How's your eyesight? Eyes and glasses thread!

[Deleted User] · 26/07/15 - 23:30

I've worn glasses since I was 8 for being short sighted, but recently it's been getting worse. If I have a glass of wine or two or three at the end of the night, and go to bed, I'll put my specs on the dresser in my bedroom before getting change and into bed. Then when I get up the next morning, because I was a bit tiddly, I find that I haven't put them in the case in the usual draw. And because my eyesight without them is now so bad, I can't immediately make out where they are from the wood or the other objects on the table. So I have to bend my head down and peruse each inch of the table like a police. sniffer dog until I find the specs!

This is bad.

Even worse, I now find I'm struggling to read books, the paper or my phone at a comfortable distance, so I have to take my glasses off and hold the book or whatever it is right close to my eyes - so I'm now also becoming long sighted. The optician warned me about this at my last eye test 2 years ago, because I'm in my mid-40s, and I'll probably need bi or vari focals - eek!:o

So I need to book a new eye test, and I'm a bit worried. I might need thick lenses that will make my eyes look like a Pixar character

Or I might have to pay a fortune for that process where they make the lenses thinner. The frames are another thing. I've been looking at frames online and it seems the latest fashion is for thick, black National Health shaped frames like Hank Marvin - for both sexes! Ugh! I saw Alan Milburn the politician today on the news and to be honest, he looked ridiculous! Like a fifty-odd year old man pretending to be a student! I want to get something a little fashionable so I'm not going too little old lady because I still like unusual modern jewellery, but I don't want to look desperate to be fashionable.

I'm also thinking about that laser eye surgery that Ruth from This Morning advertises, but I've been warned not everyone's eyes are suitable. If I get it though, I'll only need reading glasses for long sight, not vari focals or 2 pairs.

I've tried contact lenses but I find them uncomfortable and I hate the vacant, glazed look I have on photos when I wear them

Any other glasses wearers or laser eye people on DS?

EbonyHamster · 26/07/15 - 23:34

I should wear glasses but I don't

Victoria Sponge · 26/07/15 - 23:37

-6, aka blind as a bat.

CravenHaven · 26/07/15 - 23:38

I bumped into my optician the other day. Can't be very good at his job, can he?

[Deleted User] · 26/07/15 - 23:40

I now wear glasses after I recently stopped wearing contact lenses. My eyesight has deteriorated over the last few years and even with my glasses I struggle with some things. I'm not brilliant at reading things at a distance and I sometimes see shapes in my far peripheral vision. It could be worse though and I'm just thankful that I can see at all.

Rhumbatugger · 26/07/15 - 23:40

Varifocals here, thinned more than once.

Reading glasses for long bouts of reading.

I've worn glasses since I was seven.

I'm just grateful my sight can still be fully corrected.

CaptainObvious_ · 26/07/15 - 23:43

Victoria Sponge wrote: »

-6, aka blind as a bat.

-10 ish both eyes

trumped you!

Paul237 · 26/07/15 - 23:45

-0.75 in my left eye and -0.25 in my right eye.

I wear glasses for driving only.

BlueEyedMrsP · 26/07/15 - 23:46

I've worn glasses for about 26 years, the same prescription for the last 8 years, I know I should go for an eye exam as I can't quite see the detail in things far away that I once did. My glasses are adequate for driving, but just barely. It's just not a priority at the moment.

muggins14 · 26/07/15 - 23:47

At the age of 11 I had 20/20 vision, then I discovered the library

I read books with a torch under the bed sheets and a year later I had very bad vision in my left eye (could barely see the big A at the top of the eye test chart). I've been wearing specs ever since!

My Grandmother had Glaucoma when she died, my Dad has it and is effectively blind, my Aunt has it and my younger brother has it, so the odds are that I will get it too. I make sure I go for my eye-test the minute the reminder comes through, as early diagnosis is the key to managing this illness through medication and not losing your eye-sight completely. I also make sure it's well noted on my daughter's records.

Take good care of your eyes, you'd be lost without their valuable service

sarahj1986 · 26/07/15 - 23:56

I had a check up for my glasses in April and my prescription has increased slightly. I'm -12 in one and -11.5 (I think) in the other. I only need -10.5 when I wear my contacts (which is most days).

OP if I could change just one thing about myself it would be my vision. I don't like the fact I have to rely on my glasses/contacts, to me it's a sign of weakness. I cannot consider laser treatment until my prescription has even the same for at least 3 years. I'm told that my eyes will "settle down" now I'm in my late 20s so we shall see

[Deleted User] · 27/07/15 - 00:23

sarahj1986 wrote: »

I had a check up for my glasses in April and my prescription has increased slightly. I'm -12 in one and -11.5 (I think) in the other. I only need -10.5 when I wear my contacts (which is most days).

OP if I could change just one thing about myself it would be my vision. I don't like the fact I have to rely on my glasses/contacts, to me it's a sign of weakness. I cannot consider laser treatment until my prescription has even the same for at least 3 years. I'm told that my eyes will "settle down" now I'm in my late 20s so we shall see

Oh no

Doesn't look good for my laser eye treatment then, as I'm bound to need a stronger prescription. I haven't looked into it, lol, just saw Ruth's adverts. As I'm 46 in 2 monthsish, I thought it was being marketed at us 'middle aged ladies'

I get the 'sign of weakness' thing. At secondary school, I was the only one in my class with glasses and the only one with red hair, and when you're desperate to fit in, and there are bullies in the class looking for someone 'different' as a target, you can really end up hating these things! My older sister had been really good at tennis at school but glasses really restricted me for sport. I saw pictures of Billie Jean King playing tennis in glasses but at school they didn't take you inside if it started drizzling and I didn't have Billie Jeans skills to stop the ball bashing me in the face

When you leave school, the problems are nowhere near as bad but it's true that people sometimes assume you're more highbrow or clever than you actually are because you wear specs! Main problem though is that it's a major expense that other people don't even need to think about - and of course not being able to find them on your dressing table on a Sunday morning!

You could make a sitcom sketch out of me when this happens!

Sorrel · 27/07/15 - 00:29

I'm 44 and have been wearing glasses since I was 12. At first I only had to wear them to see the blackboard at school, but I soon had to wear them all the time. I've only just recently bought new glasses (-7.75 in one eye and -8.00 in the other) and I've gone for thin lenses again. Specsavers are currently doing an offer on their thin lenses so the thinnest ones, which I always go for, cost £50 instead of £90. Still a fair whack but there's no way I'm walking around with really thick lenses in my glasses!

I'm unfortunate in that I don't really suit glasses (hats either, so thank goodness I don't have to wear a hat to be able to see ;-) ) and it doesn't help that I can't see what they look like when I try them on so I have to rely on others, but a lovely guy who works there spent a lot of time with me, making sure I got the right pair, and I'm sure he enjoyed the skive too.

These are the glasses I got - http://www.specsavers.co.uk/glasses/karen-millen-38 - although mine aren't black, they're a dark blue and in the sunshine they have a purple tinge to them. I agree with you about the frames just now. Some of them look like goggles and others were the style that my gran would have worn in the 50s.

I'd love to have laser surgery but there's always the worry that something will go wrong and my eyesight will end up worse. It must be nice to wake up in the morning and be able to see straightaway though.

muggins14 · 27/07/15 - 00:35

My daughter's 15 and has been wearing specs since her neurosurgery 4 years ago, as she only uses one side of her brain. Her specs are fantastic, lovely colours and really suit her, only problem is getting her to understand how important it is that she wear them.

[Deleted User] · 27/07/15 - 01:25

Sorrel wrote: »

I'm 44 and have been wearing glasses since I was 12. At first I only had to wear them to see the blackboard at school, but I soon had to wear them all the time. I've only just recently bought new glasses (-7.75 in one eye and -8.00 in the other) and I've gone for thin lenses again. Specsavers are currently doing an offer on their thin lenses so the thinnest ones, which I always go for, cost £50 instead of £90. Still a fair whack but there's no way I'm walking around with really thick lenses in my glasses!

I'm unfortunate in that I don't really suit glasses (hats either, so thank goodness I don't have to wear a hat to be able to see ;-) ) and it doesn't help that I can't see what they look like when I try them on so I have to rely on others, but a lovely guy who works there spent a lot of time with me, making sure I got the right pair, and I'm sure he enjoyed the skive too.

These are the glasses I got - http://www.specsavers.co.uk/glasses/karen-millen-38 - although mine aren't black, they're a dark blue and in the sunshine they have a purple tinge to them. I agree with you about the frames just now. Some of them look like goggles and others were the style that my gran would have worn in the 50s.

I'd love to have laser surgery but there's always the worry that something will go wrong and my eyesight will end up worse. It must be nice to wake up in the morning and be able to see straightaway though.

They're nice but I'm not sure they'd suit me. I like the two-tone look, where you have brown at the top and they kind of fade out to become ivory at the bottom.

I don't think you ever truly know if you suit glasses when you've worn them nearly all your life. Its like they become part of you and when you take them off, people are a bit startled and say things like 'ooh you look so different!' and you don't know for sure whether its positive or negative. It doesn't help though that I'm likely to be squinting like Velma when she loses her glasses in Scooby Doo!

We're about the same age, isn't it funny that when we were kids, Velma was about the only positive role model for girls in glasses! The only other women seen wearing them were aged librarians in sitcoms going 'ssshhhhhh!'

At least now there are more celebrity speccies like Kate Silverton who usually looks stylish. And there used to be a girl who read the news on Granada but again I was horrified when one night she turned up in a pair of Hank Marvins

But she was younger, so her friends probably loved them.

I need to take my sister when looking for frames, she's the only one who I trust to be completely honest and say things like "Helen, you look like Dame Edna!" without me getting offended.

Iqbal_M · 27/07/15 - 02:26

I have needed glasses since I was 14/15 years old (I am now 30). I (and my parents) thought my eye sight was good, but one day I needed to get the Bus to get to town, but I got on the wrong Bus

. I could not read the route number on the Bus at a distance. So I need glasses to watch TV or anything at distance. My current glasses are less than a year old, I can see great with them, but they work my eyes hard when used for extended time periods.

Sorrel · 27/07/15 - 05:45

Even after all these years I can't look at a pair of glasses and think they'll suit me, although I know I have to go for darkish frames as I'm so pale and lighter frames wash me out even more. I think this time I tried on most of the women's frames, apart from the huge ones that reminded me of what I wore in the 80s. I always worry when I get new glasses in case they look horrible, but so far I've got away with it.

What about Olive from On The Buses? ;-) I'm sure my local Specsavers were selling the type of glasses she used to wear.

I take my mum when I'm choosing glasses, but she sometimes says that an item of clothing I've tried on is nice on me when I can see it's horrible, so I don't trust her 100%

I'm sure I get some funny looks when trying on glasses, almost bumping my nose on the mirror as I have to go so close.

Sorrel · 27/07/15 - 05:59

HeyHeyHelen wrote: »

I've worn glasses since I was 8 for being short sighted, but recently it's been getting worse. If I have a glass of wine or two or three at the end of the night, and go to bed, I'll put my specs on the dresser in my bedroom before getting change and into bed. Then when I get up the next morning, because I was a bit tiddly, I find that I haven't put them in the case in the usual draw. And because my eyesight without them is now so bad, I can't immediately make out where they are from the wood or the other objects on the table. So I have to bend my head down and peruse each inch of the table like a police. sniffer dog until I find the specs! This is bad.

Also have to say that I never have the problem about trying to find my glasses in the morning because I always put them in the case on top of my chest of drawers. If I didn't I'd need another pair to wear to be able to find the first

I like to know exactly where my glasses are as I've sat on two different pairs. The first ones broke but lucky were able to be fixed, the second ones were a bendy pair so no harm was done.

himerus · 27/07/15 - 06:26

My eyesight has deteriorated very badly over the last few years and I no longer enjoy reading.

sarahj1986 · 27/07/15 - 07:05

HeyHeyHelen wrote: »

Oh no

Doesn't look good for my laser eye treatment then, as I'm bound to need a stronger prescription. I haven't looked into it, lol, just saw Ruth's adverts. As I'm 46 in 2 monthsish, I thought it was being marketed at us 'middle aged ladies'

I get the 'sign of weakness' thing. At secondary school, I was the only one in my class with glasses and the only one with red hair, and when you're desperate to fit in, and there are bullies in the class looking for someone 'different' as a target, you can really end up hating these things! My older sister had been really good at tennis at school but glasses really restricted me for sport. I saw pictures of Billie Jean King playing tennis in glasses but at school they didn't take you inside if it started drizzling and I didn't have Billie Jeans skills to stop the ball bashing me in the face

When you leave school, the problems are nowhere near as bad but it's true that people sometimes assume you're more highbrow or clever than you actually are because you wear specs! Main problem though is that it's a major expense that other people don't even need to think about - and of course not being able to find them on your dressing table on a Sunday morning! You could make a sitcom sketch out of me when this happens!

I was occasionally picked on because of them. Or even had kids grab them off my face to try them on (why?!). Sports I never really liked much anyway, swimming was always a challenge though

Tidosho · 27/07/15 - 07:22

Need binns to correct for both close and distance. I had an eye test 10 months ago and paid for two pairs of varifocals, normal and shaded. I don't need the distance ones that much and find varifocals tiresome. Wish I just gone separate for both.

sadmuppet · 27/07/15 - 07:39

I'm a full time varifocal wearer - with the best, thinnest lenses I can get. They do cost a lot, but I'd rather that than wearing milk bottle bottom lenses! It's a pain when my prescription keeps changing though, especially in my left eye...

I've been wearing glasses since I was about 7 and I can honestly say that I've never been teased about them or picked on.

I did years of getting the least noticeable frames I could, but now my glasses are maroon! Doesn't help me find them when I take them off though...:D

Plucky_Octopus · 27/07/15 - 07:40

Another blindy here. No idea what my prescription is, but I know without them I'm buggered.

Started having to wear them at school, think 11-13 and needed to see the board, worst thing I can remember was being moved to the front to accommodate my blindness. That really helped with fitting in.

Only used to wear them if it was 100% needed, still hate them now but I need to wear them all day. Never liked contact lenses and laser worries me, because my dad had it, after it ruined one of his eyes. I tend to go for barely there frames as I also don't suit them, however my sunglasses are quite large. I really couldn't understand the hipster trend of wearing glasses with no glass in them. I kept thinking you don't need to wear them so why are you.

I like everyone else seem to leave mine on the bedside table, my only problem is when the cat jumps up on the bed in middle of the night. I ignore her she then starts knocking things off the table, usually glasses are first so have to put them in my pants draw so don't get broken.

Alan1981 · 27/07/15 - 07:58

I'm 33 and never wore glasses until last year. I struggled a bit with driving at night for a while now but blamed the crappy lights on the car. It wasn't until I took my trailer test last year and had to make out a number plate at 65 feet, that I realised it may be my eyes.

gregrichards · 27/07/15 - 08:17

You might have seen the thread I started in advice. My eyes are deteriorating rapidly and my scans show my medications are likely damaging my eyes. I've to see an eye specialist in hospital to assess what if anything can be done. I can't come off my medications and my eyes are likely to deteriorate as long as I am on them. I've never been so worried in all my life. My papa is blind and I am terrified of ending up in the same boat down the line.

I have worn glasses for 12 years mainly for driving and using the computer initially. In the last few years I have to wear my glasses and sunglasses constantly as my vision is blurred without them. I've just had to pay £300 for new glasses for the second time in a year. I will hopefully get them this week as wearing my current glasses with the wrong prescription is giving me terrible headaches.

I've got try painful eyes too so have to use actimist eye spray throughout the day it is quite expensive at nearly £15 for a small bottle but I don't have a choice. I know now you can get it for £12 in Tesco so will be buying it there rather than the chemist from now on.

I think most people take their eyesight for granted and just assume it will always be there.

Best wishes to all of you who are having problems with your eyes like me. I hope you get the help and advice you need.

cessna · 27/07/15 - 08:23

I began to need reading glasses about 7 years ago (now in early 80's) and gradually had to increase lens strength from 1.25, now on 2. These days I need to be closer to read street names and road signs compared to say 10 years ago so guess its time to have an eye test.

Hey there!

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