Back to wearing glasses - ICK!

[mrspunkysmom]

Regular sunglasses don't get dark enough for those with lens implants. I wore those after-surgery shades for years over my glasses. I finally tried polarized lenses. Not as dark but cuts the glare significantly.

It's my astigmatism and diabetes that are the big problems for me. The doctor corrected the astigmatism 19 years back and it was great for a while. Now I have to have lenses for the astigmatism. What's odd is that my astigmatism is worse now that when I was a child yet I see much better even without glasses. And that's even when my blood sugar is messing with my vision. I believe that my original lenses were unclear and defective.

An irritating note: It was ten years after my surgery that a doctor finally admitted that the lens implants have a glare problem.

BTW, I wear half moon bifocals with no problem. Progressives would drive me nuts. I like my peripheral vision.

Pom, wishing you luck.

[moosmom]

I was told by my eye doctor that once you hit 40, your eyesight is the first thing to go. I used to wear contacts when I worked at the newspaper. They were more aggravation than they're worth. And a little too expensive. Because I need them more for reading than anything else, I chose to go with glasses again. I've tried the progressive bi-focals and they were great. Unfortunately, my insurance doesn't pay for them, so I have the "little windows" in my lenses.

Don't let it get to ya. You're still beautiful, no matter what, girl!!

PICTURES PLEASE!!!!!

[pomtzu]

You're still beautiful, no matter what, girl!!

Good grief girl - put your glasses back on!!!

[moosmom]

Ellie,

You crack me up!!!

[Roxyluvsme13]

I'm sorry you have to wear glasses again, I'm so used to my glasses now that I'd feel weird if I ever had contacts or could actually see again without them . On the bright side of things, now you get to pick out cute frames and look fashionable .

My prescription is like in the high 6's or low 7's, so I'm sure I'm almost legally blind LOL. Every time I went to the eye doctor, my eyes were worse, but now I think they're finally settled out. Hopefully I don't get any blinder as I get older, or I will be blind!

[pomtzu]

PICTURES PLEASE!!!!!

Well Donna - I won't have my glasses for a couple of weeks, but after I get them, and get a much needed hair cut and color, then I'll TRY to get a halfway decent pic. In the meantime, here's a fairly current shot of me!

[pomtzu]

I'm sorry you have to wear glasses again, I'm so used to my glasses now that I'd feel weird if I ever had contacts or could actually see again without them . On the bright side of things, now you get to pick out cute frames and look fashionable .

My prescription is like in the high 6's or low 7's, so I'm sure I'm almost legally blind LOL. Every time I went to the eye doctor, my eyes were worse, but now I think they're finally settled out. Hopefully I don't get any blinder as I get older, or I will be blind!

Yup - I wore glasses most of my life. What was funny was, that for about a week after the cataract surgery and I no longer had to wear them, I was constantly looking for them - thinking I had misplaced them. Talk about a creature of habit!! It was just as difficult getting used to NOT wearing them, as wearing them in the beginning.

And your eyes will probably stabilize for quite a while. My prescription changed a lot up until I hit my early 20's, and then it never changed again till I reached my early 40's. Then it was downhill from there.....

[moosmom]

OMG!!! Just about peed my pants at that picture!!!

[Miss Z]

I WISH I could still wear glasses! I had a lovely purple pair, and like catnapper, used to match them to outfits. On account of my condition, I can now only wear contact lenses. They are the bain of my life. Living in smoggy London, where there's forever a road digger or a street-sweeper around the corner on my walk to college, I'm always getting dust and grit under them that makes my eyes stream and sore for the rest of the day. The worst is when they decide to play up when I'm in a dissection, or administering treatment whilst on placement - not much I can do about it other than carry on and blink like crazy!

It is a shame that glasses are so expensive, even so!

[Karen]

Zara, what do you have that requires contacts instead of glasses?

My eyes have changed throughout my life, so Bri, don't count on your prescription staying the same for a long time! The last check I had, they only needed minor adjustments, and some of that was because the astigmatism in my right eye has rotated. Didn't even know one could DO that! The tiny cataract moved, but thankfully hasn't grown much enough to be a problem yet, but the astigmatism also rotated.

Always changing, but at least I can see as long as I wear my glasses! My Dad has glaucoma, which is under control with eye drops, but he also has wet AMD in one eye, and dry in the other, and has had cataract surgery in the past. So I'm thinking I'm probably gonna get all that eventually, or at least some of it!

[pomtzu]

Karen - you might want to consider polarized lenses rather than just tinted, with all of your eye issues that you already have. Polarized will block 100% of UVB and UVA rays, which can cause permanent eye damage and lead to MD. Tinted offers NO protection against these rays.

Just saying......

[Taz_Zoee]

This thread is making me feel guilty about making a doctor appointment. Looks like I'll be doing that next week.
And maybe I'll get new frames. Maybe that will encourage me to wear them more???

How is the knot in your eye Ellie??

[Karen]

Karen - you might want to consider polarized lenses rather than just tinted, with all of your eye issues that you already have. Polarized will block 100% of UVB and UVA rays, which can cause permanent eye damage and lead to MD. Tinted offers NO protection against these rays.

Just saying......

Thanks - all my lenses have had UV protection for as long as it has been available, I will also check about UVB, it may have it, not sure. Thank goodness for plastic polycarbonate lenses. I have always been conscious of being in the sun, and shielding my eyes as well, as even as a child my folks made sure were were careful about that, as I am also very pale ( we all are) and sunburned easily. I'd say I feel like a poster child for skin cancer, but not as bad as Paul, as he's already had some removed, and has annual check for it. Irish skin like his is notoriously vulnerable, even if he has dark hair.

[Alysser]

Man, I didn't know so many people hated contacts. I JUST got them and can't imagine life without them!! I am blind as all heck, so I guess I'll have to deal with glasses again once I get older!! I will admit, some things about them suck. I got hit in the eye by a dogs tail at work (don't ask me how, I was kneeling on the floor and WHACK! a wagging tail came into my eye!) and my contact fell out, I panicked because I didn't have my glasses and had to drive home in the dark with one eye. It was really irresponsible but it worked out ok.

I can imagine how much you'd hate going back to glasses, that truly does suck. I hope the knot clears up soon! Glasses aren't so bad, you might be surprised how fast you get used to them again

[pomtzu]

This thread is making me feel guilty about making a doctor appointment. Looks like I'll be doing that next week.
And maybe I'll get new frames. Maybe that will encourage me to wear them more???

How is the knot in your eye Ellie??

Cindy - if this thread got you moving toward taking better care of your eyes, then it served than more than just a rant on my part! Once your vision is gone - it can't be replaced! And new frames are more fun than using old ones too - there are so many different styles to choose from that are so attractive and fashionable.

The knot is still sitting there right in the middle of my eyelid. I'm keeping up the hot compresses and massage to try to break it up, but so far it's not working. I really don't want to have it incised - they make an incision on the inside of the eyelid to drain it. Doesn't sound like much fun, but since I had both eyes sliced and diced to remove the cataracts without any problem, then I guess I can do that too.