Ok maybe this is a stupid question but I always thought I might still see through my old glasses because I was used to that prescription for years and I would still know how to look through them.
Anyway they seem very strong and powerful when I put them near my eyes for experimentation purposes. Also I can't see the last few lines on the chart with them on any more. I can see these lines without the glasses though.
What does this mean? Do you think this confirms I have changed prescription? Not been back to the opticians for four years out of fear of discouragement.
To read clearly your eyes have to focus on the retina. Since you can read the chart at some distance clearly, your eyes must be focusing properly.
If you put a negative lens on, then it will push the focal plane behind the retina, which makes vision blurry. If you try to accommodate with your eye lens, contort your cornea and exert strain on your eyeballs to attempt to align the focal plane with your retina, you will get a clearer image and a big headache.
Hi Imagineblack
I didn't look at the eye chart with glasses for quite some time, but I remember, that my sight was quite ok, although the glasses felt a bit too strong.
Today I put on my stronger under corrected pair for a test and was shocked how litttle I could see on the chart, then with the weaker pair it seemed a little better but still all was blurry - and afterwards even without glasses...
After I had recovered from the shock, I looked again without glasses and I could get everything clear again.
Maybe that's because our original prescription is rather high and the eyes can't make up such a big difference so quickly once they get used to see without glasses.
Thanks guys for the answers. I appreciate that. Disturbingly I tried the glasses on again that same day and saw better with them than earlier on in the day and so I wouldn't recommend this as a regular practice lol. I suppose at the opticians we will try on lots of lenses that day to discover our prescription and so it is maybe ok to do it on a rare occasion for experimentation purposes. I'm just a bit nervous because I would hate to go back to the opticians and they give me the same prescription. I know I should really get a check up soon. I do want to have improved enough to feel confident on that day because I know despite my vast recovery I am still vulnerable to eyesight blur when I'm nervous, in dim light and night time. I still strain at times so I'm not cured yet.
Check ups are always a bit 'tricky', especially if they make you nervous (like me) and your vision can reach a very high level in a relaxed state, whereas in stressful situations, on the contrary, it is very much worse (like mine).
So it is not easy to get an exact result in a test situation, which really corresponds to my average vision.
If you have the same problem, I would recommend to you - if posible - to make several tests in different places (eye doctors, opticians) to get used to the situation. Or - before you go for an 'official' test - invite some friends and test your vision together with these people to get used to the situation, to be critically observed while testing your eyes on the eye chart.
Thanks for the helpful advice. I think that is a good idea going to a few different opticians to get results. Also going for the proper one won't seem such an ordeal. I like the idea of inviting friends in order to get used to being observed reading the chart. I do find it harder to get my best vision when I feel tested or observed. Practicing this would get me more comfortable with the set up.
Have you had experience going back to the opticians since you started vision improvement Nini? Or are you waiting like me until you think you've improved enough. I did go back six months or so after I started but was very disappointed because I had only improved by 0.5 of a diopter. Mind you I did stop practicing Bates method after first few weeks when I went back to University. I had spent my summer working on my vision and studying Bate's book and magazines, stories from the clinic etc. but I had my fourth year to consider when I went back. I also wasn't consistent in my practice which I do think is key to success and progression. (A bit like learning to drive)
One question, what should I say to a strange optician? Do I tell them how bad my eyesight used to be? It will be obvious I used to wear contacts because of the blood vessels on my eyes from over wear in the past. In some ways I would rather they didn't know how bad I used to be because I don't want them to be biased; expecting my vision to be a certain diopter.
I would have waited until I was sure to get 20/20 vision in an 'official' test, since there is no need for a test as long as I don't need a prescription for new glasses, and I can perfectly get along without. I still don't feel confident enough in a test situation, my vision gets much worse when I am under stress...
But I started my eye training only after I had an operation for retinal detachment in my weaker eye and so I had some examinations in the hospital, including vision tests. When I don't ask for the results they won't even tell me, since they know very well that I am not wearing my glasses and they don't try to convince me to do so (although they seem to consider me as a bit 'excentric').
I could not read all the lines without glasses there yet and I decided not to ask how many diopters are still there. When I can read everything without glasses, it will be obvious...
Yes because one of the reasons why I want to go is not just out of interest and to know how many "diopters" I am, it is to check the health of my eyes because I haven't done so in four years. It's good Nini, that you can still check your eye health without feeling pressured to find out your "prescription". I understand why you would want to wait until 20:20. I don't think I'm there yet either.
That must have been frightening with the retinal detachment. I can't imagine. Well at least it brought you to the Bates Method which is a blessing I believe. I know I might never have found out about it unless I had not been told I wasn't allowed to wear contacts any more due to the overgrowing blood vessels on my eyes. I consider that lucky now.
Well doing the Bates Method certainly comes across as odd to some people. Perhaps even delusional! Goodness knows what people think of me; I don't think people can tell any more because I seem normal. Quite frankly I wouldn't have cared because of my desire to cured naturally of imperfect eyesight is so strong. That to me was more important than peoples opinions of me. I have tended to keep vision improvement to myself though now after all the opposition, discouragement and disbelief. However I am looking forward one day to helping others regain their sight. I feel I need to cure myself first though. Also it is a better witness to help other people too.
lou_deg Wrote:Nini, what may have caused the retinal detachment in your weaker eye and how did the doctor treat it?
Most probably it was due to a PVD due to high myopia (see: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterior_vitreous_detachment">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterior_ ... detachment</a><!-- m --> )
which caused 2 holes in my retina. Holes are rather frequent (about 1 of 30 persons has holes), but together with some additional factors (which scientists didn't find out yet, but stress is might play a major role) about 1 of 10 000 people will get a retinal detachment.
I had an operation with a scleral buckle and a cerclage (described here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/496835_5">http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/496835_5</a><!-- m -->).
Imagineblack Wrote:Nini how did you know you had a retinal detachment. Were.the symptoms obvious?
Here is a description of possible symptoms: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://retinaassociatesofwny.com/page8/patientlibrary/rdrt.html">http://retinaassociatesofwny.com/page8/ ... /rdrt.html</a><!-- m -->
I had flashes of light for some days about 6 months before the detachment and one single black floater. I didn't see such a black curtain like in the simulator, but a sort of a 'bubble' filled with a transparent brownish liquid on one side of my eye. At first I thought, it was some irritation, coming from my contact lens - the search in the Internet (for "retinal detachment", what I already suspected) lead me only to descriptions like the black curtain in the simulator.
But as it did not improve, I went to see a doctor.
Nini Wrote:I had flashes of light for some days about 6 months before the detachment and one single black floater. I didn't see such a black curtain like in the simulator, but a sort of a 'bubble' filled with a transparent brownish liquid on one side of my eye. At first I thought, it was some irritation, coming from my contact lens - the search in the Internet (for "retinal detachment", what I already suspected) lead me only to descriptions like the black curtain in the simulator.
Nini, my wife has been seeing flashes when she goes indoors after being outside in bright light/sunny days. Is that a symptom you've have had prior to retinal detachment? (She also has floaters.)
I don't think this is dangerous; what you describe reminds me of the effect, you can get when you expose your closed eyes to bright sunlight for some time and then immediately do some palming (without opening your eyes before). Then you can see plenty of small flickering lights in front of a very black background, which has a very relaxing effect.
The light flashes I saw before my retinal detachment were more like the flash of a distant camera and this can be a sign of a PVD, which sometimes can result in a retinal detachment.
I wrote about it here:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.iblindness.org/community/viewtopic.php?p=18816#p18816">viewtopic.php?p=18816#p18816</a><!-- l -->
Thanks. So the flashing lights may be due to PVD, retinal detachment or as Andrew pointed out, an irritated or inflamed optic nerve. My wife's prescription is around -7D. She visits her retina specialist the following week so she can ask about it. She is being treated for central retinal vein occlusion which is causing increased blood pressure in the vein at the optic nerve. This led to bleeding in the retina which made her vision blurry and was the reason she went to the eye doctor. The treatment is to reduce the swelling by injecting the drug Avastin into her eye. If the crvo is not treated, then it will lead to blindness. Unfortunately this drug can cause cataract as a side effect and the doctor has noted seeing a small amount of cataract. It would be good to finish with this treatment as soon as possible.
