I see

Posted by: Aiken Drum on 13 October 2005

I have just returned to my desk following a long overdue visit to an optometrist. I am reading size 10 font on my laptop from a comfortable range with ease and it is magic!

I am long sighted, and the last prescription I had included contacts to sort my vision for driving and seeing where I had sliced my golf ball, and a pair of glasses to correct the correction of the lenses so that I could do close work.

For while now I have been aware that my vision was changing, and that the prescription was no longer helping. It was getting harder and harder to read easily and work on a computer screen was becoming difficult. I now no longer need to have the glasses to allow me to do close work – the contacts are all I need.

For those of you with perfect vision, you can’t begin to appreciate how wonderful it is to get your vision back to a decent standard. Blacks are blacker, colours more vivid, everything is brighter, and things have clear edges.

All praise to the optometrists of this world.

Aren’t contact lenses wonderful things?

B

Posted on: 13 October 2005 by MichaelC

quote:
All praise to the optometrists of this world.

Aren’t contact lenses wonderful things?

Contact lenses are indeed wonderful things. I have been wearing lenses now for perhaps twenty years. I have always found wearing glasses uncomfortable. The lenses these days are so comfortable to wear. I religously have six monthly check ups, which I believe is so important. My opticians are terrific.

I have often wondered about laser surgery but I can't bring myself to have my eyes "done". I'm a coward!

Posted on: 13 October 2005 by Deane F

Do contacts wear out? Might sound like a dumb question but they appear to be such delicate things.

Posted on: 13 October 2005 by MichaelC

I wear two weekly disposable lenses. I use a one solution cleaning system each night in which the lenses are soaked. After two weeks they suffer from a modest build up of protein (?) and really should be disposed of for reasons of health.

I gather that whatever cleaning solutions are used there will be a build up over time of protein and the like. Clearly unhealthy for your eyes.

Any opticians here who can explain better than I have?

Posted on: 13 October 2005 by Deane F

quote:
Originally posted by MichaelC:

I gather that whatever cleaning solutions are used there will be a build up over time of protein and the like. Clearly unhealthy for your eyes.

So once the protein builds up it can't be dissolved - beyond a certain point, that is?

Posted on: 14 October 2005 by Aiken Drum

quote:
So once the protein builds up it can't be dissolved - beyond a certain point, that is?

I think this is probably the case - even the lenses you can wear 24 hours per day have to be replaced on a monthly basis.

Given how gritty your eyes can get after extended wear - e.g. going beyond 12 hours with daily disposables, you wonder how the problem is overcome with the 24 hour a day pairs.

I am thinking about laser eye surgery as a present for my 50th next year. Two things made me nervous about it - one is that you are awake for the surgery and I don't really want to know what's going on, and the other thing is having the little flap cut into the cornea. I am sure it will be fine, but..

Since thinking about it I have heard lots of good things about laser eye surgery being the best thing people have done. I would certainly like to be able see decently again without the need for lenses and glasses.

Posted on: 14 October 2005 by Top Cat

quote:
Blacks are blacker, colours more vivid, everything is brighter, and things have clear edges.

Just wait until you get a dedicated spur for your eyes. Then you'll REALLY see

Posted on: 14 October 2005 by Nime

I have heard reports on other forums of "flaring" of lights at night after laser surgery. Which suggests that careful research is warranted if you drive much at night. Some swear by the procedure and others swear at it. It isn't reversible as far as I know if you end up with the latter.

Posted on: 14 October 2005 by Aiken Drum

quote:
Just wait until you get a dedicated spur for your eyes. Then you'll REALLY see

Morning TC, you just caused me an "ooopps" moment at work - I shocked drowsy colleagues awake when I bursting out laughing

Nime,

I have only just started the research. I notice that the site quote fairly high success rates from and increasing clientele, and follow on surgeries are possible should the first intervention not be a total success. It looks as if the laser procedures now available remove less eye tissue - maybe this allows leeway for corrections to be made and disastrous outcomes avoided. I will definately quizz the laser surgery practitioners about side effects such as the flaring at night - improving night driving vision is one of the positive points many of the laser eye surgery sites highlight.

Ultimately it is a risk, so I will have a regard for your comments and make sure I am totally certain before I have any surgery.

Brad

Posted on: 14 October 2005 by Nime

I was referring to a number of threads on a US-based astronomy forum. Rather mixed results were reported. Some delighted and others less so.

The worsening lack of accomodation with age is a bugger isn't it? I carry a small magnifying glass these days to read the small print on packaging for my wife. Her own large magnifying glass often isn't powerful enough.

Posted on: 14 October 2005 by J.N.

My (albeit imperfect) eyes are far too valuable to let a laser anywhere near them.

I'll manage with the glasses, thanks.

Tommy Cooper always used to get me with:-

"I went to the optician's yesterday, but he said he couldn't see me"

I thang yow!

John.

Posted on: 14 October 2005 by u5227470736789439

Dear John,

In the next weeks I am compelled to have restorative LASER treatment to repair damage to my retina in the right eye. The left has nicely gone into remission, but not the right. I don't fancy it one bit, and indeed this is only going one way in the long run. Can you imagine my typos them!

On the other hand so long as I can still work the gramophone, why worry!!!!

Fredrik

Posted on: 15 October 2005 by Willy

Brad,

My brother had his eyes zapped a while back at a place in Belfast. Think it was on Cadogan, somewhere between Malone and Lisburn roads anyway. He's very pleased with the results and has quit all artifical aids to vision.
I'd thought that they couldn't do much for long sightedness (my problem, along with growing loss of power of accomodation). Not that I'd let anyone near my eyes with a laser, been out on the piss with too many medical students in my time.
Have also heard of people having one eye done for near and one for far as they get older. Apparently they try you out with such lens' first to make sure you can cope. Just the though makes me want to throw up.

Willy.

PS About time they started making the aisles in supermarkets a bit wider so I can get far enough away from the shelves to see what the hell I'm buying.

Posted on: 15 October 2005 by Aiken Drum

I am not keen on the process, but the opportunity to sort out my long sightedness without recourse to contact lenses has its attractions. One thing is for certain, I will be doing a lot of research and asking a lot of questions both of the surgeons and people who have had their eyes corrected before I gi ahead.

Willy - ASDA are refurbishing the Safeway stores they bought - why not get in there now and see if you can get them to widen the aisles for you?

Brad