Eye problems....

[catnapper]

I have been really having a problem seeing lately. I got my eyes checked in January. Back then the doctor told me that the prescription changes were so minor that she wouldn't even bother to fill the prescription. But I did because I couldn't see things, regardless what she said. My night vision was non-existant. I couldn't see road signs until I was right up on them, and usually missed my exit because of it. I couldn't see my kids at their sporting events... so I'd sit there for an hour or longer completely bored necause all I saw was a bunch of skin and flashes of color. I couldn't pick my own kids out of the group if my ife depended on it. So, yeah, I got new glasses even though the eye doctor told me the change was minor.

When I got the new glasses, I wasn't impressed with the improvement. She was right, it wasn't much, but it was something. I could now read street signs sooner and driving at night wasn't such a terror. I could also finally spot my kid in a group.

Well, the last few weeks I have been noticing a change in my eyesight. Now my "new" glasses are just as bad as the old ones. I can't see a blessed thing. Last night, Heather had soccer and I stood on the sidelines, looking looking looking for her. Then a second later, she called out to her team mate for the ball... she was standing RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. No more than fifteen feet. I gave up and sat in the car for the rest of the game. why bother even trying to find her? I won't mention how terrifying the ride home was... only that I missed the road I have turned off of a million times. DUH! I am having problems watching tv at night because the screen is all fuzzy.

I have an eye doctor appointment for tomorrow and hope against hope that everything's ok. I'm going to cry if they tell me that my new lenses are fine and that there is no change. What am I going to do? Is this "normal" for eyeglass wearers... am I being too "picky" (which is what my mom is calling it. She sees just as poorly as I do. But her prescription is at least two years old.) I remember always feeling as if my eyes weren't sharp enough, but lately its getting to the point where I'm worried about something seriously wrong with my sight.

Sigh.... I am miserable right now. Anyone with glasses feel the same way? Experience the same thing? Any help?

[ramanth]

Catnapper, I can relate. My eyesight is not very good. My glasses are thick and they are even made of a special material to make them thin!!! :eek: I don't even want to think how thick the lenses would be if not made of that special material.

My eyesight is -11/-12. I walk the fine line of being legally blind. Very scary.

I can see big signs like Exits, speedlimit signs, ect. okay, but street signs? Bah. Forget it. Daylight or Nighttime, I usually end up driving past the street I need and having to turn around.

When trying to find a place, I'm that person that everyone hates to be behind. ;)

I also have 'floaters' in my eyes. I've gotten used to the black fuzzies that sometimes mar my eyesight.

I've looked into Lasik eye surgery (my parents both had it done and no longer wear glasses except sometimes at night), but my cornea is too thin. If they were to cut it they'd likely blind me permanently. :eek: :(

Every now and then I get real down, but then I'm thankfull for the sight I do have. Hold on to that. :)

And plus, you may not be able to see your daughter real well, but she can see you. :) I'm sure she's so happy that you are there.

[cali]

jeeze that sucks :( my eyesite is pretty bad too, my eyes changed 2 steps each in only 6 months. I have a really bad astigmatism(sp?) and it drives me crazy. I have to have high index lenses becuase they would be a inch thick if they were not high index. both sides of my family has really bad eyesight, and I seem to have taken the worst of both sides, I am only 16 and I have the worst eyesight in the family :(

[trayi52]

Kim, I have a hard time seeing things up close, and that has got worse. I have also got to where I can't see far off either. But of course, it probably has a lot to do with my age.

I am sorry you are having problems with your eyes. Like ramanth said, at least your daughter can see you and she knows you are there for her, and that really mean a lot!

Willie:)

[ramanth]

I'm extremely nearsighted and I do have an astigmatizm. But that has gotten better by wearing contacts. :)

[catnapper]

I wish I could wear contacts! They bother the crud out of me! The last time I tried wearing contacts, a client asked me what was wrong. I told her that my contacts were bothering me, and she told me she thought I was high or in pain, or both! LOL

My eyes get VERY dry and I'm always trying to put those contact rewetting drops in my eyes. They basically glue themsleves to my eye every five mintues... even brand new ones right out of the box! :eek: Luckily at one point in my life I dated an optrician's son and he gave me every brand conctact imaginable to try. None of them worked for me. Lucky lucky me. Hey, at least I got to play with contacts for free! (I looked especially good in violet lenses - hot mama!)

Besides, whenever I do wear contacts, when they aren't gluing themsleves to my eyeball, I can't see anything close up. I suddenly am in need of reading glasses with contacts in!

You can't make me happy no how!

I am nearsighted and wear coke bottle glasses with the high index lenses to make them thinner. Hubby thinks my eyes aren't that bad because the lenses aren't thick like his moms were. :rolleyes: I said that they would be if I didn't pay the cost of the high index! :D At least he knows I'm having a problem because he's the one who urged me to call the doctor. And trust me, I'm surprised because he thinks a doctor is just around to take your money. He hasn't had his eyes checked in at elast ten years.

[Randi]

Catnapper, it sounds scary that your eyesight is suddenly getting so much worse. :( Being nearsighted myself, I know what's it like to not have the right glasses. I have a hard time time adjusting to new ones. Just recently, I dropped my glasses in the bathroom - they didn't break, but got so bent that I had to use my spare ones - which are the ones I got about 2-3 years ago, and I'm supposed to wear. I didn't until now, but have got used to them - more or less. ;) I also have screen glasses and have to change all the time, I hate that!! The problem is that I don't think I can get used to bifocals, because in the edges they're very blurry. :( One day, I probably have to!

The other day, I saw a programme on laser operation, I have thought about that, but I just don't dare do it - and it's also very expensive! :eek:

Anyway, I hope your optician can find the problem and give you the right ones! :) Good luck!!

[lynnestankard]

Yes I'm very sortsighted too. I'd be in bottle bottom glasses if I didn't pay HUGE amounts to have them thinned.
Just like you Kim - I can't have Lasik surgery because of very thin corneas - why is the only thin thing about me my b&%%£* eyes!!!?
Don had his eyes operated on 19 months ago - and of course he's really happy about it. He did have bi-focal glasses before the op., and managed them very well - I don't fancy them at all.
I do have contact lenses but need to add reading glasses when I wear them - I have so many pairs of glasses it makes my head spin. Also, the cost of buying glasses is a big expense I could do without.
After all this moaning - Kim I'd be very worried if I was experiencing anything like you're going through. It sounds quite frightening. I'm hoping something can be done for you and I'll keep fingers (and paws) crossed tomorrow for you.

Lynne

[DJFyrewolf36]

I know how you feel!!! I have astigmatisim plus early signs of glaucoma or at least thats what the eye doctor says :rolleyes: . I got glasses when I was 11. I can't wear contacts because SOMETHING in the salene solution *I can't even get salene as a fluid IV drip, I swell up and well die...ick* makes my eyes puss, literally. I get puss coming out of my tear ducts, very gross and very painful actually. My stupid insurance only covers eye exams/glasses every two years. I always am blind by the time exam time rolls around. I have horrid horrid photosensitivity but of course no lens manufacturer on earth seems to know how to get perscription sunglasses right so I either have a headache from the light or a headache from bad glasses:rolleyes: (do you have this problem too, not getting good perscription shades?) Driving at night really stinks cause most people have those super bright headlights and I cant see worth a darn in that bright of light. So I drive with my sunglasses on *or did when I had a good pair eons ago* and get pulled over :rolleyes: . I drive normally at night and get pulled over because I can't see the dang lines with a car with bright headlights behind me. Sigh...I am very glad I have almost superhuman ears...makes it so I don't have to rely on my eyes nearly as much lol.

I hope it isn't anything sirious!!! Good thoughts heading your way!

[Barbara]

Catnapper,
one thing is being shortsighted, the other thing how well it can be corrected. I am -7/-6,5 dioptries- bad enough for all these nice high index lenses that let my glasses look much thinner.

When I was younger, the correction was better than 100% (with 100% they describe an average capability of view, so this means after correction by glasses my sight was better than the average), now as I am being older it is 90-100%

If I was you I would take my notion seriously and ask my doc to look into it more and not just measure the dioptries. E.g.

as you grow older, you get long-sighted as well. This can overlap your shortsightedness in a strange way. I know you are rather too young for that, so it's unlikely. Which doesn't mean impossible.

next: the capanility to see in the night depends on your eye background and can be checked by dropping a med in your pupil, so it gets large and the doc can inspect the eye background. Has this been checked by your last doc?

Third: there are things like cataract and glaucoma - ask your doc or google about it in detail. Cataract happens to older people more than to younger but my doc says he has seen it in people under 30 as well. There is surgery available (it's not complicated for eye doctors). I have one in an early stage, too early for surgery. One of the symptoms is that you have problems driving by night because the lights blind you more. Glaucoma has to do with the eye pressure.

Forth: Is your retina ok. It can get holes etc, especially with very shortsighted people. This can usually be fixed with laser.

It could also be a stress symptom. I think it is very important to describe what you see in detail to the doc: when do you notice it, how long do you have the notion, etc.

Last, and unlikeliest but not least: 10 years ago I had a brain tumor that I noticed because the eyesight got worse(on one eye it was down to 30%, on the other one at 60%). I don't want to worry you- your symptoms do absolutely not look like mine- on the other hand the normal eye doctor found nothing and sent me to an university clinic. They said the same symptoms could also have been started by an infection of the optical nerve- so this or many other things could also be a reason for your problems.

Please I don't want to worry you (I had surgery and it is amazing what they can do these days) but I would not just be happy with the check of the glasses.

Good luck

[catnapper]

Awwww... thanks guys! I feel so much better knowing that I'm not alone.

DJFyrewolf: my sunglasses are WONDERFUL. I got them two years ago... and they are the old prescription but I can still see better out of them than my new glasses. I honestly think it has to do with them being polarized. Everything is crystal clear near me and just fuzzes into the distance, where with my normal lenses even close objects are blurry and the distant thing s are more than just fuzzy. I remember being astounded when I got them - they were so much better than my other glasses. Maybe its the way they make those lenses? Or maybe they are just closer to my eyes? When I PUSH the frames really close to my eyes, my eyesight is a lot better. But of course I can't walk around shoving my frames nto my eyes! LOL

One thing my doctor told me about the last pair was that the frames were too small for my prescription, and that I needed larger, rounder ones for a larger viewing field. so when I got the new ones, I picked the largest available without picking something totally unflattering. Lets just say that theory is not accurate. :rolleyes:

Barbara, thank you for your concern. Believe me, I'm REALLY concerned about a degenrative eye problem, and of course mother-dearest brought up a tumor of some sort. The tumor idea was said in jest, but I've been suffering from recurring headaches lately (which I'm going to say are sinuses... and I know they are) but when you are seeing as poorly all of the sudden, your mind does tend to panic and wonder.

[dukedogsmom]

I would be scared, too. I've got my eyeglass lenses cut in half so they won't look like the coke bottles. I'm going to try contacts sometime this year. I've got astigmastism, too. It's very dangerous for you to be driving at night. You might hurt yourself or someone else. I wouldn't drive at night until I got this corrected. I know it must be scarey but it's also very dangerous.

[Nomilynn]

I've had coke bottle glasses since I was about 7. My eyes got worse and worse every year except for about the last 3 years. Really, if you can't see that bad and you are wearing glasses, all I can say is your perscription isn't right. When I go to the doc, he I really study the charts and really make sure I'm giving the right answer about what is better. I really hope your eye doc will be able to figure this out with you!

[catnapper]

Back from the eye doctor... he said that the prescription is definately off... I stepped up TWO STEPS in the last six months!!! :eek: It took me 4 years to do the first two steps, but only 6 months for the second two steps. I ordered another pair of glasses (I'll keep these as a backup in case.)


Sigh... another $150 out the window.

[Barbara]

Does he have an idea why this happened. It is very unusual for people above 25 to have that fast a development.

Anyway I'm really glad it's *just* this.

[dukedogsmom]

At least you know what the problem is and that it's not serious. And I know plenty well about the money thing. I just did a gripe about it.

[Pam]

Catnapper I hope your new glasses will be the answer to your problem. Is your doctor an optometrist or an ophthalmologist? I work for an ophthalmologist and personally feel much better having my eyes examined by an ophthalmologist because they are also medical doctors, with a specialty in eyes, and are capable of performing surgeries, etc. One of the major parts of my job these days is typing his dictation and I have learned a lot through what he says about people and their symptoms, etc. The first thought that came into my mind when you mentioned rapidly changing vision is diabetes. Have you had any recent blood testing to check for diabetes? Does it run in your family? An extensive ophthalmologic exam consists of dilating the eyes, and after dilation the doctor is able to exam the back of the eye (the retina) and check for signs of diabetic retinopathy. I don't know if optometrists dilate the eyes or not and if they don't this would be another good reason to see an ophthalmologist. Hopefully none of this applies to you and you will be just fine with your new glasses :) but I just wanted to mention it just in case.

Now as for your hubby - shame on him - no eye exam in years! :eek: You should talk that man into having his eyes checked!! :) Glaucoma is a disease that often gives no symptoms at all. It is a disease where the eye pressure within the eye rises and if too high for too long can damage the optic nerve. We had a woman stop in for an exam sort of on a *whim* (it had been years for her too). Normal eye pressure is 20 or below. Hers was 60! :eek: Needless to say she had surgery immediately. I don't want to scare either of you but sight is a very precious thing (which I know you know! :) ) so please don't hesitate to be examined regularly and even get a second opinion if you aren't happy with the first one that you get. :) Sorry this is so long. :o

[kimlovescats]

Pam ... I was just about to say the same thing! Check for diabetes ... as my eyesight has worsened a significant amount in the past year ... since being diagnosed! I just got new glasses, and the RX is awful!!! I can't see a thing when I'm trying to read. OF course, my doc says I am on the border of needing bi-focals .... which is "normal" since I will also be hitting the "40" mark in a couple of weeks!!! :rolleyes: Waaaaaaaaaaaah!

Glad to know you went back and got a newer ... more correct ... RX ... hope this helps tremendously! Oh and I can't wear contacts for the same reason as you ....... GLUE EYES! :eek:

Kim

[catmandu]

With the Diabtes, my eyesight, to is getting about 3% dimmer every year, maybe Moose The Magnificent, can be my Guide Cat!