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David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
12/13/23 12:57 p.m.

Can’t hit that apex if you can’t really see it, right? And how much easier would it be to reassemble your car if you could easily see how Tab A fits into Slot 2?

Have you thought about your eyes lately? Taking them for granted, right, and just assuming it’s part of the aging process?

I’ve been wearing glasses since …

Read the rest of the story

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
12/13/23 1:07 p.m.

So, the PS on this: I had just bought a bunch of contact lenses via the popular online retailer whose name starts with 1 800.

What to do with them. Sell them on FB Marketplace? I semi-jokingly asked my doctor. 

He gave me a shrug.

Turns out I got a refund for my unopened lenses. That put like $120 back in pocket.

 

Colin Wood
Colin Wood Associate Editor
12/13/23 1:11 p.m.

Good to know your eyesight can improve with time/as you get older.

And I'm certain you wold have found a buyer on Facebook Marketplace–especially in the Daytona Beach area.

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
12/13/23 1:11 p.m.

I'm sitting in the chair waiting for the eye doc RFN, actually. I'm always anxious during the "better or worse" phase--I get a weird test anxiety because WHAT IF I GET IT WRONG? Then it's headaches, difficulty reading, dogs and cats living together, right?

Margie

Colin Wood
Colin Wood Associate Editor
12/13/23 1:12 p.m.
Marjorie Suddard said:

WHAT IF I GET IT WRONG?

That's pretty much every day of my life.

wae
wae PowerDork
12/13/23 1:32 p.m.

I was all happy a couple years ago when my (very awesome) optometrist told me that he was going to dial my contacts prescription back a little.  I asked him if that was unusual that my vision would get better and he just laughed.  "No," he said, "your close-up, reading vision has gotten worse, so we're going to sacrifice your long-distance vision to make it easier for you to read when you have your contacts in".

Pretty much ruined my day right there....

Msterbee
Msterbee Reader
12/13/23 2:02 p.m.

I've been nearsighted most of my life.  I don't like putting things in my eyes so I wear glasses.  Fortunately my prescription is pretty weak. I could drive day or night without them if I really had to but I don't like doing it.  The bigger problem is things close to my face.  My need for reading glasses started at 45 (Apparently this is pretty much the age it starts for everyone?) and has gotten progressively worse over the years.  What's really annoying though is that I need to look over my glasses to read instruments and information on the instrument panel.  Annoying. angry

Nicole Suddard
Nicole Suddard GRM+ Memberand Marketing Coordinator
12/13/23 2:10 p.m.

After many years of my nearsightedness getting worse and worse, I finally got good news from my eye doctor this year: my eyes have stabilized.

Apparently it's pretty normal for your eyesight to completely divebomb through childhood and adolescence and then even out in your late '20s. Who knew? Still can't see clearly beyond an arm's length ahead of me, but at least the big blur is no longer getting closer and closer every year.

Msterbee
Msterbee Reader
12/13/23 2:15 p.m.
Nicole Suddard said:

After many years of my nearsightedness getting worse and worse, I finally got good news from my eye doctor this year: my eyes have stabilized.

Apparently it's pretty normal for your eyesight to completely divebomb through childhood and adolescence and then even out in your late '20s. Who knew? Still can't see clearly beyond an arm's length ahead of me, but at least the big blur is no longer getting closer and closer every year.

That sucks. My younger daughter's vision is like yours.  She can't do anything without glasses.  I couldn't imagine having to wear glasses that much.  A literal pain since wear glasses too much gives me headaches.  indecision

Nicole Suddard
Nicole Suddard GRM+ Memberand Marketing Coordinator
12/13/23 2:24 p.m.

In reply to Msterbee :

I switched to contact lenses in middle school and have worn the same brand ever since - a much better solution for an active lifestyle, but still annoying to deal with. I get headaches from wearing glasses, too, so the contact lenses are the lesser of the two evils for me. Every year I get closer to considering lasik surgery.

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
12/13/23 2:28 p.m.

I'm back from eyedoctorland, and he confirmed that not only is my distance vision better, it's common after a certain age and usually paired with deteriorating close-up vision. (To put it more succinctly, your focal distance changes.) So yay, me--I have barely any correction for distance these days, but readers got another boost. And I have a tiny cataract in one eye. So now I am expecting a random package with hairnet, support stockings and grippy socks to appear in my mailbox any day now.

Margie

Ranger50
Ranger50 MegaDork
12/13/23 2:44 p.m.

Last go round was 2-2.5 yrs ago... Largely my prescription has not changed in 30 yrs. But he placed me in a newer version of lenses which just lead to problems. I have an astigmatism lense in one eye that I can not stand. I'm going back to my old thick lenses that never caused a problem.

bludroptop
bludroptop UltraDork
12/13/23 3:20 p.m.

Came here expecting visually hideous automotive bastardization... 

nlevine
nlevine GRM+ Memberand Reader
12/13/23 3:36 p.m.

I just got a new prescription - 2 steps better for distance, slightly worse for reading (also heard you can get drastic changes with onset of cataracts, but I'm ignoring that for now). I got glasses in the 3rd grade and am pushing 60 now - never wore contacts (also have a slight astigmatism). Made the switch to progressive lenses a few years ago and have been happy, generally, especially with the proliferation of screens in cars.
 

My wife wears contacts that correct her distance, but needs "readers" for, well, reading. She has a hard time with new cars because she can't read the close-up screens.

Anybody else having their eyesight affect the use of modern machinery?

edmagoo
edmagoo New Reader
12/13/23 6:34 p.m.

I don't understand 'better or worse' optometrists. Those lasik guys have a computer to scan your vision in 3D. What are the old school optometrists waiting for? That technology was obsolete years ago.

Meanwhile I have one set of reading glasses (near/far), one set of computer glasses (near/middle), and one set of driving glasses (middle/far) because I refuse to get progressive lenses. (who's the luddite now?)

Datsun240ZGuy
Datsun240ZGuy MegaDork
12/13/23 7:07 p.m.

Doc called out my high sugar levels - called it diabeetus and sent me to eye Doc for testing.  All good with the eyes.

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
12/13/23 7:17 p.m.
edmagoo said:

I don't understand 'better or worse' optometrists. Those lasik guys have a computer to scan your vision in 3D. What are the old school optometrists waiting for? That technology was obsolete years ago.

Actually my doc brought this up: Based on the computer tests, he already pretty much knew my prescription, Nowadays the better/worse questions just confirm it. You need the doc to scan your eyeballs: Optic nerve good? Any sign of macular degeneration? Retina and other structures healthy? 
Margie

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/13/23 7:27 p.m.

Grassroots Optometrysports tip: You can get glasses very cheaply by getting a prescription from your local optometrist and then using that info to order glasses from Aliexpress for $25~$50 rather than getting some from the same local optometrist for hundreds. If your IOD isn't listed in the prescription, you can use a ruler and bathroom mirror to get a good measurement on your own in a few minutes. You can get an idea of what frame size fits you by measuring some sunglasses that fit you well, from your local dollar-store sunglass stand if necessary. I've used this method to help some friends get glasses they otherwise would have serious trouble affording, and to get myself a set of prescription-insert cycling glasses I could easily afford to replace if smashed.

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
12/13/23 7:29 p.m.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

I've also used Zenni with very good results.

Margie

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/13/23 7:37 p.m.

I'm due for my annual check up in January. At 68, I still have very good distance vision, but like anyone my age, can't focus up close. The mild cataracts that were diagnosed a couple of years ago haven't had much effect yet.

I was born with a strabismus, aka cross eyed. I had surgery at about age five to correct it. At that time, the surgery was a one shot deal, no corrections if it didn't come out perfectly. I was lucky and it was spot on.

My vision after the surgery was really good. I used to be able to have fun with my eye exams by responding to the instruction to read the smallest line I could see by reading the 8 font copyright at the bottom.

Before the onset of cataracts, my bad eye was still 20/20. We'll see what the report is next month.

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/13/23 8:05 p.m.

Something interesting that came up on my last eye exam, some new sun damage since the last visit 2 years ago. That was a very odd thing to hear after having moved out of the tropics and wearing sunglasses regularly for that period. It took me months to put together some guesses on what might've caused that. My best guess is that it was caused by a long drive East on the 401 early in the morning, which happens to be driving directly into the sunrise. I had my sun visor way down, sunglasses on, plus safety squints at maximum, but I guess it wasn't enough...

CJ
CJ GRM+ Memberand Dork
12/13/23 9:33 p.m.

I went from 20/20 vision at age 11 to 20/200 at age 18 uncorrected.  Wore glasses for about 10 years, then wore contacts until my cornea began to become vascular (about 20 years), and then back to glasses for the last nearly 30 years.

Found out my next stop is appears to be cataract surgery.  Guess I'll have to figure out if I want near vision with distance glasses or vice-versa. 

I'm going to ask about bi-focal lenses as well.

Anyone have experience with that solution?

 

Mndsm
Mndsm MegaDork
12/13/23 9:37 p.m.

I'm going january 19th

RevRico
RevRico GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/13/23 10:03 p.m.

February. Which was the first time since January 2014. There were some definite changes, but I wanted to get my money's worth from the old ones. 

Wish I could get a coating to cut the glare that prevents me from driving in the dark  

RacerBoy75
RacerBoy75 Reader
12/13/23 10:23 p.m.

I've worn contacts for about 37 years now, and the prescription has changed very little. But now I wear reading glasses for the up-close stuff, and I do find that at age 62 I need the reading glasses more and more. A nice solution for the reading glasses are some fairly inexpensive progressive readers that I found on Amazon.

Anyone here had Lasik-type eye surgery? I've thinking abut that lately, I'd love to not have to mess with contacts anymore.

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