your eyes seem to improve a little as the long sightedness counteracts the short sightedness to some degree. I can't wait.

The alternative for me is laser surgery to correct things - but I just can't quite pluck up enough courage to do it.

Umm.....V? My optiian tells me that getting long sighted just takes away the opposite end of your spectrum of vision, as well. My near vision will probably get worse, but i can't expect my distance vision to get better. Reason being, the two problems are caused by different mechanisms, so one doesn't reverse the other. I think this applies to most if not all short-sighted people. Sorry hun!

Oh, and me - i wear contact lenses. My sight isn't AWFUL, but i don't feel comfortable outside the house unless my vision is corrected - i'm not safe crossing roads etc! - and i have to sit with my nose on the tv screen to watch it! I have glasses too, for when i don't want to wear my lenses, but that isn't often. See, boys smile at me more when i don't have glasses on! Also, i shoot about one thousand times better with lenses than with specs - probably cos lenses give you a far more 'natural' vision.

And it has never been suggested to me that my eyesight probs were either caused or worsened by reading.

Rant over


Sammie.

 

[e-Morgana]

Originally posted by Sammie
Umm.....V? My optiian tells me that getting long sighted just takes away the opposite end of your spectrum of vision, as well. My near vision will probably get worse, but i can't expect my distance vision to get better. Reason being, the two problems are caused by different mechanisms, so one doesn't reverse the other. I think this applies to most if not all short-sighted people. Sorry hun!

Ohhh.........BUGGER!!!

*feels her way back to some secluded corner*

 

[fluffy bunny]

that the reason for those bifocal thingys?

 

[Dominus]

I have 20/20, but I guess that comes with being young mostly. Why don't you all get laser eye surgery? It'll give you 20/20 or better. My dad just got it done a few days ago, so now he doesn't have to wear glasses or the contacts he wore for 30 years anymore.

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by fluffy bunny
that the reason for those bifocal thingys?

Partly, i think. I was actually offered bifocals a few years ago though! I was having to put my glasses on to read the whiteboard, and then take them off in order to focus on my paper, and so on and so forth, and i was offered specs where the bottom half was a lower/absent prescription. But the NHS will only give you the kind with a lovely line across, so i passed!

I know a number of older people, now, who rather than carry two pairs of specs, or wear bifocals, wear contacts for their short sightedness, and have the prescription in their reading glasses made up to account for that. Sounds a cunning plan, to me!

V - why don't u wear lenses??

*thinks she's asked this before - but never mind!*

 

[Se'dray-on]

I've been reading since I was 6. I'm now 19 and have never needed glasses. Actually, everyone else in my family needs glasses. My Mom and Brother all the time and my Dad to read. I've never needed glasses, for anything, and I read alot.

So I think that correlation between reading and bad eyesight is complete B.S!

 

[kater]

I've been wearing glasses for close up stuff since six, my eyesight has improved since then and I don't need them outside but I do when reading. I'm mildly dyslexic so sometimes it doesn't matter either way

 

[e-Morgana]

Originally posted by Sammie
V - why don't u wear lenses??

*thinks she's asked this before - but never mind!*

I used to wear lenses quite a few years ago. They have their good and bad points.

Pros

• great for all the microscope work I had to do (now I have made up some cute felt things to go over the eyepeices on the microscope so they don't scratch my glasses lenses. Annoys the hell out of anyone else that tries to use it while I have them on there, though.)

Cons

• annoying to clean and maintain (though I know that has been streamlined quite a bit now)
• they couldn't correct my vision as well as glasses do (due to my astigmatism)
• couldn't wear them swimming (which we do quite a lot of)
• and I found I still needed glasses anyway for in-between times and when unexpected things happened (like getting up at night, or when you hear a noise that needs investigating, or when the phone rings and you're in the shower (yes I wear my glasses in the shower ).

See - the bad just outweighed the good in my opinion. Besides - everyone is used to seeing me with glasses (I've had them since I was little). I look 'odd' without them.

And Dominus - they won't give me any guarantee that I'll have 20/20 vision after laser surgery - just that it will be greatly improved. I could still have to wear glasses though. It's just all a bit too scary for me yet. I'm a WUSS - especially when it comes to my eyes and when they tell me they would want to do BOTH at ONCE!!

 

[Hobbit]

I have glasses too, for when i don't want to wear my lenses, but that isn't often. See, boys smile at me more when i don't have glasses on!

Sammie - if you haven't got your glasses on, how can you tell they're smiling?

I would reply more in the thread but I can't read the small type......

Hobbit - almost as pedantically as FF

and for whom the term blind as a _ _ _ was made for.....

 

[Shehzad]

Don't wear contacts: they're HORRIBLE for overnight call!

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by Hobbit
Sammie - if you haven't got your glasses on, how can you tell they're smiling?

Cos i'm wearing my contact lenses, dear. Do try to keep up!

Originally posted by Shehzad
Don't wear contacts: they're HORRIBLE for overnight call!

Now that i WOULDN'T do. Fell asleep on the train with my lenses in once - a VERY unpleasant experience!

 

[Jacquin]

Originally posted by Sammie
Fell asleep on the train with my lenses in once - a VERY unpleasant experience!

I fell asleep on a train once and that was unpleasant enough without the whole painful eyes thing...
J

 

[DarthV]

My eyesight has started to go downhill lately, but I blame spending so much time in front of monitors. I'll probably get my peepers checked out this fall... I still have better eyesight than my GF even with her glasses on.

I've read some nasty problems than can arrise from laser eye surgery...mostly night-vision related. And for people in the IT world, it has caused problems with headaches for people who are in front of computers for a good part of the day

 

[Hobbit]

Cos i'm wearing my contact lenses, dear. Do try to keep up!

DOH!

Guess that shows that it's not just the eyesight that's going.

*sigh* I was tired, it was late....

My eyesight's so bad now, I can't even see the biggest letter when I go to the opticians

Letter? Chart? Some of us have trouble with the wall!

Hobbit