Do you wear glasses?

[Freesia]

I'm all good, I got glasses without rims on the sides and on the bottom.

 

@Freesia: don't worry about the surgery, science has evolved, there's local anesthesia and you don't feel a thing. Do expect mild pain for 6-8 hours after the surgery. I had a pair of these implanted in my left eye: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrastromal_corneal_ring_segments Just look at the picture. I know I can't have LASIK surgery because my cornea is already thin, and definitely does not need more thinning. So just research and pick a good doctor.

 

Aah thanks for the reassurance Levi- my corneas are obv delicate too so no hope of laser treatment- slightly different implants for me I think; they remove the lenses entirely & replace them with synthetic ones, as well as vitrectomy - I can think of things I'd rather do but at least we an still see! it'll be miraculous if it all goes to plan :biggrin:

[BritChickx]

Thanks everyone for your input, do appreciate it, it's given me some more insight :laugh:couldn't resist that one.

I think ill try contacts but probably once ive finished saving for the visa, maybe i could get a free trial from specsavers, will see when i'm next in town.

I probably just need to find some cooler glasses in the mean time that properly suit my face, ones without rims i think i'd like!

[pwkl]

Started with glasses when I was 9, moved to contacts during teenage years but got laser surgery around 10 years ago and it was one of the best decisions I've made. Funnily enough, it was a 2 eyes for the price of 1 offer :laugh:. After so long, the ability to wake up in the morning and see clearly, it still amazes me today.

Having gone through the surgery once, I'm not sure I could do it again!

[Paul1Perth]

Just a random question....i'm short sighted and i hate it :cry: I have to wear glasses for watching tv and driving lessons etc... but they REALLY don't suit my face, and I was thinking maybe i should just get contacts so i can see clearly all the time and at work too, i mean i'm not that bad but i can't read writing more than like 2 metres away unless it's massive. I should really wear them all the time because i got really bad eye strain before but just don't feel confident wearing them when i'm out and about! :GEEK: do you think it's worth getting contacts or even laser surgery if my eyes got worse? Anyone else wear glasses or have an eye problem which they hate? :frown:

 

Can my eyes get better as i get older? i've been needing glasses since i was 18

 

I didn't have to wear glasses until I was 50ish BC. Hated it, it's been one of the worst things about getting old. Only had to wear them for work for ages when sitting in front of the computer. Still don't have to wear them for driving or long distance stuff but watching the TV has now become a bit blurred. Got a new pair recently that are really good. Vari focal or something. Good for reading, computer use and watching TV, all in one pair.

 

Have you thought of laser surgery BC? I know a few people who've had it done and just about all say it's the best money they've ever spent. I've seen your avatar with your glasses on, they look OK, make you look older and more mature.:wink:

[Paul1Perth]

You could. Although that would be an extreme side effect.

 

Most commonly I used to see people who had been left with eyes that were so dry that they were painful. The other thing was that they used to consider an acuity of 6/9 as acceptable (which is what you need to see to drive), but in my contact lenses I can see 6/5 which is much, much better. So there is a discrepancy in what is seen as successful surgery and what I (and most other people) would consider to be successful.

 

Can you have it done to correct site when you are older LKC? Or do you just have to live with it. My eyes seemed to get worse really quickly at first but have seemed to reach a stage where they haven't got any worse for several years.

[BritChickx]

I didn't have to wear glasses until I was 50ish BC. Hated it, it's been one of the worst things about getting old. Only had to wear them for work for ages when sitting in front of the computer. Still don't have to wear them for driving or long distance stuff but watching the TV has now become a bit blurred. Got a new pair recently that are really good. Vari focal or something. Good for reading, computer use and watching TV, all in one pair.

 

Have you thought of laser surgery BC? I know a few people who've had it done and just about all say it's the best money they've ever spent. I've seen your avatar with your glasses on, they look OK, make you look older and more mature.:wink:

I've never posted a photo with me with my glasses on not even on facebook, lol.

you're one of the lucky ones to have only started having glasses in your 50s!

[Guest51810]

I've never posted a photo with me with my glasses on not even on facebook, lol.

you're one of the lucky ones to have only started having glasses in your 50s!

 

You sure, im thought ive saw a glasses pic of you on here once too. Unless hes got us mixed up lol

[BritChickx]

Sunglasses yes but not glasses. And my sunglasses are huge lol i wouldn't wear glasses that size!

[Cheese please]

I started wearing glasses at the age of 18 for short-sightedness. I spent my early 20s often going out without my specs as I hated the way they looked, instead I would walk around attractively squinting at everything. I did progress to contact lenses, but I never fully embraced them and would only wear them occasionally. After we made the decision to move to Australia last year, I couldn't help think that it would be horrible wearing glasses and constantly swapping with prescription sunglasses.

 

As I currently live in chilly Scotland, I could cope with wearing glasses, but I hate it when I'm in warmer climes - my geeky specs didn't quite look right with summer dresses! I'd been thinking about it for a while, but in February this year (and after much research and a fair amount of anxiety) I took the plunge and went for laser eye surgery...

 

BEST. THING. EVER! Except for the 5 hours of discomfort post-surgery, it has been completely amazing. Out of habit, I still go to push my glasses up and doing that reminds me and in turn thrills me that I can actually really, properly see now. The place I got it done offered up to 24 months interest-free payments, which made it a hell of a lot easier to manage financially as well. I'd heartily recommend surgery to anyone that was considering it, subject to doing some good research on the company / surgeon performing it all.

[TerryDXB]

BEST. THING. EVER!

 

Hi Cheese please...what sort of laser surgery was it? I know there are several different types (and costs) such as LASIK.

 

I was talked out of even considering laser surgery a while ago ( a)look..how many opthalmic practioners do you see wearing glasses...if laser was that good they'd be first in the queue b) success rate isn't 100% and it's impossible to put right if it goes wrong)

 

If I wear contacts in both eyes to correct shortsightedness, they are good for distance vision, but then I need reading glasses, so they only correct one problem at the expense of another - does laser surgery correct your vision across the entire range both near and longsightedness? I did ask a laser surgery company (who were blitzing the papers with their ads at the time) this a while back and I just couldn't get a straight answer from them, so I assumed the worst and walked away.

 

I've got a good compromise with the single lens that I described earlier, but it would be nice to do away with lenses altogether, so a few good reports of the results of different laser surgery types would be useful

cheers

 

Tdxb

[Cheese please]

I had the Lasik Ultra Elite Wavefront surgery. From what I was reading about it at the time, that was the top-notch surgery that this certain company were offering and I snapped up a promotional deal to get a good price. I’d visited another well-known company 6 months before, and hated dealing with them so, when I visited this pace, I was overwhelmed how informative and non-pushy they were. So I’d definitely recommend talking to a few companies and you’re right to walk away if they can’t give you a straight answer.

 

I’m not sure about surgery that corrects across the entire range as I just found out information to do with being short-sighted. It was clearly pointed out to me that my eyes will still age, so I’ll be using reading glasses when I get older, like everyone else.

 

It’s such a big decision to make and one I certainly didn’t take lightly - a few sleepless nights were had. Good luck with your research and I’m very happy, where I can, to answer any other questions. It was only after hearing other people’s personal stories that I felt brave ahead to go ahead with it.

[LKC]

Can you have it done to correct site when you are older LKC? Or do you just have to live with it. My eyes seemed to get worse really quickly at first but have seemed to reach a stage where they haven't got any worse for several years.

 

There are four main types of eye problems (in terms of sight) that people have. Myopia/short-sightedness is where close to things are clear, but the distance vision is blurred. Hypermetropia/long-sightedness is where distance vision is clear, but close-up things are more difficult. Astigmatism is where the cornea, which is the clear membrane over the front of the eye, is not completely round. These three conditions are to do with the shape and size of the eye, a myopic eye is too long for its optical power or the cornea is too steep, a hypermetropic eye is too short or the cornea is too flat, and an astigmatic eye isn't spherical so the light focuses unevenly. Babies are born with very hypermetropic eyes, but as they grow this usually corrects itself. Hypermetropia often doesn't require glasses, because when we are young the lens inside the eye that adjusts to focus the light depending on the distance that you are viewing at, is very flexible and can cope with adjusting to correct the deficit in power. However, in the 20's, 30's and beyond this lens becomes less flexible, just through natural ageing.

 

This is where the fourth eye problem comes in. It is called presbyopia and is due to the hardening of the lens inside the eye through ageing. It means that the lens can't flex in the correct way to focus things that are close up. It is usually noticeable in the early to mid 40's, and is usually more noticeable in poor light. You might find that you are having to hold books etc further away in order to see them. This change happens to everyone, and is why people wear things like bifocals or multifocals - it is because they now need a prescription for distance due to the shape/size of the eye, plus extra power to focus close objects.

 

Short and long sight and astigmatism can be corrected with LASIK (for example), because it uses a laser to shape the cornea to correct the visual problem. For example with myopia where the cornea is too steep it flattens it out a bit which causes the light to now focus on the retina. Presbyopia itself can't be corrected by LASIK because that is a problem with the inflexibility of the lens, rather than the shape of the eye, but what they can do is laser the eyes in such a way that one eye is corrected for distance vision, and then they effectively induce short sight in the reading eye so that in that eye you can see close up. This is called monovision (you can get the same effect with contact lenses - you would wear one for distance and one for reading). I would certainly proceed with caution on having this done in a permanent way. Eyesight does change over time, and you may well find that as you age, the prescription changes. It can also affect depth perception - when we fit contact lenses in this way, we always would fit distance to both eyes (for times that good distance vision and depth perception are critical, like for long-distance driving), and then fit for near vision in addition in the non-dominant eye.

 

Probably a better solution is to have distance vision corrected by LASIK and then just to wear reading glasses over the top.

[Guest littlesarah]

Thanks for that explanation.

[LKC]

Thanks for that explanation.

 

No worries! I used to work as an optometrist (stopped working seven and a half years ago when I had eldest, and would now have to re-take my professional exams which I don't want to do), and OH is a dispensing optician, so there is lots of eye talk in our house!

[TerryDXB]

I’m not sure about surgery that corrects across the entire range as I just found out information to do with being short-sighted. It was clearly pointed out to me that my eyes will still age, so I’ll be using reading glasses when I get older, like everyone else.

 

I did ask my question very well, so I'll give it another go:

a) With no lenses, I can read and use the computer with no problems, but I need glasses to correct for shortsightedness (for driving)

b) If I wear lenses, I have great distance vision, but this comes at the cost of loss of reading ability, so I then need reading glasses

c) So, lenses/glasses can only correct one defect at the expense of another

 

So my real question is for c) does laser surgery only correct for one condition or (assuming no problems and everything goes as planned) - do I walk away from the operation not needing glasses for either reading or distance stuff.

 

I'm not overly bothered about aging, my prescription has been stable for about 7 years now.

 

thanks

 

Tdxb

[LKC]

I’m not sure about surgery that corrects across the entire range as I just found out information to do with being short-sighted. It was clearly pointed out to me that my eyes will still age, so I’ll be using reading glasses when I get older, like everyone else.

 

I did ask my question very well, so I'll give it another go:

a) With no lenses, I can read and use the computer with no problems, but I need glasses to correct for shortsightedness (for driving)

b) If I wear lenses, I have great distance vision, but this comes at the cost of loss of reading ability, so I then need reading glasses

c) So, lenses/glasses can only correct one defect at the expense of another

 

So my real question is for c) does laser surgery only correct for one condition or (assuming no problems and everything goes as planned) - do I walk away from the operation not needing glasses for either reading or distance stuff.

 

I'm not overly bothered about aging, my prescription has been stable for about 7 years now.

 

thanks

 

Tdxb

 

It is exactly as you say. If you were to have your myopia corrected, then you would see fine for driving etc, but would need glasses for reading and computer work because you also have presbyopia, which is where the lens in the eye becomes less able to focus on close objects. The reason you can see fine close up without your glasses on, is because you are short sighted, and people who are short sighted can see close up without correction. They may suggest monovision, where they correct one eye for distance and one for reading, but there can be problems with depth perception with that. The reading prescription will change over time, as your lens becomes less and less flexible. That is a normal part of ageing.

 

Does that make sense?

[Caz Brady]

I've worn glasses since I was about 10 got contacts in my 20s but I don't like themi like my specs though

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4

[BritChickx]

I think i've caused my own short sightedness with using the laptop hours on end. Probably started in college when i was on the computer loads then i got my own laptop and spent a few hours each night on that too. I've just this morning realised i can only see perfectly 0.5 metres away and it starts to become blurry, not massively but obviously the further away the more blurry. and I probably sit with my laptop half a metre away probably less.

[Love Shoes]

Wear them and hate them ..... but need's must ... supposed to wear them for distance and reading, I am naughty (very naughty) as I don't always wear my distance glasses, but seeing as my eye sight is getting worse I should wear them ...my eyes seem to be deteriorating quite quickly, on my last eye test the optician said I had early cataracts .... i was :elvis: as I thought it was just old people who got them, he did say it was quite rate for someone of age to have them, just told to monitor them .. I wear multi focal lenses for driving though ....... I tried contacts a few years ago and couldn't get them in, so gave up .....

 

 

also ETA I mean't to say I have one of those stig things http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astigmatism_(eye) (not a stigmata) LOL, had one on my left eye, which has got worse, and the optician told me I had one on my right eye now too, my sister also has the same problem .....

Edited August 13, 2013 by Love Shoes

[BritChickx]

Wear them and hate them ..... but need's must ... supposed to wear them for distance and reading, I am naughty (very naughty) as I don't always wear my distance glasses, but seeing as my eye sight is getting worse I should wear them ...my eyes seem to be deteriorating quite quickly, on my last eye test the optician said I had early cataracts .... i was :elvis: as I thought it was just old people who got them, he did say it was quite rate for someone of age to have them, just told to monitor them .. I wear multi focal lenses for driving though ....... I tried contacts a few years ago and couldn't get them in, so gave up .....

My mums in her 40s and has cataracts shes had them for years now, not caused any problems yet, shes long sighted

[markb28]

Only wear glasses at home, -3.5 in both eyes. I wear daily disposables which are very easy to use and cheap 50p a day. After years of wear I can put them in 30 secs without flinching. They are cheaper direct from UK to Oz.

[Levi]

I think i've caused my own short sightedness with using the laptop hours on end. Probably started in college when i was on the computer loads then i got my own laptop and spent a few hours each night on that too. I've just this morning realised i can only see perfectly 0.5 metres away and it starts to become blurry, not massively but obviously the further away the more blurry. and I probably sit with my laptop half a metre away probably less.

 

I, too, am guilty as charged.

[Guest51810]

I damaged mine too, i used to do daft things like try read with a rubbish light when i was supposed to be sleeping lol then i stopped wearing my glasses when i was supposed to be wearing them

[BritChickx]

:GEEK:

[LKC]

The majority of vision problems are down to genetics. You are long or short sighted due to the shape and size of your eyes and your genes determine that. It is thought that lots of very close work as a child whilst the eyes are still growing can induce/worsen myopia, which is why people who study/read lots as a child/teen *tend* to be myopic, although of course genetics will still play a part.

 

You won't damage your eyes by using a computer, and you won't make them worse or better by wearing/not wearing glasses. The only people whose vision can be altered by wearing glasses, are children up to the age of seven or so, and even then we are influencing the visual cortex in the brain and helping that to develop correctly, rather than changing the eyes.