Some of the best 7 words you can hear from a doctor.

I used to wear contact lens. Stared closely at each eye at least twice a day. Blind as a bat without contacts or glasses. Been wearing glasses for the last 4 years or so. Never really stared at my eyeballs! About a year ago, I noticed a white area on the top of my pupills. I put it off for a while, at first blaming it on a glare from the white wall.

I decided I wanted to start bike riding again, and I cannot do that with my glasses, and it was time to find out what evil affliction I had in my eyes. So I went to the eye doctor today. They did the pressure test, checked my vision, then sent me back to the waiting room. I see people looking at my folder, a brief consultation with the doctor, and then I am sent off to the back room. And I wait. And wait, I am getting freaked out now, because obviously the doctor is on GoogleMD trying to find out what strange disorder I have.

He comes in, checks my script, then checks out the white arcs in my pupills. Using that bright arse thing where I can see a reflection of my eye's blood vessels, he looks at both eyes for a while. I am getting pretty freaked out by now, thinking something bad is going to diagnosed.

Then, I hear this: "Ahh, that is nothing to worry about." If they get bigger, or if my vision gets bad, come back, otherwise it will may just go away on it's own! Got my contact lens! Wow, I have missed my peripheral vision.

Sometimes life tosses you a steak instead of a bone! :-D And if you have anything unusuall going on with your eyes, don't be like me and delay it, go in, get a checkup. Early detection FTW!

I get to wear these :cool on sunny days again! :-D

 

That is good news Fred! Always worrying when you find something that you knew never used to be there.

I recently got "diagnosed" for glasses, having never previously wore them. I went for computer/close up glasses more than anything. Boy was I in for a surprise. They prescribed vari-focals. I put them on one day to watch the TV and WOW...I can read the satellite menu options again. I started wearing them for driving and I can read signposts again! I never realized my long distance had gotten so bad. The downside is I discovered all this before hunting season, and felt like an old bat trying to hunt without glasses. I think I might try contacts next year so I can wear something for hunting. Being able to wear shades again while driving would be nice too as I am ultra photo-sensitive.

Isn't getting older just a blast :-D

 

Oh Lev, get the contact lens if you can tolerate fingers (your own) around your eyeballs. It takes a little getting used to, but dang, I can see all over, not just where my glasses used to be. I do still catch myself pushing on my nose to push my 'galsses' back up!:-D

And getting old beats the alternative....

 

I have no clue how varifocals can work with a contact lens, but apparently they do. Can contact lenses steam up? LOL

I have to remember as I wear shades so much due to my extreme sensitivity, that when I have regular glasses on people can see my eyes :-D

 

Not sure about the varifocal things. But if you can handle touching your eyes, need corrective tools, and your doctor says contacts are an option, go for it!

I see what a person with 20/20 vision sees, with no frame from glasses. Lens fits on the pupill, giving me full vision! I love it! :cool

 

I can handle touching my eyes, no problem. I roll them all the time LOL

I had 20/20 vision 2 years ago. My husband has 20/10 vision. I used to think I had poor vision because he was so extremely good. Now I DO have poor vision, and he has 20/10.

 

Last time I asked they said I was around 20/500. Heck without glasses or contacts, I am legally blind!:cool

 

I have to wear glasses for reading and working on the PC but my long sight was always OK.
In the last few years i have had some heavy meds and one of the side effects is that i have a deterioration in focus,I find now watching TV in the evening my eyes start to water a little and i have noticed that i can not read the under titles as good as i used too (70% of uor TV is in English/french with Dutch under titles)
So maybe i am due another visit to the Eye Doc.

My next door neighbor has worn glasses all the time for years and 5 weeks ago he went in for corrective lazer surgery he came home the same day (no overnight) and after a week he was back driving his car without glasses at all.

 

Really sorry Fred:-o I forgot to say it's good to hear that it's not a seriuose problem.

congrats on the contact lenses.

 

Being an old retired OB-Gyn, I have to suggest that all of you go see an real doctor (ophthalmologist), as opposed to seeing an Optician (non-MD) who will merely test your eyes and fit you for glasses. It is entirely possible that you may only NEED glasses, but as we age, our eyes age also, and vision tends to deteriorate. I hated it when my good buddy, eye doc, told me I suffered from presbyopia (old age). I had always had good distance vision in one eye and good near vision in the other. I have worn glasses since college and with all the reading, etc. during med school, my eyes went to pot. 20/400 in one and 20/50 in the other. Doomed to glasses forever. But.........not!!!!!
He suggested lasik on one eye, did it outpatient, put me in monovision. The very next morning, he met me in the O.R. and removed my overnight eyepatch. I then went in, without glasses and did the first of many subsequent surgeries SANS GLASSES..............hooray. Haven't worn them since. That was 12 years ago. Wonderful.

Moral of story: You may not be as lucky as I was, but at least it is worth a shot. Your eyes need testing every 1-2 years anyway, and you might just get lucky. I have enjoyed not wearing glasses ------ but for the first 2-3 months, I had the same "bump -em back up the nose" problem, until I broke the habit.

Good luck.

 

What are you using for vision aids on your computer?

 

It's awesome to have some who are in the profession here encouraging us to do what is best and right for our eye health. Thank you.

Gensu - good advice on who to see. I know I saw an opthalmologist this time. 2 years ago I saw an Optician - makes me wonder if I had been aware of the difference whether earlier assistance might have slowed down what has been an incredibly (and briefly alarming) deterioration for me.

It actually cost me a fortune as well (despite insurance). Glasses - $50 ......person hitting and running my car in the parking lot while I was getting my eyes tested $300 deductible

 

Well, thanks for the good wishes and advice. I may have been mistaken on the 20/500 part, but I can't drive without glasses, and if you are 8 feet away, I can't tell how many fingers you are holding up. If i sit close to a computer (really close) I can read it. Get much farther than that, I can make out shapes and colors. Kinda funny how you can recognize someone by a blurry vision of them walking...

I definantly appreciate Halo and Gensu chiming in hear. Actually, it is one reason I posted it here. The optometrist I have been going to for a long time does not hesitate to refer me to an opthomologist if there is anything unusual. He fears the letigiousness of the folks today I guess.

Now, a question to you medical minded Geeks. (and just asking your opinion, you are in no way obligated to reply, and your reply is just a post in a forum, I am not your patient.) If I pointed out something irregular on my eyes in an exam, he checked it and said don't worry, should I worry? They have reffered me a couple of times to opthomoligists for things they don't/can't treat. If it was a possible problem, don't you think they would do so again?

And I am not too enamered of our local opthomologists. The last time I went, I had an appointment, had to wait 4 hours or so, then paid $350 and got sent out the door with partially diallated eyes and no 'temp shades'. Without my Smith's shades, I would not have made it home. But your opinions and ideas are welcome!

Have a good weekend, and thanks for reading. :cool

 

Bump for Fred. I may have some help for you, as my wife is legally blind and is a WinXP user.

 

I am only legally blind without glasses or contact lens. Blind as a bat without them, dang near 20/20 with the contacts or glasses!

 

Fred G --------- you are close enough in Louisiana there to me just north of Houston (Spring). I know several good eye docs in Houston, mostly on west side of town, but will happily give you names and phone no.s if you PM me,
You could easily see one here.

 

Laura's right. It never hurts to get a second opinion. I have some freckles on my retina (slit lamp) that my eye doc said he was just going to watch. No biggie (at least not at this point). They can see "floaters" and other things with the slit lamp and check the health of your retina. The science of ophthalmology has gotten awesome over the years, new machines, gadgets, lasers, etc.

 

I agree with all above, I would ask your dr. what it is and then decide if you should get another opinion. You need to be in top shape to watch me slack off at folding *grins*

 

All good replies. Kinda hard to think straight when you are sitting in the chair. I will find out what he says it is, post that, and hopefully Halo will have further information.

Of course a picture is worth a thousand words... :-D

Thanks Folks!

 

Cat nap slacker! Get to work!

 

Hmm, looking at that google link Laura, perhaps I better get my butt on my bike! :-D